Graduation Year
2018
Date of Submission
12-2017
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE)
Reader 1
Hilary Appel
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2018 Thomas H.R. Schalke
Abstract
This thesis analyses the political economy of the decision of Italy and Germany to participate in the euro. The emphasis is on understanding the economic rationales employed in each country in support of euro membership.
For Italy, the central argument is that Italy outsourced monetary policy management to the ECB in order to delimit deficient domestic policy making and import German monetary credibility. This transferred the costs of monetary orthodoxy to Europe, and the thesis briefly examines places where we might observe those costs.
For Germany, the argument is that, out of respect for the national humiliation and shame of the Second World War, Germany shirked the possibility of unilaterally leading European monetary policy in favour of a European solution that suited German economic interests. German actors were aware of these economic benefits at the time.
Recommended Citation
Schalke, Thomas, "The Political Economy of Participation in the Euro: A Case Study of Italy and Germany" (2018). CMC Senior Theses. 1769.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1769
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International Economics Commons, International Relations Commons, Political Economy Commons
