Finland was the only Nordic country to join the European Monetary Union (EMU) when it began on January 1, 1999. In the autumn of 1994, the voters of Sweden and Finland decided to join the European Union (EU), while those in Norway decided to remain outside. In Denmark, the voters had earlier...

Purpose – A spectre is hunting embryonic African monetary zones: the EMU crisis. This paper assesses real, monetary and fiscal policy convergence within the proposed WAM and EAM zones. The introduction of common currencies in West and East Africa is facing stiff challenges in the timing of...

Purpose – A spectre is hunting embryonic African monetary zones: the EMU crisis. This paper assesses real and monetary policy convergence within the proposed WAM and EAM zones. The introduction of common currencies in West and East Africa is facing stiff challenges in the timing of monetary...

Debate continues over whether a monetary or currency union will be a viable alternative to the current exchange arrangements in East Asia. This paper adds to the literature by assessing the level of business cycle synchronization among 10 major East Asian economies which is considered a key...

The study assesses the level of integration among the three Greater China economies (namely China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) and examines the suitability of a Greater China currency union. Currently, the three economies have extensive trade and investment linkages. Our analyses show that these...

This working paper was written by Yin-wong Cheung (University of California, Santa Cruz) and Jude Yuen (University of California, Santa Cruz).The study assesses the level of integration among the three Greater China economies (namely China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) and examines the suitability of...

The paper analyzes if and how the experiences of European integration can be used for the progress of East Asia integration especially of the ASEAN+3 countries1. Of special interest is the relevance of the new endogeneity approach of monetary integration for East Asia. The question is discussed...

This paper examines G-PPP and business cycle synchronization in the East Africa Community with the aim of assessing the prospects for a monetary union. The univariate fractional integration analysis shows that the individual series exhibit unit roots and are highly persistent. The fractional...

In this paper we describe the genesis of a doomsday scenario and discuss potential causes and motivations for a breakup of the euro area. For this purpose, we differentiate between the departure of weak and strong countries, and examine the impact of the reintroduction of a national currency on...

This paper examines the evolution of public support for the euro since its introduction as a virtual currency in 1999 , using a unique set of data not available for any other currency. We focus on the role of economic factors in determining the popularity o f the euro. We find that a majority of...