Endogeneities of Optimum Currency Areas: What Brings Countries Sharing a Single Currency Closer Together?

40 Pages Posted: 20 May 2005

See all articles by Paul De Grauwe

Paul De Grauwe

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute for Economic Research); London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Francesco Paolo Mongelli

European Central Bank (ECB); Goethe University Frankfurt

Date Written: April 2005

Abstract

This paper brings together several strands of the literature on the endogenous effects of monetary integration: i.e., whether sharing a single currency may set in motion forces bringing countries closer together. The start of EMU has spurred a new interest in this debate. Four areas are analysed: the endogeneity of economic integration, in which we look primarily at evidence on prices and trade; the endogeneity of financial integration or equivalently of insurance schemes based on capital markets; the endogeneity of symmetry of shocks; and the endogeneity of product and labour market flexibility. We present diverse arguments and, where possible, explore the incipient empirical literature focussing on the euro area. Our preliminary conclusion is one of moderate optimism. The different endogeneities that exist in the dynamics towards optimum currency areas are at work. How strong these endogeneities are and how quickly they will do their work remains to be seen.

Keywords: Optimum Currency Area, Economic and Monetary Integration and EMU

JEL Classification: E42, F13, F33, F42

Suggested Citation

De Grauwe, Paul and De Grauwe, Paul and Mongelli, Francesco Paolo, Endogeneities of Optimum Currency Areas: What Brings Countries Sharing a Single Currency Closer Together? (April 2005). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=691864 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.691864

Paul De Grauwe (Contact Author)

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute for Economic Research)

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) ( email )

Houghton Street
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United Kingdom

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

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United Kingdom

Francesco Paolo Mongelli

European Central Bank (ECB) ( email )

Sonnemannstrasse 22
Frankfurt am Main, 60314
Germany

Goethe University Frankfurt ( email )

Grüneburgplatz 1
Frankfurt am Main, 60323
Germany

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