In the discussions on the need for fiscal rules and their usefulness in a monetary union, researchers have not agreed if financial markets have a sufficiently disciplining effect on governments, which would mean that the fiscal rules are not necessary. This paper investigates whether the...

Fiscal federalism theory seeks to establish the optimal organization of a government, confined by certain geographic boundaries. The implications of that theory for the monetary unification process are shortly inquired. The literature measuring the redistribution and stabilization effects of the...

This paper examines the impact of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) on the fiscal performance of EU member states. I will show that the process towards EMU and the accompanying Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) have increased fiscal performance in the EU member states. Small EU states have...

Some academic circles have pointed out that the European Union and its Member States suffer from a legitimacy deficit closely linked to the current fiscal policies. In a context which was characterised by the major presence of Labour, Socialist and Social Democrat Parties in the Member States'...

During recent decades improved supply chain management, innovation in information technology, new financial instruments, etc. have changed the economic environment for production in the EU significantly. This led to and was accompanied by increased coordination of economic policy and the use of...

.The procedures launched against Germany and France due to their excessive deficits, again brought the attention of the media and broader public to the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP). The point of culmination was reached when the European Commission filed a claim against the Council (C-27/04)...

The paper discusses the framework of ERM2 (the exchange rate mechanism of EMU, the Economic and Monetary Union) and its suitability for accession countries / advanced transition economies. It analyzes the exchange rate mechanism from two aspects. First, it considers how ERM2 regulates the...

To explain divergence in member-state policy adjustment in response to the economic pressures of globalization and Europeanization (distinguished from European integration as the impact of EU level decisions on national level policies and institutions), this paper identifies five mediating...