Is Liberia Ready for Monetary Union? Exploring the Convergence Criteria for Eco Adoption

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe Garmondyu Greaves
1995 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 347-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam L. Campanella

THE NEW REGIONALISM, MANIFESTED IN EUROPE BY THE SINGLE European Act and the Maastricht Treaty (1992) and in North America by the signature of the North-American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA 1993), is centred on strategic policies and new institutions, the aims of which are to achieve a more effective role in global competition. In Europe, the shift is marked by the impending process of monetary union and the creation of its related institutions. The new approach agreed in the Maastricht Treaty sets out four requirements for eligibility to membership of monetary union. Convergence criteria embodying the judgment of financial markets about future inflation, exchange rate and fiscal policy appeared to be the second best choice for governments seeking to institutionalize their commitment to inflation-avoiding policies. The whole mechanism is meant first to provide the region with a credible monetary institution able to win over the financial markets and secondly to set up bulwarks to the inflation-prone pressures of domestic sheltered interests. Thirdly, the aim is to commit member countries, through a so-called targeting exercise (in Keohane's words) to accomplishing the agreed objectives with monetary discipline and macroeconomic adjustment.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. p61
Author(s):  
Louis S. Nkwatoh

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries have expressed their desire to establish a monetary union by the year 2020 based on six macroeconomic convergence criteria. The desire is predicated on a series of strategies and various treaties ratified and signed by various ECOWAS Heads of governments and Central Banks’ Governors with more emphasis on the Maastricht-type set of convergence criteria that must be satisfied by all member countries before they ascend to the envisaged monetary union. Even though the convergence criteria may guarantee macroeconomic stability in a regional grouping, critics assert that the convergence criteria are insufficient and inconsequential to the formation of monetary union. The objective of this study is to ascertain whether ECOWAS countries have met all the macroeconomic convergence criteria making them fit for a monetary union. The analyses indicate that no ECOWAS country has met all the convergence criteria at a given point in time implying that the level of macroeconomic convergence in the region still remains inadequate relative to the set targets. However, WAEMU sub-set economies have met three of the criteria -public debts to GDP Ratio, deficits including grants, annual percentage inflation rate. The simple reason is that WAEMU is an existing monetary union with a common stabilization policy.


2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 337
Author(s):  
Бранка Топић-Павковић

Резиме: Идеја о формирању Европске монетарне уније (ЕМУ) произашла је из чињенице да монетарно интегрисање има значајне економске предности код снижавања трансакционих трошкова, веће транспарентности цијена и монетарну стабилност. Теорија оптималног валутног подручјa истиче позитивну везу високог степена конвергенције и постизања користи од интегрисања и вођења заједничке политике за земље чланице монетарне уније Мастрихтски критеријуми конвергенције подразумијевају да земља која улази у ЕМУ има релативно ниску инфлацију, стабилну валуту, низак ниво буџетског дефицита, одржив јавни дуг, као и релативно ниске каматне стопе. Прије стицања позиције кандидата за приступ у ЕМУ, Босна и Херцеговина мора постати чланом ЕУ, и испунити критеријуме за чланство који се односе на политичке, економске, административне и правосудне институције. Будући да су Мастрихтски критеријуми конвергенције прецизније дефинисани од осталих критеријума, у економској литератури често се користе као показатељ спремности земаља кандидата за приступ Е(М)У. Поред сагледавања теоријских и емпиријских сазнања о условима монетарног интегрисања, циљ овог рада је да, на основу компаративне анализе остварених економских перформанси БиХ и земаља региона, оцијенимо остварену конвергенцију и степен приближавања БиХ критеријумима конвергенције из Мастрихта. Резултати истраживања сугеришу да је за БиХ, након уласка у ЕУ, рационално рјешење постепен процес монетарне интеграције, који уз стабилну монетарну политику подразумијева ефикасно управљање јавним финансијама и опрезно управљање јавним дугом. Дугорочни циљ БиХ огледа се у достизању реалне конвергенције кроз повећање продуктивности и конкурентности.Summary: The idea of forming the European Monetary Union (EMU) derives from the fact that monetary integration has considerable economic advantages in lower transaction costs, greater price transparency and monetary stability. Аccording to the optimum currency area (OCA) theory, it is very important for member states to achieve high level of convergence in order to exploit advantages of integrating and conducting a common policy. Maastricht convergence criteria imply that a country that enters the European Monetary Union (EMU) has a relatively low inflation, a stable currency, low budget deficits, relatively low interest rates and sustainable public debt. Before gaining the position of candidates for EMU, Bosnia and Herzegovina has to become a member of the EU and to achieve the criteria for membership related to the development of political, economic, administrative and judicial institutions. Since the Maastricht convergence criteria are more precise than other criteria, in the economic literature are often used as an indicators of the readiness of the candidate countries to access the E(M)U. In addition to consideration of theoretical and empirical knowledge about the monetary integration, the main goal of this paper is to, using the comparative analysis of actual economic performance of BiH and the region, provides us with knowledge and assessment of BiH stage of compliance with the Maastricht convergence criteria. The results show that a rational solution for BiH, after joining the EU, is based on gradual process of monetary integration, with stable monetary policy, effective management of public finances and careful management of public debt. The long-term goal of BiH lies in achieving real convergence through increased productivity and competitiveness.


Author(s):  
Ulla Neergaard

From the very beginning, an essential cornerstone of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) has been the European Exchange Rate Mechanism II (ERM II). It has been in force since 1 January 1999, ie from the initiation of the third phase of the EMU. Its overall purpose is to link currencies of Member States outside the euro area to the euro. Its importance lies in the fact that aspiring Member States must first join the mechanism for at least two years before being admitted as members of the euro area, as ERM II ‘membership’ is one of the four convergence criteria, which are required to be fulfilled for a Member State’s eventual adoption of the euro.


Author(s):  
Subhadra Ganguli

Purpose – Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was set up in 1981 between Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait for strengthening cooperation and economic development in the region. The GCC has made strides towards economic consolidation by forming a customs union and a common market. The long-term vision is to create an Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) with a single currency. Progress towards the EMU has been slow and the recent oil price plunge has led to concerns regarding sustainable growth of member countries due to their significant dependence on oil and lack of diversification. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the scope of an EMU in the GCC against the backdrop of current oil crisis and examine sustainability of such a union. The paper studies convergence criteria similar to the ones followed by the accession countries of the European EMU in the 1990s preceding the introduction of the single currency Euro. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws its practical approach from the experience of the European Monetary Union, though the original idea of the single currency in Optimum Currency Areas was conceived by Mundell (1961). The present paper analyses macroeconomic time-series variables (e.g. GDP, budget deficits, debt, growth rates, inflation rates, exchange rates) for GCC during the period 2005-2014. Data has been sourced from United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), The World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) databases to study the convergence criteria adopted by the EMU countries for the introduction of the Euro. Findings – The paper concludes that GCC economies are similar in terms of their structural and economic fundamentals. Most elements of the convergence criteria that were followed by the accession countries in Europe are fulfilled by the GCC member states, particularly during 2011-2014. The GCC states look similar in terms of sustainable growth, price stability and exchange rate stability – three aspects of convergence met by the European Union states. However, heavy dependence on oil and lack of diversification from oil and hydrocarbon-related products in the gross domestic product (GDP) composition of GCC states pose severe risks to the potential union. Fiscal vulnerabilities of these economies to oil price shocks, such as the current oil price crisis, create concerns for such a union during oil price lows. Widely divergent fiscal deficit-to-GDP ratios and rising debt-to-GDP ratios during periods of low oil prices imply the lack of sound and unsustainable public finances for some of the GCC states. The divergence has stemmed from widely different break-even oil prices for government budgets within the GCC and also due to varying degrees of oil dependencies between the member states. The scope of a successful and more sustainable EMU can be further explored once the GCC economics have achieved adequate diversity from oil. Originality/value – The study is useful to policy makers, central banks, businesses and researchers since it highlights the EMU as a feasible option for the GCC states. The sustainability of the EMU is contingent on diversification of these economies in the future from oil and oil-related products. The study can be utilized by policy makers as a strategy to further restructure GCC economies towards greater resilience and integration prior to accession to the GCC EMU.


2020 ◽  
pp. 179-192
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Kołodziejczyk

Poland’s accession to the European Union determines future membership in the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The subject of the research is the analysis of Polish policy towards EMU membership during the first 15 years of Poland’s membership in the EU. The research is political nature and intentionally does not focus on the economic benefits and challenges associated with Poland’s membership in the EMU. The aim of research is to focus on changes taking place in the policy towards Poland’s membership in the EMU conducted by the ruling parties, successively by the coalition of the Civic Platform (PO) and the Polish People’s Party (PSL) – PO-PSL in years 2007–2015 and then by the Law and Justice (PiS) in years 2005–2007 in consultation with the Self-Defence (Samoobrona RP) and the League of Polish Families (LPR) as well as 2015–2019 in the coalition with the Jarosław Gowin’s Agreement (Porozumienie Jarosława Gowina) and Zbigniew Ziobro’s Solidary Poland (Solidarna Polska). The main research questions relate to how has Poland’s membership in the EMU been perceived by the ruling parties since 2004 and what are the reasons for the fact that joining the eurozone by Poland until recently had been the strategic goal of the ruling elite of the country, and nowadays the strategic goal has become non-entry into the EMU. The main research methods were the analysis of the content of documents and a comparative method. The first method allowed presenting the perspective of Poland’s entry into the euro area from the side of the ruling parties policy. That is why the text was mainly based on source materials, i.e. reports, government documents, political speeches, party election programs and press articles. The second research method allowed to compare the concept of Poland’s membership in the EMU presented in various programs of the ruling political parties. The result of the conducted research indicates the radicalisation of the views of the Polish political scene. It also proves that date of adoption of the single European currency depends not only on meeting the convergence criteria, but also on which political option will rule in Poland.


ECONOMICS ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-71
Author(s):  
Merim Kasumović ◽  
Erna Heric

Summary The thematic framework of this work is the nominal and real convergence as a determinant for joining the European monetary union. The focus of the work is to prove that realising the criteria of the convergence affects the stability of the European monetary union, that is, that the cause of destabilisation is exactly the fact that certain member nations have not realised the assigned convergence criteria. The financial integration is an important question because it contributes to the economic growth affecting free exchange with the goal of a more efficient allocation of capital; it is the result of the economic theory and the empirical research. Introducing the Euro as a single payment method while losing the monetary sovereignty of the countries which have accepted it is the main reason for forming the European Central Bank. The mission of the European Central Bank is to define and conduct a single monetary policy within the Eurozone. Because of the already mentioned facts, the challenges of conducting the fiscal policy within the Eurozone as well as the key aspects of the monetary unification of Europe have been analysed. The results of this analysis should point out the stability of the EMU by the convergence degree of the member nations from a single monetary area.


Subject Progress in towards an East African monetary union. Significance In November 2013, East African Community (EAC) partner states endorsed the East African Monetary Union (EAMU) Protocol, outlining plans for full monetary union by 2024. For the union to happen, at least three partner states must be willing to cede their monetary policy independence. Furthermore, EAC states have agreed to certain convergence criteria that they will need to meet. Impacts Closer economic and political integration will offer benefits to the EAC even without a monetary union. Domestic taxes will be insufficient to fund projects, forcing increased borrowing to the detriment of convergence criteria. Worsening political crises in South Sudan and Burundi may erode their regional standing and complicate diplomacy. Kenya and Tanzania’s current trade dispute with the EU foreshadows larger regional economic clashes ahead.


1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard Winkler

ABSTRACTThis paper contributes to the ongoing debate over European Monetary Union (EMU), reviewing the economics literature on the merits of a single currency (‘optimum currency area’) and on the requirements for astable currency (‘credibility’). To understand Europe's drive for EMU and the transition strategy adopted at Maastricht both issues must be analysed together. The controversial convergence criteria in the Maastricht Treaty, in particular, primarily address valid concerns about the (price) stability performance of a future single currency by determining the timing and membership of EMU. In general, we propose to interpret the Maastricht design as a mechanism that must reconcile conflicting interests, solve credibility problems over time and extract information about candidate countries’ ‘stability culture’ in the run-up to monetary union.


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