This paper empirically investigates Mundell's (1961) formalisation that in a small open economy flexible exchange rates act as a `shock absorber'. The role of a world real interest rate shock in driving output, trade imbalances and real exchange rate fluctuations under different exchange rate...

The UK has to take a decision on EMU membership at some point, and the costs and benefits have to be evaluated. Different policy frameworks result in differing outcomes for the means and variances of economic variables such as inflation, output, and nominal and real exchange rates and interest...