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Reflections on the Optimal Currency Area (OCA) criteria in the light of EMU

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The objective of this paper is first to review the use that has been made of Optimal Currency Area (OCA) theory in the European Monetary Union (EMU) context. Second, to look at some of its predictions in that respect. And third, to appraise some of the new theories - or speculations - that have arisen, partly as a result of the confrontation of the theory with the data. This is an area in which politics are very important; they play an important role in the reception and interpretation of positive work. Tentative ideas and speculative hypotheses acquire the aura of accomplished fact, whilst a single empirical illustration can be given the status of a many-times confirmed demonstration. This paper tries to be more careful in these remarks. Whilst history offers some instructive lessons, as illustrated for example in the work of Bordo and Jonung (1999), the fact is that in most relevant respects EMU represents an unparalleled experiment, with corresponding difficulties for empirical work.
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  • Michael J. Artis, 2002. "Reflections on the Optimal Currency Area (OCA) criteria in the light of EMU," Working Papers 69, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank).
    • Handle: RePEc:onb:oenbwp:69
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    Cited by:

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    2. Peter Wierts & Henk van Kerkhoff & Jakob de Haan, 2012. "Trade Dynamics in the Euro Area: The role of export destination and composition," DNB Working Papers 354, Netherlands Central Bank, Research Department.
    3. Baldwin, Richard & Di Nino, Virginia, 2006. "Euros and Zeros: The Common Currency Effect on Trade in New Goods," CEPR Discussion Papers 5973, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Guglielmo Maria Caporale & Davide Ciferri & Alessandro Girardi, 2011. "Are The Baltic Countries Ready To Adopt The Euro? A Generalized Purchasing Power Parity Approach," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 79(3), pages 429-454, June.
    5. Handler, Heinz, 2013. "The eurozone: piecemeal approach to an optimum currency area," MPRA Paper 67183, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. M. Huchet & Jean-Sébastien Pentecôte, 2008. "Growing too fast? Shock asymmetries and the Euro area enlargement," Brussels Economic Review, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles, vol. 51(1), pages 33-56.
    7. Steven Buigut, 2006. "Monetary Integration Initiatives in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA): Sorting the Overlapping Membership," International Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(3), pages 295-315, December.
    8. Marcel Fratzscher & Livio Stracca, 2009. "Does It Pay to Have the Euro? Italy's Troubled Politics and Financial Markets under the Lira and the Euro," International Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(1), pages 1-31, May.
    9. Boschi, Melisso & Girardi, Alessandro, 2011. "The contribution of domestic, regional and international factors to Latin America's business cycle," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 1235-1246, May.
    10. Carsten Trenkler & Enzo Weber, 2020. "Identifying shocks to business cycles with asynchronous propagation," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 1815-1836, April.
    11. Jorge Pérez-Rodríguez, 2006. "The Euro and Other Major Currencies Floating Against the U.S. Dollar," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 34(4), pages 367-384, December.
    12. Ansgar Belke & Clemens Domnick & Daniel Gros, 2017. "Business Cycle Synchronization in the EMU: Core vs. Periphery," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 28(5), pages 863-892, November.
    13. Hans Vollaard, 2014. "Explaining European Disintegration," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(5), pages 1142-1159, September.
    14. Lars Jonung, 2004. "The Political Economy of Monetary Unification: The Swedish Euro Referendum of 2003," Cato Journal, Cato Journal, Cato Institute, vol. 24(1-2), pages 123-149, Spring/Su.
    15. Jonung, Lars, 2004. "To be or not to be in the euro? Benefits and costs of monetary unification as perceived by voters in the Swedish euro referendum 2003," MPRA Paper 1334, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Peter Wierts & Henk Van Kerkhoff & Jakob De Haan, 2014. "Composition of Exports and Export Performance of Eurozone Countries," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(4), pages 928-941, July.
    17. Stephen Hall & George Hondroyiannis, 2006. "Measuring the correlation of shocks between the EU15 and the new member countries," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 19-34, June.
    18. Bertrand Candelon & Jan Piplack & Stefan Straetmans, 2009. "Multivariate Business Cycle Synchronization in Small Samples," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 71(5), pages 715-737, October.
    19. Foresti Pasquale, 2011. "Is Latin America an Optimum Currency Area? Evidence from a Structural Vector Autoregression Analysis," STUDI ECONOMICI, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 0(104), pages 43-68.
    20. Jean-Sébastien Pentecôte & Marilyne Huchet, 2009. "Shock asymmetries and distance to the Euro Area," Post-Print hal-00730072, HAL.
    21. Spahn, Peter, 2012. "Integration durch Währungsunion? Der Fall der Euro-Zone," FZID Discussion Papers 57-2012, University of Hohenheim, Center for Research on Innovation and Services (FZID).
    22. Hall, S.G. & Yhap, B., 2008. "Measuring the Correlation of Shocks Between the UK and the Core of Europe," Journal for Economic Forecasting, Institute for Economic Forecasting, vol. 5(1), pages 17-26, March.
    23. Sofia Gouveia & Leonida Correia, 2008. "Business cycle synchronisation in the Euro area: the case of small countries," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 5(1), pages 103-121, July.
    24. Anjan Panday, 2014. "Monetary Integration between India and Nepal," South Asia Economic Journal, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, vol. 15(2), pages 199-224, September.

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