European monetary unification has produced a $15 trillion windfall to its member nations that is rarely discussed or accounted for in analyses of economic integration. Edmunds and Marthinsen argue that the reduction in cross-border risks--foreign exchange uncertainty, inflation differentials, competitive devaluations, and protectionism in financial services, among other--is directly responsible for an explosion in the value of fixed income assets and share prices. They explain how this wealth accumulation began to accrue even before the Euro was formally adopted. Could the same thing happen in Latin America or Asia?

Elegantly written and cogently argued, this book explores the ramifications of currency unification for each region in three scenarios: partial unification, dollarization, and full unification. The authors compute the increases in wealth created by these various levels of currency unification, provide spreadsheet models that examine the connections between the growth of financial wealth and real economic growth, and emphasize differentials in economic wealth among regions with time series maps that resize nations according to equity markets rather than geography.

This easy-to-use guide covers the history, development, and current workings of cybercurrencies and the underground economy, both in the United States and around the world. The world of cybercurrency has experienced explosive growth in recent years, but that expansion has been accompanied by numerous controversies and misunderstandings about what it is, how it works, and how it relates to the underground economy and illegal activities such as money laundering, tax evasion, and human trafficking. Many illegal or malicious activities are paid for with cyber currencies. This book covers those applications. But cyber currencies also have many legitimate, constructive applications, all of which are explained in Rogue Money in clear, plain English, without embellishment or exaggeration. An authoritative and thought-provoking reference for readers seeking a greater understanding of all aspects of alternative cybercurrencies, this encyclopedia includes entries on economic history, international trade, current controversies, and its impact on the wider underground economy. It peels back the layers of jargon and obfuscation, giving each topic individual attention to show how it works and contributes to the whole.