Download or read book Structural Reforms and External Rebalancing in the Euro Area written by Lukas Vogel and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Economic research paper on EMU and open economy macroeconomics. The paper uses a 3-region version (small open economy in EMU, other euro area, rest of the world) of QUEST to assess the impact of structural reforms on external positions along two dimensions, namely the impact of flexibility and prudence on the prevention of imbalances and the contribution of structural reforms to their correction. With regard to imbalance prevention, the impact of nominal price/wage flexibility above current levels on the reaction of external positions to bubble/demand shocks is modest and case-dependent; prudent collateral valuation mitigates overborrowing risks. Product market reform, wage moderation and fiscal consolidation can support/accelerate the correction of imbalances as they increase price competitiveness and improve trade/current account balances in the short and medium term (here, up to 5-6 years). Lasting structural reforms bring permanent trade competitiveness gains. The initial improvement of external balances narrows in the long run, however, because growth-enhancing reforms also raise import demand when income rises in the longer term. EMU-wide reforms affect balances with the rest of the world, but do not reduce disparities between EMU member states.."--Publication information page.

Download or read book Adjustment in Euro Area Deficit Countries written by Mr.Thierry Tressel and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2014-07-14 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Imbalances within the euro area have been a defining feature of the crisis. This paper provides a critical analysis of the ongoing rebalancing of euro area “deficit economies” (Greece, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain) that accumulated large current account deficits and external liability positions in the run-up to the crisis. It shows that relative price adjustments have been proceeding gradually. Real effective exchange rates have depreciated by 10-25 percent, driven largely by reductions in unit labor costs due to labor shedding. While exports have typically rebounded, subdued demand accounts for much of the reduction in current account deficits. Hence, the current account balance of the euro area as a whole has shifted into surplus. Internal rebalancing has come with subdued activity—notably very high unemployment in the deficit economies—and made continued adjustment more difficult. To advance rebalancing further, the paper emphasizes the need for: (1) macroeconomic policies that support demand and bring inflation in line with the ECB’s medium-term price stability objective; (2) continued EMU reforms (banking union) to ensure proper financial intermediation; and (3) structural reforms in product and labor markets to improve productivity and support the reallocation of resources to tradable sectors.

Download or read book Rebalancing in the Euro Area and Cyclicality of Current Account Adjustments written by Mr.Thierry Tressel and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2014-07-22 with total page 31 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The paper examines progress with the external rebalancing of euro area deficit countries. Relative prices are adjusting at different pace across countries and with different compositions of wage cuts and labor shedding. There is so far limited evidence of resource re-allocation from non-tradable to tradable sectors, while improved export performance is still dependent on external demand from the rest of world. Current account adjustments have taken place, reflecting structural changes but also cyclical forces, suggesting that part of the improvements may unwind when cyclical conditions improve. Looking ahead, relying only on relative price adjustments (which adversely affects demand) to rebalance the euro area could prove very challenging. Structural reforms will play an important role in the reallocation of resources to the tradable sector and the associated relative price adjustment, while boosting non-price and price competitiveness.

Download or read book Structural Reforms in the Euro Area written by Luc Everaert and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2006-06 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using the IMF's Global Economic Model, calibrated to the European Union, the effects of reform in product and labor markets are quantified for both a large and a small euro area economy. When markups in these markets are reduced, there are sizable long-term gains in output and employment. Most of these gains accrue to the reforming country regardless of whether reform takes place elsewhere; conversely, spillovers of reform elsewhere are limited. Labor and services market reforms have transitional costs as they induce a temporary decline in consumption, but raising competition in goods markets can mitigate some of these costs. Thus, coordinating the timing of reforms across markets is beneficial, and the more so the more open the reforming economy. In addition, synchronizing structural reforms across large countries of the euro area could eliminate transition costs. Increased supply would allow monetary policy to ease without jeopardizing price stability objectives, though in practice uncertainty may prevent full accommodation.

Download or read book Building a Better Union written by Angana Banerji and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2015-09-11 with total page 41 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The momentum for structural reforms is waning in the euro area at a time when even faster progress is needed to boost productivity and growth, achieve real economic convergence, and improve the resilience of the monetary union. What can the European Union (EU) institutions do to bridge this divide? This paper argues for greater simplicity, transparency and accountability in the EU governance framework for structural reforms. Our three interrelated proposals—“outcome-based” benchmarking; better use of existing EU processes to strengthen oversight and reduce discretion; and improved financial incentives—could help advance reforms. Ex post monitoring by an independent EU-level “structural council” and ex ante policy innovation by national productivity councils could strengthen accountability and ownership. Deeper governance reforms should be considered in the medium-term with a view toward a greater EU role in promoting convergence.

Download or read book Economic Spillovers Structural Reforms and Policy Coordination in the Euro Area written by Bas van Aarle and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-10-31 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book analyzes economic interdependence in the Euro Area. It offers expert estimates of the sign and size of economic spillovers. Moreover, the authors explore the impact of economic policy coordination on economic performance in the Euro Area. Among the many topics explored are the link between fiscal and monetary policies in the Euro Area and the coordination of fiscal policies and of structural reforms.

Download or read book Economic Crisis and Structural Reforms in Southern Europe written by Paolo Manasse and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-12-12 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years the countries of southern Europe have undergone, with varying intensity, a serious and prolonged economic crisis. Most have had to implement comprehensive economic adjustment programmes, including a wide range of structural reforms. Economic Crisis and Structural Reforms in Southern Europe examines these reforms, drawing policy lessons from their successes and failures. This book employs two basic strands of analysis: issues of policy design, and political economy considerations. It considers the choice of timing and sequencing of reforms, the choice of the appropriate policy instruments, the pressure of interest groups and the political calculations involved in reforms. Featuring chapters in which contributors explore both national cases of specific structural reforms, and a comparative approach in order to evaluate similar reforms across countries, this important and topical work explores ongoing issues within the economy. Focusing on the challenges of designing and implementing structural reforms under conditions of crisis, this book will be of interest to policy makers and researchers from national and international organizations as well as academics and members of research institutes interested in the economics and politics of the Eurozone crisis.

Download or read book Walking the Highwire written by Olli Rehn and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-02-23 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Walking the Highwire tells the story of the Eurozone Crisis from the perspective of the former Vice-President of the European Commission who was responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs in 2010-2014. It is a comprehensive European account that covers both events and decisions in Brussels and Frankfurt and in the member states, both in distressed countries and creditor states. It also provides an economic-political analysis of the crisis and its management, recognising that the Euro was created politically, and saved politically. Thoroughly researched and based on economic analysis of the time, reports on various meetings and the author's own speaking notes and diary, this book begins with a narrative of crisis management 2009-2012, before moving on to address the beginning of the recovery from 2013-2014. It concludes with the lessons learnt from the crisis and a programme for reform of the Eurozone in the 2020s, with contemporary policy relevance. This is an entertaining and engaging account which will be of interest to a wide audience: scholars and students, practitioners and commentators of the Eurozone.

Download or read book After the Crisis written by Francesco Caselli and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016-06-30 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After the Crisis reassesses the twin projects of structural reform and European integration in the wake of the Great Recession and the European Sovereign Debt Crisis. The introduction compares the pre-crises debate to the current situation, and highlights a number of ways in which both reform and further integration may have become more difficult. Chapter 1 surveys the state of the structural-reform agenda, its successes, failures, and priorities for further action. The second chapter focuses on the fiscal-policy response to the crisis and advocates a greater balance between supply-side reforms and demand-side management. The third chapter focuses on the asymmetric shocks across economies in the monetary union, and discusses institutional mechanisms to reduce their frequency and impact. Chapter 4 examines the cyclical behavior of output and financial indicators, as well as the counter-cyclical role of macro-financial policies, both at the national and the European level. The fifth chapter studies changes in Europeans' attitudes, showing how the recent crises have eroded public confidence in European institutions. The sixth chapter tackles the demographic challenges facing Europe, and particularly the way that demographic change may impact the reform agenda. Chapter 7 highlights the under-appreciated extent to which 'Europe', taken as a whole, is characterized by a substantial amount of inequality and geographical income clustering, and the challenge this poses for further integration.

Download or read book Fiscal Consolidation in the Euro Area How Much Can Structural Reforms Ease the Pain written by Mr.Derek Anderson and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2013-10-16 with total page 29 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The IMF’s Global Integrated Monetary and Fiscal model (GIMF) is used to examine the scope for structural reforms in the euro area to offset the negative impact of fiscal consolidation required to put public debt back on a sustainable path. The results suggest that structural reforms in core countries could quite reasonably be expected to offset the near term negative impact on activity arising from the required fiscal consolidation that uses a plausible mix of instruments to achieve the permanent improvement in the deficit. However, for the periphery, where the required consolidation is roughly twice as large as that required in the core, the results suggest that it would take several years before structural reforms could return the level of output back to its pre-consolidation path.

Download or read book The Challenge of Economic Rebalancing in Europe written by Ewald Nowotny and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2015-09-25 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the long aftermath of the acute global financial crisis of 2008/09, “rebalancing” the economy with new sources of growth and productivity remains a persistent necessity. This book addresses the resulting trade-offs and challenges. These needs, and the corresponding policy challenges, are especially prevalent in Europe, in particular Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. On this issue, this book contributes lessons learned from earlier balance sheet recessions. It also addresses the often overlooked link between macroeconomic imbalances and economic inequality. Further contributions focus on the interaction between monetary policy and financial stability, adding a regional perspective to these important issues.

Download or read book Euro Area Policies written by International Monetary Fund. European Dept. and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2014-07-14 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This 2014 Article IV Consultation highlights that the euro area recovery is taking hold. Real output has expanded for four consecutive quarters, and financial market sentiment has improved markedly. Complementary policy actions have supported demand, boosted investor confidence, and eased financial conditions. At the national level, governments have made further progress repairing sovereign and bank balance sheets and implementing structure reforms to restore competitiveness. At the area-wide level, the ECB has taken a wider range of measures to support demand and address fragmentation. Over the medium term, there is a risk of stagnation, which could result from persistently depressed domestic demand owing to deleveraging, insufficient policy action, and stalled structural reforms.

Download or read book Fiscal Consolidation in the Euro Area written by Mr.Derek Anderson and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2013-10-16 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The IMF’s Global Integrated Monetary and Fiscal model (GIMF) is used to examine the scope for structural reforms in the euro area to offset the negative impact of fiscal consolidation required to put public debt back on a sustainable path. The results suggest that structural reforms in core countries could quite reasonably be expected to offset the near term negative impact on activity arising from the required fiscal consolidation that uses a plausible mix of instruments to achieve the permanent improvement in the deficit. However, for the periphery, where the required consolidation is roughly twice as large as that required in the core, the results suggest that it would take several years before structural reforms could return the level of output back to its pre-consolidation path.

Download or read book Structural Reforms Without Prejudices written by Tito Boeri and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2006-06-15 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Our economies face constant challenges from many different directions. Structural reforms are implemented every day, either to grasp the benefits of globalization and technological change, or to avoid foundering on unaffordable welfare systems or the rise of new economies.Despite this flurry of reforms, many of their effects are insufficiently understood. What makes reforms a success or a failure? Why do we witness systematically ambivalent attitudes to reforms? Can governments implement reforms differently, without inflicting prejudice to large fringes of the population?This book explores these issues by comparing a number of reforms, across a large set of countries and sectors. First, through an innovative multisectorial input-output analysis, the authors compare the effects of liberalisation reforms in the telecommunication and electricity sectors across Europe. Surprisingly, they find that very similar and well-intended reforms can generate highly contrasted outcomes. It is also shown that governments must consider the effects of each reform on all sectorsof the economy. Second, the authors explore how governments can tailor their reform strategy to alter the redistributive effects of reforms. They show that the government's approach to reforms has been very different across time and across countries. A government's approach depends on localinstitutions, on the nature of the opposition, and on the scope of the reform under way. The authors, however, show that governments do have alternatives. Often, there are ways to tailor reforms so as to protect specific parts of the population; and there are ways to experiment gradually, to avoid costly policy mistakes.

Download or read book The Political Economy of Structural Reforms in Europe written by Nauro F. Campos and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-07-04 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reforms in labour and product markets play a central role in government policies. The Political Economy of Structural Reforms in Europe takes stock of current frontier work. It brings together leading contributions from academia, the central banks in Europe, and the OECD to argue that structural reforms can make a fundamental contribution to improve economic performance across Europe. The Political Economy of Structural Reforms in Europe brings together theoretical and empirical studies that address the potential role of structural reforms in restoring macroeconomic stability, resuming economic growth, addressing income inequality, and grappling secular stagnation. It throws new light on the determinants and effects of structural reforms and on how these shape the European integration experience.

Download or read book Rebalancing written by Mr.Ruben Atoyan and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2013-03-22 with total page 29 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After the 2003-2007 economic boom, European countries with large pre-crisis current account imbalances are undergoing adjustments. Countries are adjusting at different paces and ways reflecting the source and magnitude of imbalances, availability of financing, competitiveness of the tradable sector and external environment. While emerging European countries with large pre-crisis imbalances and a fixed exchange rate regime have seen sharp current account adjustments and a rebound in growth, adjustment in the euro zone periphery countries, which are also carrying a legacy of pre-crisis CA imbalances, has been gradual with difficulties bringing back growth. This paper is an empirical investigation of current account adjustment in Europe with a focus on these two groups, looking at contributions from cyclical and other factors, and seeking to draw policy conclusions.

Download or read book Structural Reforms for Growth and Cohesion written by Ewald Nowotny and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2018-10-26 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Effective and well-designed structural reforms are key to shaping Europe’s future in the context of the formidable challenges facing the continent today. This book examines the achievements and failures of past structural policies so that future ones can be adapted to address remaining and newly emerging challenges with greater success. Highlighting the social aspects and distributional effects of reforms that go beyond liberalization and deregulation, the book covers key issues facing future Europe, particularly those arising from technological innovation.