DP488 Monetary Union and Fiscal Policy Discipline
Author(s): | Charles Wyplosz |
Publication Date: | January 1991 |
Keyword(s): | Fiscal Policy, Monetary Integration, Monetary Policy |
JEL(s): | 431 |
Programme Areas: | International Macroeconomics |
Link to this Page: | cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=488 |
The possible emergence of a monetary union in Europe raises a number of new and difficult questions. A central concern is the implication for fiscal policy-making. Fiscal policy assumes an increased importance once the monetary policy instrument is lost. The Delors Report has suggested that there may be a bias towards less discipline. This paper, which focuses on the longer run, is a preliminary attempt at sorting out the issues. It considers how both the incentives and the constraints on fiscal policy may be affected. There is no Delors-type, clear-cut conclusion emerging. The most obvious conclusion is that eventually a monetary union requires some degree of fiscal federalism.