This paper evaluates the role of trade and financial linkages in the decision to enter a monetary union. We estimate a two-country DSGE model for the U.K. economy and the euro area, and use the model to compute the welfare trade-offs from joining the euro. We evaluate two alternative scenarios. In the first one, we consider a reduction of trade costs that occurs after the adoption of a common currency. In the second, we introduce interest rate spread shocks of the same magnitude as the ones observed during the recent debt crisis in Europe. The reduction of trade costs generates a net welfare gain of 0.9 percent of life-time consumption, while the increased interest rate spread volatility generates a net welfare cost of 2.9 percentage points. The welfare calculation suggests two ways to preserve the welfare gains in a monetary union: ensuring fiscal and financial stability that reduces macroeconomic country risk, and increasing wage flexibility such that the economy adjusts to external shocks faster.

Essay from the year 2005 in the subject Business economics - Economic Policy, grade: 1,2, Arnhem Business School (Arnhem Business School), course: International Economics, language: English, abstract: Since the beginning of the idea of the European Monetary Union (EMU), UK had a negative attitude towards a single monetary policy with a single currency. This antipathy was amplified on the one hand by the withdrawal of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism in 1992 caused by different economic policies, oil price rises and German unification and on the other hand by the launch of the EMU in 1999. In fact the UK government starts to work towards cooperation with the EMU by setting specific goals. But before taking further steps, the criteria of the Maastricht Treaty have to be fulfilled and the five economic tests assessed by the UK government have to be passed. Since 1997 the UK has made real progress towards meeting the five economic tests. Although there are arguments that in a long term the payback of joining EMU offset the costs, the benefits are too low and the costs too high at the moment. The idea of one currency in Europe has been around for many years. But according to Pitchford the true launching of the EMU process dates from the Werner Committee which was set up in 1970 and submitted its final report, called 'the Werner Report', in February 1971. The first major step for the implementation of the Werner plan was the European 'currency snake' in 1972. Through this arrangement the fluctuations between participants' exchange rates should be limited to ± 2.25%. However, this process was not effective because of the collapse of the Bretton-Woods regime which determined a fixed exchange rate in terms of gold. The UK joined the snake system just for one month. A further step was the creation of the European Monetary System (EMS) in 1979. The main objective of this system was to create monetary stability in Europe. This should be realized by the fixed rates between the currencies of the participating countries which where settled on their value against the European Currency Unit (ECU4). The UK did not join in the EMS and was still remote at the time of Delors Report in 1989.

John Pinder and Simon Usherwood explain the EU in plain readable English. They show how and why it has developed, how the institutions work, and what it does - from the single market to the euro, and from agriculture to the environment.

The European Community is negotiating a new treaty to establish the constitutional foundations of an economic and monetary union in the course of the 1990s. This study provides the only comprehensive guide to the economic implications of economic and monetary union. The work of an economist inside the Commission of the European Community, it reflects the considerations influencing the design of the union. The study creates a unique bridge between the insights of modern economic analysis and the work of the policy makers preparing for economic and monetary union.

Seminar paper from the year 2001 in the subject Economics - Monetary theory and policy, grade: 2,0 (B), Oxford Brookes University (Business School), course: Business Environment of the UK, language: English, abstract: HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION OF THE EMU With the Maastricht Treaty the EC heads of state and government agreed on a three-legged "European Union" (EU) on December 9 and 10, 1991, which should include a common foreign and security policy, cooperation on domestic and security policy and the creation of a European Economic and Monetary Union (EEMU). The European Monetary Union (EMU) is to be effected according to a concrete time schedule - the three-stage plan which was agreed upon in the Maastricht Treaty and the conversion plan which was decided December 1995. To ensure the stability of a single currency, especially in the initial phase, the states participating in the EMU must satisfy the following convergence criteria as constituted in the Maastricht treaty: 1. Inflation criteria: Price stability with no more than 1.5 percentage points above the inflation rate of the top three member states. [...]

Principles of International Finance and Open Economy Macroeconomics: Theories, Applications, and Policies presents a macroeconomic framework for understanding and analyzing the global economy from the perspectives of emerging economies and developing countries. Unlike most macroeconomic textbooks, which typically emphasize issues about developed countries while downplaying issues related to developing countries, this book emphasizes problems in emerging economies, including those in Latin American countries. It also explains recent developments in international finance that are essential to a thorough understanding of the effects and implications of the recent financial crisis. - Concentrates on developing country perspectives on International Finance and the Economy, including those in Latin American countries - Provides case studies and publicly available data allowing readers to explore theories and their applications - Explains recent developments in international finance that are essential to a thorough understanding of the effects and implications of the recent financial crisis - Proposes a unified mathematical model accessible to those with basic mathematical skills

"This expositive textbook on monetary integration looks at the costs and benefits of monetary union in Europe. The author examines such topical issues as whether there is a good economic case for countries to have separate currencies, and whether a nation increases its welfare when it abolishes its national currency and adopts the currency of a wider area. This leads naturally to questions concerning the size of an optimal monetary area - should this include the EC, the whole of Europe, or the whole world?" "The first part of the book focuses on complete monetary unions in which a common currency is substituted for national currencies. The second part looks at incomplete monetary unions and analyzes the operation of monetary systems in which national monetary authorities maintain their national currencies but agree to fix their exchange rates. This leads to an analysis of the European Monetary System and also examines the issues relating to the transition to a full monetary system." "The book combines comprehensive exposition with discussion of recent historical events and theory and will prove invaluable to students."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved