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    Macroeconomic co-ordination in the euro area: the scope and limits of the open method

    Hodson, Dermot (2004) Macroeconomic co-ordination in the euro area: the scope and limits of the open method. Journal of European Public Policy 11 (2), pp. 231-248. ISSN 1350-1763.

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    Abstract

    A co-ordinated approach to fiscal policy in the euro area is desirable from a political economy standpoint if it protects against the harmful side effects which can arise from member states’ fiscal policies. At the same time, however, closer economic co-ordination between national governments is perceived by some as a threat to the independence of the European Central Bank and with it the credibility of its price stability mandate. A variant of the open method, which is known as multilateral surveillance, has been assigned the unenviable task of minimizing the costs of macroeconomic co-ordination, while at the same time delivering the benefits. Whilst the open method poses little threat to the independence of the ECB, its effectiveness is contingent, in the absence of legal obligation and the threat of financial penalties, on the impact of peer pressure and consensus- building mechanisms. This paper assesses the potential of these mechanisms and then draws lessons about the scope and limits of the open method in the light of Portugal’s recent breach of the Stability and Growth Pact.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Article
    Keyword(s) / Subject(s): consensus, economic and monetary union, open method of co- ordination, peer pressure
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences
    Depositing User: Sarah Hall
    Date Deposited: 10 Oct 2017 08:15
    Last Modified: 02 Aug 2023 17:36
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/19999

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