The monetary conditions index is a composite index of interest and exchange rates frequently used by central banks, the International Monetary Fund, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. This paper considers the benefits and weaknesses of the monetary conditions index in...

In the countries of the European economic and monetary union euro banknotes and coins will be put into circulation from January 1, 2002. Seven new banknotes will be issued and eight new coins. Each member country is responsible for the production and distribution of its domestic euro...

During the past decade the Gulf cooperation council countries have achieved a remarkably high degree of trade and financial integration in the world economy. Before the global crisis began, they invested their abundant oil income which resulted from high energy prices and high world demand, in...

Several recent studies have shown that uncertainty affects investment decisions. Specifically, demand and/or price uncertainty are found to depress corporate investment in e.g. the United States. This paper investigates whether similar results hold for Belgium and Spain, countries where...

There seems to be a general perception that the exchange rate pass-through is the most important channel in the transmission process of monetary policy in Albania. This perception is questioned here in light of the altering relationships in this developing economy. A discussion on the...

Although the global financial and economic crisis hurt economies worldwide, the economies at the southern Mediterranean region have done relatively well to weather this global hurricane. Economic growth in the region has slowed down but the size of the trough of these economies' business cycle...

The aim of this study is to analyse the price developments and to compare national macroeconomic policies in response to the consumer prices that started to soar in 2007 across the European Neighbourhood Policy countries, the other arcelona countries2, Russia, the Gulf Cooperation Council...

A neoclassical factor demand model for structures, equipment and labour is analyzed. It incorporates a variety of dynamic specifications, such as a multi-period time-to-build for structures, internal adjustment costs for each production factor, and external investment adjustment costs....

Parliamentary election outcomes have recently shifted significantly in some small open economies with high living standards. As regional differences widened, this study goes down to the regional level and investigates whether or not regional factors have been driving the election outcomes. An...

This Discussion Paper defines the Communication Strategy for Inflation Targeting of the Central Bank of Albania as the objective of increasing and reaching the (full) awareness of the public on monetary policy issues, in general, and Inflation Targeting, in particular. The Paper distinguishes...