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Monetary and Fiscal Policy Interactions in the Euro Area

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  • Willi Semmler
  • Wenlang Zhang

Abstract

The problem of monetary and fiscal policy interactions is an important issue for the euro area, since the individual member states of the EMU are responsible for their fiscal policies but monetary policy is pursued by a single monetary authority, the ECB. This paper is concerned with empirical evidence on monetary and fiscal policy interactions in the euro area. We first explore fiscal regimes with a VAR model and find empirical evidence that a non-Ricardian fiscal policy has been pursued in both France and Germany. As an example, we then study how one member state of the EMU, namely, Italy, is responding to the common monetary policy with its fiscal policy and find that Italian fiscal policy seemed to be counteractive to the common monetary policy between 1979 and 1998. In order to study monetary and fiscal policy interactions in a more general way, we explore time-varying interactions by estimating a State-Space model with Markov-switching for some Euro-area countries. There appear to be some regime changes in monetary and fiscal policy interactions in France and Germany, but the interactions between the two policies are not strong. Moreover, the two policies have not been accommodative but counteractive to each other. Finally we explore forward-looking behavior in policy interactions and find that expectations do not seem to have played an important role in the policy designs. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 2004
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  • Willi Semmler & Wenlang Zhang, 2004. "Monetary and Fiscal Policy Interactions in the Euro Area," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 31(2), pages 205-227, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:empiri:v:31:y:2004:i:2:p:205-227
    DOI: 10.1007/s10633-004-1076-1
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    2. Afonso, Antonio & Alves, José & Ionta, Serena, 2025. "Monetary policy surprise shocks under different fiscal regimes: A panel analysis of the Euro Area," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    3. Kaan MASATÇI & Asuman OKTAYER BUZLUCA, 2022. "Testing the Fiscal Theory of the Price Level in Türkiye by Using Structural Balance Data," Journal for Economic Forecasting, Institute for Economic Forecasting, vol. 0(4), pages 74-95, December.
    4. Kilian Bizer & Zulia Gubaydullina & Hazim Rahahleh & Werner Sesselmeier, 2007. "FTPL-Perspective on Tradable Deficit Permits in the EMU," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 35(3), pages 259-267, September.
    5. Perevyshin, Yuri (Перевышин, Юрий), 2017. "Peculiarities of Interaction of Monetary and Fiscal Policy Under the Inflation Targeting Regime [Особенности Взаимодействия Денежно-Кредитной И Фискальной Политики При Режиме Инфляционного Таргетир," Working Papers 031711, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
    6. Chuku Chuku & Paul Middleditch, 2020. "Characterizing Monetary and Fiscal Policy Rules and Interactions when Commodity Prices Matter," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 88(3), pages 373-404, June.
    7. Fan, Jingwen & Minford, Patrick, 2009. "Can the Fiscal Theory of the price level explain UK inflation in the 1970s?," Cardiff Economics Working Papers E2009/26, Cardiff University, Cardiff Business School, Economics Section, revised Mar 2011.
    8. Rosaria Rita Canale & Pasquale Foresti & Ugo Marani & Oreste Napolitano, 2008. "On keynesian effects of (apparent) non-keynesian fiscal policies," Politica economica, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 1, pages 5-46.
    9. António Afonso & José Alves & Serena Ionta, 2023. "The Effects of Monetary Policy Surprises and Fiscal Sustainability Regimes in the Euro Area," CESifo Working Paper Series 10558, CESifo.
    10. Cevik, Emrah Ismail & Dibooglu, Sel & Kutan, Ali M., 2014. "Monetary and fiscal policy interactions: Evidence from emerging European economies," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 1079-1091.
    11. Goran Petrevski & Borce Trenovski & Biljana Tashevska, 2019. "The effectiveness of fiscal and monetary policies in a small open economy – the case of Macedonia," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(6), pages 805-821, November.
    12. da Silva, Cleomar Gomes & Vieira, Flávio Vilela, 2017. "Monetary and fiscal policy in advanced and developing countries: An analysis before and after the financial crisis," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 13-20.
    13. Afonso, António & Sousa, Alexandre, 2024. "Monetary and fiscal interplay: Does it work both ways?," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 48(2).
    14. Nikki Panjer & Leo Haan & Jan P. A. M. Jacobs, 2020. "Is fiscal policy in the euro area Ricardian?," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 47(2), pages 411-429, May.
    15. Serena Ionta & António Afonso & José Alves, 2025. "Monetary policy surprises and fiscal sustainability: the case of the Euro Area," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 58(3), pages 1-20, June.
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    17. , Le Thanh Tung, 2021. "Fiscal Policy, Monetary Policy and Price Volatility: Evidence from an Emerging Economy," OSF Preprints 7u56v, Center for Open Science.

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