Priskonvergens är en teoretisk slutsats av ett flertal ekonomiska teorier, samt ett väl undersökt område som visat sig vara ett statistiskt signifikant faktum i olika ekonomiska regioner. Priskonvergens kräver i teorin och empirin att ekonomierna är likriktade och har liknande ekonomiska förutsättningar, krav som den inomeuropeiska marknaden uppfyller. Här har också priskonvergens bevisats vara ett statistiskt signifikant faktum i ett flertal studier. Förutom de studier vari detta bevisats redovisas också teorier som kan förklara  priskonvergensen, i denna uppsats redovisas bland annat lagen om ett pris, teorin om köpkraftsparitet samt utbuds- och efterfrågeteori. Något som torde leda till ytterligare ekonomisk konvergens och därmed också priskonvergens är en gemensam valuta, och efter euroinförandet genomfördes flera studier i syfte att klargöra huruvida det teoretiska antagandet om stärkt priskonvergens inom en valutaunion kunde stämma. Dessutom testades i dessa studier om EU-kommissionen haft rätt i sitt uttalande om att priskonvergensen skulle bli stärkt mellan de länder som anslöt sig till valutasamarbetet. Resultatet från studierna varierar och det är här denna uppsats tar vid. Problemformuleringen lyder: ”Har införandet av den gemensamma valutan euro i lett till en stärkt priskonvergens mellan de länder som antagit valutan?” Problemet undersöks med hjälp av regressionsanalys där ett modifierat prisjämförelseindex används som beroende variabel. Den viktigaste oberoende variabeln i analysen är en dummyvariabel som visar priskonvergensen innan och efter euroinförandet inom de aktuella länderna. Slutsatsen av den genomförda analysen är att euron inte påverkat priskonvergensen inom euroområdet. Dock bevisades att priskonvergens är ett statistiskt signifikant faktum i EU-regionen som helhet.

The relationship between exchange rate volatility and trade flow has been examined in a number of previous researches. The paper mainly focuses on investigating the impact of exchange rate volatility on export values from Sweden to Germany during 2000:01 and 2011:06. The Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model is employed to obtain the estimates of the long run equilibrium and the short run dynamics, simultaneously. The results indicate that the exchange rate volatility has significant short run effects on export value in majority of estimated industries while its meaningful long run impacts do not appear in any cases. However, applying the “bounds test” approach, the co-integration is also found in more than half cases due to long run impacts of other factors such as foreign income on export earnings.

La identidad nacional en el contexto mexicano es un tema que ha recibido mucha atención en el ambiente académico. Este concepto, enfocado en el pasado del país, viene marcado por la colonización europea del continente americano en el siglo XVI como también por la exclusión de grupos indígenas y africanos dado la representación de ideas europeas por los grupos dominantes. Es decir, existe en México identidades sub-nacionales no reconocidas dentro de la actual idea de la nación. El presente estudio cualitativo pretende explorar cómo se expresa hoy la identidad nacional mexicana entre algunos estudiantes universitarios en la Ciudad de México. Se intenta responder a dos preguntas de investigación enfocadas en las percepciones de los estudiantes sobre su identidad nacional, como también si esas percepciones registradas parecen reafirmar o cuestionar ideas existentes sobre una identidad nacional homogénea en México. Mediante entrevistas realizadas por correo electrónico con algunos alumnos mexicanos y un análisis crítico del discurso aplicado en las respuestas de las mismas, se ponen a prueba algunas teorías existentes sobre la identidad nacional en el contexto latinoamericano y mexicano. El análisis muestra que existen entre los estudiantes discursos que reafirman algunas teorías existentes como, por ejemplo, que la identidad nacional hasta cierto grado ha sido creada por el Estado mexicano y que la esencia de la misma viene basada en la identidad mestiza en México. Existen también otros discursos que parecen cuestionar las ideas que explican la identidad mexicana como homogénea y euro-céntrica. Los alumnos presentan así un discurso alternativo cuestionador a la práctica del Estado mexicano, y el cual considera la diversidad identitaria del país formar parte de la identidad nacional actual.

This thesis looks at how European Single Currency (EURO) that began circulating on January 2002 as a legal tender will affect the European integration process. Because money has been accepted as one of the founding elements of a state for centuries, whether the Euro will be effective in the direction of a probable &ldquo / United States of Europe&rdquo / or not? Firstly, theoretical and historical roots of European integration are explained in the thesis as the basis of economic integration. The foundation, the stages and institutional mechanism of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) is looked at throughout the thesis with the theories of Regional Economic Integration and Optimum Currency Areas (OCA). The thesis reaches the conclusion that economic integration may gradually bring about the need for political integration in the EU, but not necessarily.

This thesis aims at evaluating the impact of euro upon European identity. By analyzing the theory of identity and the concept of money, this thesis reveals the relationship between currency and collective identity and applies this logic to the dynamics between euro and European identity. In order to grasp a better understanding, the thesis studies some selected member states in more depth and evaluates each one within their special circumstances. The findings of this thesis suggest that the constructive impact of euro upon European identity is determined by the level Europeanization or the strength of the sense of Europeanness in respective member states. To this extent the euro has a constructive impact upon European identity in member states in which Europeanization or European identity is perceived positively. On the other hand, in those member states in which Europeanization or European identity is perceived negatively, the euro has neither negative nor constructive impact.

ABSTRACT THE DOMINANCE OF THE DOLLAR AND ITS SUSTAINABILITY IN THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY SYSTEM K&ouml / se, Tekin M.S., Department of Economics Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Ege June 2008, 121 pages The aim of this thesis is to analyze and evaluate the dominance of the dollar and its sustainability in the international monetary system in the light of recent literature and relevant statistical data. Considering the determinants of an international currency, this thesis focuses on the linkages of the dominance of the dollar with the challenge of the euro as an alternative international currency, the current account deficit of the U.S. and foreign exchange reserve accumulation and reserve diversification decision of foreign central banks. The analysis on these determinants indicates that the U.S. dollar is facing many challenges and may face further challenges in sustaining its dominance as an international currency. Given the significance of the U.S. economy and dominance of the dollar as an international currency, the findings of this study indicate that although the euro has not much potential to surpass the dollar as an international currency in the short-term, it is more likely for the international monetary system to witness the existence of multiple international currencies and decline in the degree of the dominance of the dollar in the 21st century.

Whiplash injuries as a result of rear impact are among the most common injuries in traffic accidents. This is why whiplash injuries have reached a high priority in the research area. In this study, the effects of head restraint position and impact pulse to the whiplash injury have been analyzed by performing whiplash tests using the sled test facility of METU-BILTIR Center Vehicle Safety Unit. Although there are many whiplash test protocols, the test sample has been prepared according to the most recent one, Euro NCAP Whiplash Test Protocol. Three different head restraint positions and three different impact pulses with different severities, totally nine tests have been performed. The tests are performed with a three point generic seat belt and an instrumented Hybrid III 50th percentile male adult crash test dummy is used as the occupant in driver seat of a light commercial vehicle. High speed cameras, sensors on the crash test dummy and a data acquisition system are used to take the test data. This test data has been analyzed and presented according to the defined whiplash assessment criteria and the performance scores of the particular seat for each test have been determined using the whiplash assessment criteria values according to the Euro NCAP Test Protocols.

This dissertation studies the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and its effects on foreign exchange markets and corporate cash holdings. These two potential effects are examined in the dissertation in two separate essays. The first essay examines the validity of the purchasing power parity (PPP) condition during three distinct exchange rate regimes (floating-rate, target-zone arrangement, and fixed-rate or common currency) from January 1973 through January 2004. My results support PPP, but I find that PPP during the common currency regime holds in fewer EMU countries than during the alternative exchange rate regimes. In addition, PPP between currency blocs holds for all countries examined during the first two regimes, but deteriorates after the introduction of the euro for the EMU countries as opposed to the non-EMU countries. I do not obtain strong evidence supporting PPP for the EMU countries since the euro adoption, but the faster mean reversion I observe in the few EMU countries where PPP does hold, may signal higher market efficiency and economic integration in the future. The second essay investigates corporate liquidity (cash holdings of firms) from 15 European Union (EU) countries [12 Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) countriesthat adopted the euro, and 3 non-EMU countries] from 1993 to 2002 using a dynamic panel data model. My main contributions to the corporate liquidity literature are fourfold. First, I provide evidence that creditor rights also affect corporate liquidity and their effect is more consistent than that of shareholder rights. Second, I show that the recent formation of EMU affects corporate liquidity. Debt and net working capital are better substitutes for cash in EMU countries than non-EMU countries. The adoption of a common currency reduces cash holdings in EMU countries. Third, my results suggest that agency theory plays an important role in explaining corporate liquidity. In particular, the agency view explains corporate liquidity better for EMU firms, probably because of an enhanced capital market integration that weakens the transaction and precautionary motives of holding cash. Fourth, I show that dealing with the endogeneity problem in corporate liquidity studies is important.

This thesis examines exchange rate exposure of 30 U.S. industries between 1974 and 2008 using traditional and orthogonalized linear models. Similar to the literature, when using traditional linear model we find that exposure is very time dependent and often insignificant. However, we discover that orthogonalization helps uncover more evidence of industry exposure. Within the orthogonalized linear model framework, we find that exposure is statistically and economically important, and the effect of orthogonalization is more pronounced for exposure to currency indices. We also test symmetry in exchange rate exposure by subdividing the sample period into the periods of appreciations and depreciations. Interestingly, we find little evidence that exchange rate is asymmetric even if we use orthogonalized linear model. Lastly, we discover that exchange rate exposure cannot be explained by our international trade data.

<p>Abstract</p><p>The thesis investigates how the European Union promotes stability and security in the Mediterranean region. The aim is to analyse the European Union’s security ambitions with Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, the Barcelona Process. An analytical framework with five sectors (military, political, economic, environmental and societal), based on the Copenhagen School’s theories about security sectors and securitization, is used for the analysis. Within the framework threats, objectives and methods are categorized into each security sector. Then it is possible to distinguish if any sector is more prioritised by the EU. Qualitative text analysis is used to examine relevant EU-documents. The result of the analysis shows that the European Union prioritizes the economical and societal sector in promoting peace and security within the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. Through economical integration and cultural dialogue, the EU tries to enhance security and stability. The EU emphasises the importance of global governance and international law for a stable peace. The study concludes that the widened concept of security, within the Copenhagen School, can help to explain the European Union’s work inside the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.</p>