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Slovakia: A Catching Up Euro Area Member In and Out of the Crisis

Author

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  • Jarko Fidrmuc

    (Zeppelin University)

  • Caroline Klein

    (OECD)

  • Robert Price
  • Andreas Wörgötter

    (OECD)

Abstract

The Slovak economy experienced a strong but short recession in 2009. The recovery afterwards was driven by exports and investment. While GDP growth was one of the strongest in OECD, employment did not reach the pre-crisis level and unemployment remains stubbornly high. This paper argues that Slovakia joined the euro area after a period of unprecedented real appreciation, which generated a threat for competitiveness of its export-oriented manufacturing industry. The response combined internal devaluation with productivity increasing measures, including capital deepening and laying off low productivity workers. While this strategy was successfully restoring an external equilibrium, its consequences for domestic demand and employment are less positive. This development is compared with Estonia and Slovenia, two other small and very open economies, recently entering the euro area. Slovaquie: un membre de la zone euro en rattrapage pendant et après la crise En 2009, l'économie slovaque a connu une récession forte mais de courte durée. Par la suite, la reprise a été tirée par les exportations et l'investissement. Alors que la croissance du PIB a été l'une des plus fortes de l'OCDE, l'emploi n'a pas atteint le niveau d'avant la crise et le chômage reste durablement élevé. Cet article soutient que la Slovaquie a rejoint la zone euro après une période d'appréciation réelle sans précédent qui a généré une menace pour la compétitivité de son industrie exportatrice. La réponse a consisté en une dévaluation interne combinée à des mesures augmentant la productivité, comprenant entre autres l'accroissement de l’intensité capitalistique et le licenciement des travailleurs à faible productivité. Bien que cette stratégie ait permis la restauration d'un équilibre extérieur, ses conséquences sur la demande intérieure et l'emploi sont moins positives. Ce processus est comparé avec ceux observés en Estonie et Slovénie, deux autres petites économies très ouvertes, récemment entrées dans la zone euro.

Suggested Citation

  • Jarko Fidrmuc & Caroline Klein & Robert Price & Andreas Wörgötter, 2013. "Slovakia: A Catching Up Euro Area Member In and Out of the Crisis," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1019, OECD Publishing.
    • Handle: RePEc:oec:ecoaaa:1019-en
    DOI: 10.1787/5k4c9ktpf47g-en
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    Cited by:

    1. Éltető, Andrea, 2014. "A visegrádi országok kereskedelme Ázsiával - a globális termelés lenyomata [The trade of the Visegrád countries with Asia - a manifestation of global production]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(5), pages 586-608.
    2. Marek A. Dąbrowski & Łukasz Kwiatkowski & Justyna Wróblewska, 2020. "Sources of Real Exchange Rate Variability in Central and Eastern European Countries: Evidence from Structural Bayesian MSH-VAR Models," Central European Journal of Economic Modelling and Econometrics, Central European Journal of Economic Modelling and Econometrics, vol. 12(4), pages 369-412, December.
    3. Oliver Polyák, 2016. "Euro Adoption and Export: A Case Study of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Old EU Member States," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2016(4), pages 427-444.
    4. Oliver Polyak, 2014. "The Impact of Euro Adoption on Export Performance: Comparison of the Czech Republic and Slovakia," Working Papers IES 2014/04, Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Economic Studies, revised Feb 2014.
    5. Bod, Péter Ákos & Pócsik, Orsolya & Neszmélyi, György Iván, 2020. "Az euró és a szlovák gazdaság [The Euro and the Slovak Economy]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(4), pages 321-351.
    6. Jarko Fidrmuc & Andreas Wörgötter, 2013. "Slovakia: The Consequences of Joining the Euro Aea before the Crisis for a Small Catching-up Economy," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 14(1), pages 57-63, May.
    7. Michal Tvrdoň, 2015. "Decomposition of Unemployment: The Case of the Visegrad group countries," Working Papers 0005, Silesian University, School of Business Administration.
    8. Slawomir I. Bukowski & Joanna E. Bukowska & Lukasz J. Zieba, 2023. "Slovakia in the Euro Αrea – Costs and Benefits," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(1), pages 159-178.
    9. Andrea Elteto & Agnes Szunomar, 2015. "Ties of Visegrád countries with East Asia – trade and investment," IWE Working Papers 214, Institute for World Economics - Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
    10. Jarko Fidrmuc & Andreas Wörgötter, 2013. "Slovakia: The Consequences of Joining the Euro Aea before the Crisis for a Small Catching-up Economy," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 14(01), pages 57-63, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    crise; crisis; demande intérieure; domestic demand; Estonia; Estonie; job-less recovery; reprise sans l'emploi; Slovakia; Slovaquie; Slovenia; Slovénie;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E20 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • F41 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Open Economy Macroeconomics
    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises

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