This timely book provides an innovative examination of financial integration in the European Union - an issue that has become of paramount importance in view of the commencement of European Economic and Monetary Union. The author begins by assessing three different methods of financial integration in the European Union: interest parity conditions, savings-investment correlations and consumption correlations. He goes on to examine the fundamental determinants of financial integration and analyses the factors likely to influence the movement of capital within the European Union. The blend of empirical and theoretical research provides the reader with a comprehensive account of the progress made in integrating financial markets in the European Union. Integrating Financial Markets in the European Union will be essential reading for students and scholars of monetary economics, international finance and European integration. It will also prove useful to practitioners and policymakers working in central banking and government.

The degree of international financial integration achieved by capital flows remains a matter of debate. Furthermore, it evolves over time as markets become more and less integrated. Policymakers want to have a precise knowledge of the extent and direction of international capital flows because such flows influence the incentives for tax evasion, international redistribution and the vulnerability of the economy to external shocks. These volumes bring together a comprehensive selection of classic and contemporary readings on international financial integration. First, there is a review of the literature on measuring cross-border capital mobility followed by formal tests of the degree of international financial integration. Second, there is an examination of what factors actually determine the extent of cross-border capital mobility, and hence international financial integration. This authoritative collection will be invaluable for both students and specialists.