The European Monetary System And European Monetary Union

When the European Monetary System (EMS) was created in 1978, economists on both sides of the Atlantic predicted its inevitable and early failure. But today EMS is alive and well, continuing to defy conventional economic wisdom. Professors Fratianni and von Hagen address three questions raised by the success of EMS: how it was created, how it works, and how it may evolve into a full-fledged monetary union. They answer these questions in the context of international economics, explaining why countries with very different rates of inflation might be willing to link their currencies and exploring the choice between a currency union, in which several countries adopt the same money, and an exchange-rate union. They also seek to understand whether members of the European Community should all adopt the same currency. If so, what kind of adjustment process would be best - a gradual transition or a fast one? Their presentation is always clear and evenhanded, a model of empirical research and theoretical sophistication. This is an essential book for scholars of European integration in particular and of international political economy in general.