International Political Economy and Exchange Rate Regime: A Question of Sustainability

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to provide an alternative framework to the theory of optimum currency areas by mobilizing the concept of sustainability. If the success of a fixed exchange rate regime is, above all, a political choice, economic growth can be considered a minimal economic condition and a good indicator of the success of a fixed exchange rate regime. We conclude that specific institutional settings allow economic growth to occur and can be defined as sustainable. We determine three configurations that share the same conclusion: sustainability happens when states have macroeconomic autonomy, whereas political and fiscal integration are necessary conditions. The first configuration refers to a monetary union with high capital mobility. The second one corresponds to a fixed but adjustable exchange rate regime with low capital mobility, while the third configuration is an application of Keynes’ plan with high capital mobility.