In this article assumptions and forecasts of contradictory manifestos of economists Eurosceptics versus Euro-optimists are confronted with reality. Some of the major findings are: (1) The convergence criteria were not applied exactly and strictly as politicians have postulated in advance but...

We use the method of indirect inference, using the bootstrap, to test the Smets and Wouters model of the EU against a VAR auxiliary equation describing their data. We find that their model generates excessive variance compared with the data. But their model fits the dynamic facts quite well if...

The standard Walrasian equilibrium theory requires that the marginal value product of production factor such as labor is equal across firms and industries. However, productivity dispersion is widely observed in the real economy. Search theory allegedly fills this gap by encompassing apparent...

Economic policy makers, international organisations and private-sector forecasters commonly use short-term forecasts of real GDP growth based on monthly indicators, such as industrial production, retail sales and confidence surveys. An assessment of the reliability of such tools and of the...

The Commission's proposals regarding the implementation of art. 82 TEC are shortly presented. The authors show that they can be interpreted as another step towards a "more economic approach" because their implementation would strengthen the rule of reason even further. The Commission's proposal...

The current economic crisis offers an historic opportunity for change. The depth of the crisis means there will likely be a policy turn in a Keynesian and even Post Keynesian direction. However, there are profound political, intellectual and sociological obstacles blocking change in underlying...