Download or read book Currency and Competitiveness in Europe written by Klaus Liebscher and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2008-01-01 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Competitiveness is a notoriously slippery concept. This volume, featuring a galaxy of economic stars, lends some much-needed precision to the term and the debate over its determinants. Barry Eichengreen, University of California, Berkeley, US This book combines currency matters with competitiveness considerations, with a view to raising the understanding of exchange rate dynamics and to analysing the role of exchange rates in reinforcing economic competitiveness. The overall focus is on highlighting the link between currency developments and the real side of the economy. From a regional perspective, the contributions centre on developments in Central, Eastern and South-eastern Europe and thus put a special emphasis on aspects of transition and convergence. More specifically, the book addresses key issues of financial globalization and global imbalances; the role of macroeconomic fundamentals in exchange rate economics; the role, objectives and challenges of regional monetary unions; exchange rate dynamics in transition economies and the competitiveness of catching-up countries. It also addresses the structural aspects of competitiveness and the significance of qualitative and quantitative aspects of competitiveness. Offering the views of eminent academics and professionals, this book will be of great interest to economists and central bankers as well as to international organizations, universities and research institutes.