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Microeconomic foundations of an optimal currency area
Author(s) -
Swofford James L
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
review of financial economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.347
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1873-5924
pISSN - 1058-3300
DOI - 10.1016/s1058-3300(00)00020-3
Subject(s) - currency , economics , optimum currency area , consistency (knowledge bases) , common currency , test (biology) , monetary economics , set (abstract data type) , international economics , macroeconomics , computer science , programming language , paleontology , artificial intelligence , biology
The concept of an optimum currency area has previously been developed using macroeconomic policy results and factor mobility as the criteria for the optimum extent of a common currency area. In this paper, microeconomic foundations for an optimum currency area are set forth. These microeconomic foundations are requirements for a common currency area to exist. One can test for consistency with these microeconomic foundations. Procedures for such tests are discussed. Some preliminary results are presented from tests of whether or not the Euro Area economies constitute a common currency area. The test results tentatively suggest that the Euro Area countries may encounter problems in their attempt to establish a common currency.