Effects of Monetary Unions on Inequalities (Para Birliklerinin Esitsizlikler Uzerindeki Etkileri)

This paper analyzes how forming a monetary union affects consumption and earnings inequalities caused by adopting a common currency. We use a two country overlapping-generations model to investigate these effects. When countries choose to form a monetary union, the country with higher initial inflation will deffnitely experience an increase in its inequalities. In the country with lower initial inflation, however, inequalities might go in either direction since the inflationary effect of uniting its monetary policy with a high inflation country can dominate the reducing effect of vanished trade frictions on inflation.