This paper substantially extends the limited available evidence on existence and extent of downward nominal wage rigidity in the European Union and the Euro Area. For this purpose we develop an econometric multi-country model based on Kahn�s (1997) histogram-location approach and apply it to...

To live up to its growth potential and secure its inclusive social model, the euro area must make better use of its available labor. In the aftermath of the crisis, boosting growth is essential to prevent unemployment from becoming a long-term problem and to facilitate the return to fiscal...

Staff Discussion Notes showcase the latest policy-related analysis and research being developed by individual IMF staff and are published to elicit comment and to further debate. These papers are generally brief and written in nontechnical language, and so are aimed at a broad audience...

This study examines the nature of interdependence, and return and volatility spillovers, for three Indian exchange rates: US dollar (USD), Euro and British Pound. We use the spillover index methodology of Diebold and Yilmaz (2009) to analyse precisely and independently the returns and volatility...

The creation of EMU raises the question whether the common monetary policy has the same impact in all member countries. We analyse the convergence of interest rates in four major EMU countries from 1999 to 2007. We suggest to test the convergence of the interest rates with the full term...

The current global financial crisis involves a wide range of situations in which economies, financial institutions, and assets have lost a substantial portion of their value. Banking panics, financial crisis associated with financial bubbles' bursts, sovereign debt defaults, and currency crisis...

This study shows that the origins of the sovereign debt crisis within the euro area are to be found within the private sector and in economic policy mistakes rather than only in the profligacy of some national governments in the Southern periphery of Euroland. Sovereign debtors and their private...