This paper reassesses whether the euro area satisfies the criteria of an optimum currency area. It contrasts early hopes of convergence with subsequent developments marked by persistent heterogeneity across member states. Differences in economic structures, fiscal policies, and financial cycles...

A well-designed European sovereign debt architecture should avoid debt mutualization, create a large safe asset, and reduce the risk of self-fulfilling crises. This note derives a European debt trilemma, showing that no feasible architecture can simultaneously achieve all three objectives. The...