Monetary Integration And Dollarization

This book brings together an impressive and diverse group of authors to discuss its central theme: whether or not the dollarized international monetary system is sustainable in the context of the global economy it helped create. In addition to its uniquely well-rounded and comprehensive coverage of the issues, this lively and highly readable volume provides an accurate assessment of the lack of consensus in the current debate. A must read for anyone interested in currency crises and the increasing vulnerability of the dollar. Jane D Arista, Director of Progams, Financial Markets Center, US This book deals with the economic consequences of monetary integration, which has long been dominated by the Optimal Currency Area (OCA) paradigm. In this model, money is perceived as having developed from a private sector cost minimization process to facilitate transactions. Not surprisingly, the book argues, the main advantage of monetary integration in the OCA context is the reduction of transaction costs, yet the validity of OCA to analyze processes of monetary integration seems to be limited at best. The contributors in this volume try to go beyond the OCA model and understand the political economy of monetary integration by comparing the European Monetary Union with the dollarization (formal and informal) process in Latin America. The contributors, many of whom are leading lights, reflect the disagreements and the changing views on the proper monetary arrangements in a globalized world and suggest that monetary integration and dollarization are not the solution for the great majority of countries around the world. Monetary Integration and Dollarization brings together mainstream and heterodox views of monetary integration and uses the European and North American experiences as a guide for the discussion of dollarization in developing countries. It will appeal to scholars, researchers and policy makers in the fields of financial and international economics.

The use of the US dollar for domestic monetary transactions outside the USA has gone on for many years now - Panama in 1904 being the earliest example. Since the advent of the Euro, the debate over the benefits of monetary integration has warmed up - particularly for NAFTA countries. This collection, with contributions from experts such as Philip Arestis, Malcolm Sawyer and Stephanie Bell, examines the various problems and benefits involved in monetary integration and covers the causes of Euro instability, monetary policy in non-optimal currency unions, financial openness and dollarization and the question of dollarization in Canada. This book addresses one of the burning policy issues in Europe and America: is monetary union worthwhile? The readable yet comprehensive style of this book will make it of interest not only to academics and students involved in European integration, financial liberalization and dollarization, but will also be an important book for policy-makers at intergovernmental level.

This book takes a global approach by discussing one of today's most controversial topics in business; dollarization. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the formation of the Euro, many countries are debating whether or not a common currency is in their best interest.

The use of the US dollar for domestic monetary transactions outside the USA has gone on for many years now - Panama in 1904 being the earliest example. Since the advent of the Euro, the debate over the benefits of monetary integration has warmed up - particularly for NAFTA countries. This collection, with contributions from experts such as Philip Arestis, Malcolm Sawyer and Stephanie Bell, examines the various problems and benefits involved in monetary integration and covers the causes of Euro instability, monetary policy in non-optimal currency unions, financial openness and dollarization and the question of dollarization in Canada. This book addresses one of the burning policy issues in Europe and America: is monetary union worthwhile? The readable yet comprehensive style of this book will make it of interest not only to academics and students involved in European integration, financial liberalization and dollarization, but will also be an important book for policy-makers at intergovernmental level.

Theoretical and empirical analysis of de jure dollarization. With the persistent instability of international financial markets, emerging economies are exploring new ways to reduce exposure to capital flow volatility. Some analysts argue that financially open economies are best served by more flexible regimes, while others argue in favor of extreme exchange rate regimes that have a strong commitment to a fixed parity or dispense with an independent currency. The successful launch of the euro has made more realistic the prospect of replacing a national currency with a strong foreign one. Recent examples include the adoption of the US dollar by Ecuador and El Salvador. The introduction of a foreign currency as sole legal tender, termed full (de jure) dollarization, has been the center of much political and academic debate. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the issues from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. The topics discussed include the role of balance sheet effects, the linkage between currency risk and country risk, the impact of dollarization on trade, financial integration and credibility, the implications of dollarization for the lender of last resort, and the institutional and political economy aspects of dollarization.

This paper identifies key aspects that countries willing to officially dollarize must necessarily address. Based on country experiences, it discusses the critical institutional bases that are necessary to unilaterally introduce a new legal tender, describes the relevant operational issues to smooth the transition toward the use of the new currency, and identifies key structural reforms that are necessary to favor the sustainability over time of this monetary regime. The paper is aimed at providing preliminary guidance to policy makers and practitioners adopting official dollarization. The paper does not take a position on how appropriate this monetary arrangement is. Experiences from adopting dollarization in Ecuador, El Salvador, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Timor-Leste are illustrated briefly.

Describes the economic and capital market results of the institution of the single currency, the euro, in Europe after January 2000. Does it foreshadow increased capital market efficiency and labour migration, huge cross-border mergers and the division of the world into currency blocs?