Finding a way in: investigating the perceptions of the euro in the new member states of the European Union through the cases of the Czech Republic and Hungary
Date
2009-11-18T23:05:12Z
Authors
Padfield, Melissa Jane
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Abstract
This thesis examines how the various characteristics of the Central and Eastern European new Member States, as indicated by the case studies of the Czech Republic and Hungary. affect how elite monetary policy makers within these states perceive the euro, both politically and economically. In order to answer this question economic and political expectations of what one would predict the perceptions of the euro within these state to
be are developed from the official sources and existing Iiterature. The expectations reflect both the symbolic and political utility of currency in the development of collective sentiment as well as address the economic roles of currency. These expectations are then assessed against interview data collected from interviews with elite decision-makers within the Czech Republic and Hungary. Through this approach I argue that the opinions of elite decision-makers suggest that there is a complex interplay between the economic and the political regarding the perceptions of the euro within these states which reflect the unique character of these states. Moreover, I argue that even though the motivations of policy makers are in many cases particular to the NMS they are also run counter to some intuitive and scholarly predictions which indicate the need for further research.
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euro, Czech Republic, Hungary