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One country, one vote? Labor market structure and voting rights in the ECB

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  • Berger, Helge
  • Hefeker, Carsten

Abstract

The pending enlargement of the European Monetary Union (EMU) has brought to the fore the discussion of the voting right distribution in the European Central Bank (ECB) council. We show that, in a model where labor unions internalize the inflationary consequences of wage setting, deviating from a voting scheme based purely on economic size can be beneficial. Preliminary evidence on unemployment and voting rights in the ECB council seems broadly in line with this idea. We also point to possible policy implications for EMU enlargement and ECB restructuring.

Suggested Citation

  • Berger, Helge & Hefeker, Carsten, 2004. "One country, one vote? Labor market structure and voting rights in the ECB," Discussion Papers 2004/10, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:fubsbe:200410
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    3. Zemanek, Holger, 2009. "Country Size and Labor Market Flexibility in the European Monetary Union: Why Small Countries Have more Flexible Labor Markets," MPRA Paper 16482, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Ullrich, Katrin, 2004. "Decision-Making of the ECB: Reform and Voting Power," ZEW Discussion Papers 04-70, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    5. Volckart, Oliver & Wolf, Nikolaus, 2004. "Estimating medieval market integration: Evidence from exchange rates," Discussion Papers 2004/21, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    monetary policy; wage setting; European Monetary Union; European Central Bank; euro area; ECB reform; EMU enlargement; accession countries;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies

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