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The Eurozone crisis: a balance-of-payment problem or a crisis due to a flawed monetary design?

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  • Marc Lavoie

    (CEPN - Centre d'Economie de l'Université Paris Nord - UP13 - Université Paris 13 - USPC - Université Sorbonne Paris Cité - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, University of Ottawa [Ottawa])

Abstract

Both Sergio Cesaratto and I see several flaws in the setup of the common currency Eurozone, and we both understand, in a similar way, the functioning of a monetary economy. The only point of disagreement it seems to me is that Cesaratto insists that the Eurozone crisis is a balance-of-payments problem, tied to current account deficits and capital outflows. But whereas the continuous loss of foreign reserves must eventually lead to some painful adjustment, Eurozone countries can never run out of TARGET2 balances, which can take unlimited negative values, so that the evolution of the balance of payments cannot be the source of the crisis. My view, and Roberto Frenkel's, is that investors perceived, in contrast to other central banks, that the European Central Bank by convention and by design would decline to act as the purchaser of last resort until it became too late, which explains the speculative attacks against the securities issued by the governments of the Eurozone periphery.

Suggested Citation

  • Marc Lavoie, 2015. "The Eurozone crisis: a balance-of-payment problem or a crisis due to a flawed monetary design?," Post-Print hal-01343742, HAL.
  • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-01343742
    DOI: 10.1080/08911916.2015.1060831
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    Cited by:

    1. Karsten Kohler, 2022. "Capital Flows and the Eurozone's North-South Divide," Working Papers PKWP2211, Post Keynesian Economics Society (PKES).
    2. Rosaria Rita Canale & G. Liotti, 2022. "Target2 imbalances and poverty in the eurozone," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 32(5), pages 1395-1417, November.
    3. Donato Di Carlo & Oscar Molina, 2024. "Same same but different? The Mediterranean growth regime and public sector wage-setting before and after the sovereign debt crisis," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 30(1), pages 31-53, March.
    4. Sergio Cesaratto & Gennaro Zezza, 2018. "What went wrong with Italy, and what the country should now fight for in Europe," FMM Working Paper 37-2018, IMK at the Hans Boeckler Foundation, Macroeconomic Policy Institute.
    5. Liagouras, George, 2018. "On the Edge of the South European Model: Familism, Business and State in Greece," OSF Preprints 8eqmb, Center for Open Science.

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