IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izapps/pp55.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Slovakia: A Catching Up Euro Area Member In and Out of the Crisis

Author

Listed:
  • Fidrmuc, Jarko

    (Zeppelin University)

  • Klein, Caroline

    (OECD)

  • Price, Robert

    (affiliation not available)

  • Wörgötter, Andreas

    (Vienna University of Technology)

Abstract

The Slovak economy experienced a strong but short recession in 2009. The recovery afterwards was driven by exports and investment. While GDP growth was one of the strongest in OECD, employment did not reach the pre-crisis level and unemployment remains stubbornly high. This paper argues that Slovakia joined the euro area after a period of unprecedented real appreciation, which generated a threat for competitiveness of its export-oriented manufacturing industry. The response combined internal devaluation with productivity increasing measures, including capital deepening and laying off low productivity workers. While this strategy was successfully restoring an external equilibrium, its consequences for domestic demand and employment are less positive. This development is compared with Estonia and Slovenia, two other small and very open economies, recently entering the euro area.

Suggested Citation

  • Fidrmuc, Jarko & Klein, Caroline & Price, Robert & Wörgötter, Andreas, 2013. "Slovakia: A Catching Up Euro Area Member In and Out of the Crisis," IZA Policy Papers 55, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izapps:pp55
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/pp55.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fidrmuc, Jarko & Hainz, Christa, 2010. "Default rates in the loan market for SMEs: Evidence from Slovakia," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 133-147, June.
    2. Égert, Balázs, 2011. "Catching-up and inflation in Europe: Balassa-Samuelson, Engel's Law and other culprits," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 208-229, June.
    3. Oomes, Nienke, 2005. "Maintaining competitiveness under equilibrium real appreciation: The case of Slovakia," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 187-204, June.
    4. Nadja Walch & Julia Wörz, 2012. "The Impact of Country Risk Ratings and of the Status of EU Integration on FDI Inflows in CESEE Countries," Focus on European Economic Integration, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue 3, pages 8-26.
    5. Zuzana Brixiova & Balázs Égert, 2012. "Labour Market Reforms and Outcomes in Estonia," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 54(1), pages 103-120, March.
    6. Zuzana Brixiova & Margaret Morgan & Andreas Wörgötter, 2009. "Estonia and Euro Adoption: Small Country Challenges of Joining EMU," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 728, OECD Publishing.
    7. Brixiova, Zuzana & Vartia, Laura & Wörgötter, Andreas, 2010. "Capital flows and the boom-bust cycle: The case of Estonia," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 55-72, March.
    8. Nienke Oomes, 2005. "Maintaining Competitiveness Under Equilibrium Real Appreciation: The Case of Slovakia," IMF Working Papers 2005/065, International Monetary Fund.
    9. Martin Berka & Michael B. Devereux & Charles Engel, 2012. "Real Exchange Rate Adjustment in and out of the Eurozone," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(3), pages 179-185, May.
    10. Jarko Fidrmuc & Matus Senaj, 2012. "Human Capital, Consumption, and Housing Wealth in Transition," Working and Discussion Papers WP 2/2012, Research Department, National Bank of Slovakia.
    11. Manfred Fluch & Helmut Stix, 2005. "Perceived Inflation in Austria – Extent, Explanations, Effects," Monetary Policy & the Economy, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue 3, pages 22-47.
    12. repec:wdi:papers:2011-1027 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Jeffrey Frankel & Andrew Rose, 2002. "An Estimate of the Effect of Common Currencies on Trade and Income," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 117(2), pages 437-466.
    14. Andrés Fuentes, 2007. "Improving Employment Prospects in the Slovak Republic: Building on Past Reforms," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 579, OECD Publishing.
    15. Stephan Barisitz, 2011. "Nonperforming Loans in CESEE – What Do They Comprise?," Focus on European Economic Integration, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue 4, pages 46-68.
    16. Matthieu Bussière & Jarko Fidrmuc & Bernd Schnatz, 2008. "EU Enlargement and Trade Integration: Lessons from a Gravity Model," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(3), pages 562-576, August.
    17. International Monetary Fund, 2012. "Assessing Competitiveness Using Industry Unit Labor Costs: An Application to Slovakia," IMF Working Papers 2012/107, International Monetary Fund.
    18. Mr. Ashoka Mody & Ms. Deniz O Igan & Ms. Stefania Fabrizio, 2007. "The Dynamics of Product Quality and International Competitiveness," IMF Working Papers 2007/097, International Monetary Fund.
    19. Isabell Koske, 2009. "Achieving Fiscal Flexibility and Safeguarding Sustainability: The Case of Slovakia," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 681, OECD Publishing.
    20. Torres,Francisco & Giavazzi,Francesco (ed.), 1993. "Adjustment and Growth in the European Monetary Union," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521440196, September.
    21. Felix Hüfner, 2011. "Increasing Public Sector Efficiency in Slovakia," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 839, OECD Publishing.
    22. Guillermo A. Calvo & Fabrizio Coricelli & Pablo Ottonello, 2012. "Labor Market, Financial Crises and Inflation: Jobless and Wageless Recoveries," NBER Working Papers 18480, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    23. Backé, Peter & Wójcik, Cezary, 2008. "Credit booms, monetary integration and the new neoclassical synthesis," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 458-470, March.
    24. Felix Hüfner & Isabell Koske, 2008. "The Euro Changeover in the Slovak Republic: Implications for Inflation and Interest Rates," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 632, OECD Publishing.
    25. Calvo, Guillermo & Coricelli, Fabrizio & Ottonello, Pablo, 2012. "The Labor Market Consequences of Financial Crises With or Without Inflation: Jobless and Wageless Recoveries," CEPR Discussion Papers 9218, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    26. Brachinger, Hans Wolfgang, 2008. "A new index of perceived inflation: Assumptions, method, and application to Germany," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 433-457, August.
    27. Karsten Staehr, 2010. "The global financial crisis and public finances in the New EU Countries from Central and Eastern Europe," Bank of Estonia Working Papers wp2010-02, Bank of Estonia, revised 04 Feb 2010.
    28. Felix Hüfner, 2009. "Adjusting Housing Policies in Slovakia in Light of Euro Adoption," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 682, OECD Publishing.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Éltető, Andrea, 2014. "A visegrádi országok kereskedelme Ázsiával - a globális termelés lenyomata [The trade of the Visegrád countries with Asia - a manifestation of global production]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(5), pages 586-608.
    2. Marek A. Dąbrowski & Łukasz Kwiatkowski & Justyna Wróblewska, 2020. "Sources of Real Exchange Rate Variability in Central and Eastern European Countries: Evidence from Structural Bayesian MSH-VAR Models," Central European Journal of Economic Modelling and Econometrics, Central European Journal of Economic Modelling and Econometrics, vol. 12(4), pages 369-412, December.
    3. Oliver Polyák, 2016. "Euro Adoption and Export: A Case Study of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Old EU Member States," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2016(4), pages 427-444.
    4. Oliver Polyak, 2014. "The Impact of Euro Adoption on Export Performance: Comparison of the Czech Republic and Slovakia," Working Papers IES 2014/04, Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Economic Studies, revised Feb 2014.
    5. Bod, Péter Ákos & Pócsik, Orsolya & Neszmélyi, György Iván, 2020. "Az euró és a szlovák gazdaság [The Euro and the Slovak Economy]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(4), pages 321-351.
    6. Jarko Fidrmuc & Andreas Wörgötter, 2013. "Slovakia: The Consequences of Joining the Euro Aea before the Crisis for a Small Catching-up Economy," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 14(1), pages 57-63, May.
    7. Michal Tvrdoň, 2015. "Decomposition of Unemployment: The Case of the Visegrad group countries," Working Papers 0005, Silesian University, School of Business Administration.
    8. Slawomir I. Bukowski & Joanna E. Bukowska & Lukasz J. Zieba, 2023. "Slovakia in the Euro Αrea – Costs and Benefits," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(1), pages 159-178.
    9. Andrea Elteto & Agnes Szunomar, 2015. "Ties of Visegrád countries with East Asia – trade and investment," IWE Working Papers 214, Institute for World Economics - Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
    10. Jarko Fidrmuc & Andreas Wörgötter, 2013. "Slovakia: The Consequences of Joining the Euro Aea before the Crisis for a Small Catching-up Economy," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 14(01), pages 57-63, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fidrmuc, Jarko & Wörgötter, Andreas, 2014. "Euro Membership, Foreign Banks And Credit Developments During The Financial Crisis In Slovakia: A Case Study," Review of Agricultural and Applied Economics (RAAE), Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak Agricultural University in Nitra, vol. 17(1), March.
    2. repec:ags:aoeisl:170471 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Jarko Fidrmuc & Andreas Wörgötter, 2013. "Slovakia: The Consequences of Joining the Euro Aea before the Crisis for a Small Catching-up Economy," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 14(1), pages 57-63, May.
    4. Jarko Fidrmuc & Andreas Wörgötter, 2013. "Slovakia: The Consequences of Joining the Euro Aea before the Crisis for a Small Catching-up Economy," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 14(01), pages 57-63, May.
    5. Iwona Maciejczyk-Bujnowicz, 2016. "Foreign trade and the theory of optimum currency areas. Implications for Poland," International Economics, University of Lodz, Faculty of Economics and Sociology, issue 13, pages 5-26, March.
    6. Herbert Buscher & Hubert Gabrisch, 2012. "The synchronization of wage dynamics across EMU members. A test of the endogeneity hypothesis," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 39(3), pages 327-340, August.
    7. Betz, Frank & Ravasan, Farshad R., 2016. "Collateral regimes and missing job creation in the MENA region," EIB Working Papers 2016/03, European Investment Bank (EIB).
    8. Guillermo Calvo & Fabrizio Coricelli & Pablo Ottonello, 2014. "Jobless Recoveries during Financial Crises: Is Inflation the Way Out?," Central Banking, Analysis, and Economic Policies Book Series, in: Sofía Bauducco & Lawrence Christiano & Claudio Raddatz (ed.),Macroeconomic and Financial Stability: challenges for Monetary Policy, edition 1, volume 19, chapter 11, pages 331-381, Central Bank of Chile.
    9. Fidrmuc, Jarko & Korhonen, Iikka, 2010. "The impact of the global financial crisis on business cycles in Asian emerging economies," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 293-303, June.
    10. Bruine de Bruin, Wändi & van der Klaauw, Wilbert & Topa, Giorgio, 2011. "Expectations of inflation: The biasing effect of thoughts about specific prices," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 834-845.
    11. repec:hhs:bofitp:2008_007 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Michael Ehrmann, 2011. "Inflation Developments and Perceptions after the Euro Cash Changeover," German Economic Review, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 12(1), pages 33-58, February.
    13. Robert Barro & Silvana Tenreyro, 2007. "Economic Effects Of Currency Unions," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 45(1), pages 1-23, January.
    14. Arratibel, Olga & Furceri, Davide & Martin, Reiner & Zdzienicka, Aleksandra, 2011. "The effect of nominal exchange rate volatility on real macroeconomic performance in the CEE countries," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 261-277, June.
    15. Aaron Mehrotra & Jouko Rautava, 2008. "Do sentiment indicators help to assess and predict actual developments of the Chinese economy?," Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(3), pages 225-239.
    16. Petr Rozmahel & Ladislava Issever Grochová & Marek Litzman, 2014. "The Effect of Asymmetries in Fiscal Policy Conducts on Business Cycle Correlation in the EU. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 62," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 47249, March.
    17. Villacorta, Alonso, 2018. "Business cycles and the balance sheets of the financial and non-financial sectors," ESRB Working Paper Series 68, European Systemic Risk Board.
    18. Dominik Bernhofer & Octavio Fernández-Amador & Martin Gächter & Friedrich Sindermann, 2014. "Finance, Potential Output and the Business Cycle: Empirical Evidence from Selected Advanced and CESEE Economies," Focus on European Economic Integration, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue 2, pages 52-75.
    19. Konstantins Benkovskis & Julia Wörz, 2016. "Non-price competitiveness of exports from emerging countries," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 707-735, September.
    20. Vakulenko, E. & Gurvich, E., 2016. "Real Wage Flexibility in Russia: Comparative Analysis," Journal of the New Economic Association, New Economic Association, vol. 31(3), pages 67-92.
    21. Patrik Kupkovic, 2020. "R-star in Transition Economies: Evidence from Slovakia," Working and Discussion Papers WP 3/2020, Research Department, National Bank of Slovakia.
    22. Paul De Grauwe & Gunther Schnabl, 2004. "Exchange Rate Regimes and Macroeconomic Stability in Central and Eastern Europe," International Finance 0404011, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    domestic demand; job-less recovery; crisis; Slovenia; Estonia; Slovak Republic;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E20 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • F41 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Open Economy Macroeconomics
    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:iza:izapps:pp55. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Holger Hinte (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/izaaade.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.