This note estimates several constrained versions of an optimization-based multi-country model to test the sources of heterogeneity within the euro area. We show that the main source is the asymmetry of shocks affecting the economies and that the heterogeneity of behaviors does not seem to be of...

The Euro area as a whole has experienced a marked downward trend in inflation over the past decades and, concomitantly, a protracted period of depressed activity. Can permanent and gradual shifts in monetary policy be held responsible for these dynamics? To answer this question, we embed...

In this paper, we investigate the sources of heterogeneity within the euro area. For this purpose, we build an optimization-based multi-country model (MCM) that allows different sources of heterogeneity across countries, both in terms of behavior of economic agents and in terms of asymmetry of...