Macroeconomic Analysis Of Monetary Unions

The book develops a general framework for the macroeconomic modeling of monetary unions. The starting point of the analysis is the standard two-country Mundell-Fleming model with perfect capital mobility, extended to incorporate the supply side in a context of rigid real wages, and modified so that the money market is common for two countries forming a monetary union. The model is presented in two versions: for a small and a large monetary union, respectively. After solving each model, the authors derive multipliers for monetary, expenditure, supply, and external shocks, both in the short and the long run; a graphical analysis is also provided. Special attention is paid to the crucial distinction between symmetric and asymmetric shocks.

This book explores the new economics of monetary union. It carefully discusses the effects of shocks and policies on output and prices. Shocks and policies are country-specific or common. They occur on the demand or supply side. Countries can differ in behavioural functions. Wages can be fixed, flexible, or slow. In addition, fixed wages and flexible wages can coexist. Take for instance fixed wages in Germany and flexible wages in France. Or take fixed wages in Europe and flexible wages in America. A special feature of this book is the numerical estimation of shock and policy multipliers. Further topics are inflation and disinflation. Take for instance inflation in Germany and price stability in France. Then what policy is needed for disinflation in the union? And what will be the dynamic effects on Germany and France?

This is what we’ve all been waiting for – a book that demystifies the European community’s monetary union. Unlike other books, this one provides readers with a practical yet sophisticated grasp of the macroeconomic principles necessary to understand a monetary union. The most important case in point is the Euro area, where policy targets are price stability and full employment. To illustrate all of this there are numerical simulations of monetary policy, fiscal policy, and wage policy.

A lot of diagrams serve to illustrate the subject in hand."--Jacket.

This book studies the coexistence of inflation and unemployment in a monetary union. The focus is on how to reduce the associated loss. The primary target of the European central bank is low inflation in Europe. The primary target of the German government is low unemployment in Germany. And the primary target of the French government is low unemployment in France. The European central bank has a quadratic loss function. The same applies to the German government and the French government. The key questions are: To what extent can the sequential process of monetary and fiscal decisions reduce the loss caused by inflation and unemployment? Is monetary and fiscal cooperation superior to the sequential process of monetary and fiscal decisions? The present book is part of a larger research project on European Monetary Union, see the references given at the back of the book. Some parts of this project were presented at the World Congress of the International Economic Association, at the International Conference on Macroeconomic Analysis, at the International Institute of Public Finance, and at the International Atlantic Economic Conference. Other parts were presented at the Macro Study Group of the German Economic Association, at the Annual Meeting of the Austrian Economic Association, at the Göttingen Workshop on International Economics, at the Halle Workshop on Monetary Economics, at the Research Seminar on Macroeconomics in Freiburg, at the Research Seminar on Economics in Kassel, and at the Passau Workshop on International Economics.

In this book, a historical analysis of the precedents of the euro is examined within the context of the current issues affecting the Eurozone and the long-term effects of the institutional changes implemented since 2010. The book begins by placing the Eurozone challenges in the historical context of previous monetary unions, drawing on the experience of the gold standard. It then specifically focuses on the problems arising from the running of permanent trade imbalances within the Eurozone. The authors explore the advantages and disadvantages of being a member of the Eurozone and attempt to measure the optimality of a currency area by the calculation of an index on internal macroeconomic asymmetries. They address the proposals recently made in favour of a fiscal union in the Euro zone; including the economic and political feasibility of fiscal transfers in the Eurozone. The final two papers discuss whether the monetary union is in fact more than just that, and whether it will lead inevitably to some form of political union if it is to survive. With chapters by leading experts from both Europe and the UK, this book will appeal to students in Economics, Finance, Politics, EU integration and European studies; as well as academics and professional economists doing research in EU integration, the Euro zone, monetary history and monetary and banking unions in Europe, the UK and elsewhere.

The seventh edition of 'Economics of Monetary Union' provides a concise analysis of the theories and policies relating to monetary union. De Grauwe analyses the costs and benefits associated with having one currency as well as the practical workings and current issues involved with the Euro. In the first part of the book the author considers the implications of joining a monetary union through discussion based on an economic cost-benefit analysis. The second part of the book looks at the reality of monetary unions by analysing Europe's experiences, such as how the European Central Bank was designed to conduct a single monetary policy. The seventh edition has been revised to include more discussion of monetary unions outside Europe and, to reflect this fast-moving area, updated coverage of new member states in transition and an updated discussion of the stability pact. Online Resource Centre An online resource centre, featuring supplements for lecturers including PowerPoint slides and an instructor manual, has been updated for this edition.

Providing readers with a multi-faceted assessment of the implementation of fiscal policies in the euro zone and their macroeconomic effects five years after the inception of the euro, this book, international in perspective and scope, is the first reliable reference source for discussions in this area for both academics and policy makers. Comprising contributions from distinguished researchers from different European countries and institutions the issues addressed include the: monetary and fiscal policy-mix evolution and control of fiscal aggregates over the business cycle and their implications for the SGP rules accountability of debt evolution financial spill-over of national fiscal policies measurement and assessment of automatic stabilizers. Based on empirical evidence as well as being firmly rooted in theoretical analyses and giving particular emphasis to the constraint of the Stability and Growth Pact on the one hand and the presence of a single monetary policy on the other, this book is an invaluable tool students and researchers engaged with macroeconomic stabilization and monetary and fiscal policy interactions, as well as professionals in the public sector and the financial institutions of the EU.