Is Europe an Optimum Currency Area? Evidence on the Magnitude and Asymmetry of Common and Country-Specific Shocks in 20 European Countries
Is Europe an Optimum Currency Area? Evidence on the Magnitude and Asymmetry of Common and Country-Specific Shocks in 20 European Countries
- 세종대학교 경제통합연구소
- Journal of Economic Integration
- 제11권 제3호
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1996.09366 - 384 (19 pages)
- 5

This pa per asks whether Europe is an optimum currency area. Economic theory suggests that a common currency is more likely to be beneficial if country-specific shocks are mild and symmetric, whereas in the presence of major asymmetric shocks, floating exchange rates are more likely to be stabilizing. Using annual data from the 1950-1990 period, real output fluctuations of 20 European countries (the 15 current members of the European Union, and 5 prospective members) are decomposed into common and country-specific shocks. The decomposition reveals that country-specific shocks in Europe (and the European Union) are both large and asymmetric. These results imply that a common European currency (despite its political attractiveness and potential credibility gains) will have very few stabilization benefits. (JEL Classification: E42, F36, F42)
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