scholarly journals SOME THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-105
Author(s):  
Alem Merdić ◽  
◽  
Hasan Mahmutović ◽  

One of the basic links of the process of globalization are economic integrations. The aim of this paper is to systematize theoretical achievements and to review the forms, effects and conditions for connecting countries motivated by economic benefits. In addition to the theoretical review of the conceptual definition of economic integration, the focus is on the levels of economic integration from the free-trade zone to the monetary and fiscal union, explaining the specificity of each of the mentioned levels. Considering that the connection between countries always raises the question of the benefits and costs of connection, the special emphasis in this paper is placed on the potential effects for free trade. Finally, the greatest contribution of this paper is the systematization and theoretical review of the theory of optimal currency area and monetary integration, which is especially significant for the European soil, taking into account the already established European Monetary Union.

Author(s):  
Andreea Bucur

Although the increasing heterogeneity as an effect of European Union enlargement, referring especially to the last two waves, is perceived as a single internal market and also euro single currency risk, European Monetary Union represents an important step towards deepening economic integration. Controversy on the Optimum Currency Area issue has created difficulties in empirical research effort to find appropriate responses to the EMU dilemma: is Euro zone an „optimum” or rather “viable” currency area?


2020 ◽  
pp. 43-60
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Misiak

The aim of the paper is to examine the role and place of the fiscal stabilisation policy in the European Monetary Union (EMU) from the perspective of the theory of optimum currency areas (OCA). We examine the theoretical underpinning for the policy to mitigate the economic fluctuations in a monetary union, and answer the questions of whether fiscal integration is a prerequisite for the “optimality” of a currency area and at what level of governance a stabilising fiscal policy should be conducted. We conclude with a short revision of how OCA theory is applied to the project of monetary and economic integration in the European Union (EU) and some conclusions for future development and research.


Author(s):  
Ihor Soroka

The question of whether or not to adopt the euro is a very important one, not only for the 13 European Union members that do not share the same currency, but also for future EU candidates. Current literature on the effect of the euro on trade is scarce since the European Monetary Union (EMU) was officially created in 1999, and up until recently there has not been enough data to analyze this issue. This paper aims to estimate the effect of the euro on trade between member countries using the standard gravity model of trade. Using data from current 25 EU members over the period from 1997 to 2004, I show that higher trade volumes between EMU members cannot be attributed to the adoption of the euro. I find evidence that the euro adoption has had a short-run effect on bilateral trade and that this effect is eliminated over a short period of time. My findings suggest that members of the EMU trade on average from 8.8% to 47% more compared to non-members depending on the type of regression used, while members of the Free Trade Agreement trade 61.3% more. The effect of the euro on trade is eliminated as soon as I control for country-pair specific effects that include the FTA effect as well as history of trade relations between two countries. I conclude that the adoption of the euro should be seen as a final step in the European economic and monetary integration for countries that already benefit from relatively high volumes of bilateral trade. Full text availale at: https://doi.org/10.22215/rera.v2i1.166


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunther Schnabl

Abstract The paper scrutinizes the role of diverging fiscal policy stances for diverging current account positions in Europe with a focus on the European Monetary Union (EMU). In a heterogeneous monetary union fiscal policy has the task to absorb asymmetric shocks to ensure the efficacy of the one-size monetary policy. It is argued that since the early years of the European Monetary Union divergent fiscal policies combined with monetary expansion constituted a major determinant of current account divergence within the euro area, which finally led into the European debt and financial crisis. Panel regressions reveal a significant impact of fiscal policies on current account positions, which to a large extent are independent from the exchange rate regime and turn out to be contingent on monetary and fiscal policy mix. Based on the findings economic policy recommendations are presented.


2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ihor Soroka

The question of whether or not to adopt the euro is a very important one, not only for the 13 European Union members that do not share the same currency, but also for future EU candidates. Current literature on the effect of the euro on trade is scarce since the European Monetary Union (EMU) was officially created in 1999, and up until recently there has not been enough data to analyze this issue. This paper aims to estimate the effect of the euro on trade between member countries using the standard gravity model of trade. Using data from current 25 EU members over the period from 1997 to 2004, I show that higher trade volumes between EMU members cannot be attributed to the adoption of the euro. I find evidence that the euro adoption has had a short-run effect on bilateral trade and that this effect is eliminated over a short period of time. My findings suggest that members of the EMU trade on average from 8.8% to 47% more compared to non-members depending on the type of regression used, while members of the Free Trade Agreement trade 61.3% more. The effect of the euro on trade is eliminated as soon as I control for country-pair specific effects that include the FTA effect as well as history of trade relations between two countries. I conclude that the adoption of the euro should be seen as a final step in the European economic and monetary integration for countries that already benefit from relatively high volumes of bilateral trade.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  

This article discusses Frankel and Rose’s (1997, 1998) introduction to endogeneity, which was the result of scrutinizing the optimal currency area (OCA) theory through the evaluative lens of European monetary integration and unification in the 1990s. It cannot be generalized to another monetary union. The development of endogeneity interrelates five different criteria (common currency; transaction costs; commercial integration; economic convergence; and diversification of production) to argue that the introduction of a common currency leads to economic convergence among the participating countries. Frankel and Rose’s choice of analytic criteria arises from empirical studies on European monetary unification, following the OCA framework. The empirical studies found to have influenced the authors can be divided into three themes: the microeconomic benefits of a common currency; the optimality of European countries; and adjustment mechanisms. However, as shown by the selection of certain criteria, the influence of the Emerson report (1990), and the price-stability orientation of fiscal and monetary policies, their proposal only works within the monetary and economic conditions of the future eurozone area.


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.


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