This book studies the strategic policy interactions in a monetary union. The leading protagonists are the European Central Bank and national governments. The target of the ECB is low inflation in Europe. The targets of a national government are low unemployment and a low structural deficit....

Some Basic Models -- Monetary Policy in Europe -- Fiscal Policy in Germany -- First the Central Bank Decides, then the Governments Decide -- First the Governments Decide, then the Central Bank Decides -- Central Bank and Governments Decide Simultaneously and Independently: Cold-Turkey Policies...

Inflation Differentials in the Euro Area: A Survey -- The ECB’s Monetary Analysis Revisited -- Euro Area Monetary Policy in Uncharted Waters -- The Communication Policy of the European Central Bank: An Overview of the First Decade -- Governance and Monetary Policy Decision-Making at the ECB --...

Recognizing increasing returns disrupts much of the established wisdom in economic analysis, making money non-neutral, equity conflict with freedom, and encouraging goods with increasing returns efficient. This book discusses these problems and ways they can be handled, helping to explain...

As the financial crisis engulfs the world economy, there is an ambitous agenda for regulatory reform. This book provides a comprehensive review of the analysis of finance, economics and the law and economics, illuminating past and current banking and financial regulation designed to prevent...

This book presents a clear exposition of what constitutes asymmetry in economics. It provides an empirical application of these ideas in the case of the EU. In particular, it shows how important asymmetry is for the appropriate design of policy in the Euro Area.