Summary We show that monetary union can enhance price stability for its member countries even if none of them has a long history of stable prices and independent monetary policy, as is the case in a number of monetary union initiatives among developing countries. The positive effect obtains...

We study the consequences of forming a monetary union among a group of countries where the central banks lack independence and are pressured frequently to accommodate government objectives. This is a common situation in the developing countries. As it is common in the literature, we show that...

This paper uses VAR techniques to investigate the potential for forming monetary unions in Eastern and Southern Africa. All countries in the sample are members of various regional economic organizations. Some of the organizations have a monetary union as an immediate objective whereas others...