Thesis advisor: Matteo Iacoviello / Since its launch, the euro has successfully achieved the status of an international currency, and the prospect of its ability to challenge the dollar is increasingly credible. This paper supplements the ongoing academic discussion by reevaluating the characteristics necessary for such a position in light of the most recent information available on the euro area, and then providing econometric evidence as support. I regress the lags of shares of dollar and euro reserves on the current shares and predict steady state values for each currency. I then regress the same lags, as well as the exchange rate lag, on the change in the euro/dollar exchange rate. I find, first, that the share of euro reserves, while still not as high as the share of dollars, is nonetheless significant: about 26%. Second, the euro/dollar exchange rate is only slightly affected by changes in the share of either currency's reserves. I conclude that confidence in the euro as an alternative international currency is growing, and that the euro has become a real challenge to the dollar. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2007. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics. / Discipline: College Honors Program.

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.

This thesis maps the role of the U.S. dollar as an international currency with a main focus on the second half of the 20th century and the role of dollar in the world economy. The thesis spans from the end of the Second World War to the eve of the last global financial crisis. The thesis documents, how dollar became the leading international currency during the Bretton Woods system era. Although the inner conflicts led to breakup of the system, dollar remained the most important currency. Despite many attempts, a successful reform of the international monetary system never happened since then. In the last 30 years, the uncoordinated U.S. monetary policy led to rapid growth of imbalances in the world economy and consequently to the 2007/08 Financial crisis. The thesis shows that the viable reform can build on the original plan of John M. Keynes, which prepared for the Bretton Woods conference.

Partant de la théorie de la concurrence des monnaies internationales, notre travail de thèseanalyse le rôle du renminbi dans l’économie mondiale. Cette nouvelle approche amène àréfléchir sur la configuration du système monétaire international du XXIe siècle. La premièrepartie retrace la longue marche du dollar qui finira par supplanter progressivement la livresterling. L’inertie monétaire observée pour la livre sterling se retrouve également au niveaudu dollar. De ce fait, la réforme du SMI actuel suivra un chemin semé d’embûches. Le SMIfondé sur le dollar n’est ni efficient, ni équitable. C’est pourquoi, un SMI multipolaire estsouhaitable à long terme. Le polycentrisme monétaire, dont on parle depuis le début durégime des changes flottants, deviendrait alors une réalité. Parmi les concurrents potentiels dudollar, le renminbi se positionne comme un sérieux outsider. D’ailleurs, notre analyse montrequ’il est déjà la troisième monnaie en termes de compétitivité. La deuxième partie metl’accent sur l’internationalisation du renminbi. Depuis les réformes économiques initiées dansles années 1980, la Chine a connu une croissance sans précédent par rapport aux sièclesderniers. Grâce à ce remarquable essor, il est fort possible que le renminbi rejoigne un jour leclub très fermé des monnaies internationales. Mais, la Chine souffre également de nombreuxhandicaps, liés en particulier au contrôle du compte financier et au régime de change. Ce quisuppose que le billet rouge deviendra une monnaie régionale avant d’être internationale. Latroisième partie étudie l’émergence du SMI tripolaire centré sur le dollar, l’euro et le renminbi,et ses conséquences sur l’économie mondiale. Sur la base de notre analyse, nous concluonsque le SMI actuel est déjà en partie tripolaire. Ceci contribue à sa stabilité mais sans résoudrele dilemme de Triffin ni apporter de véritables gains commerciaux à l’économie mondiale.Nous sommes aujourd’hui en train d’évoluer vers un vrai SMI tripolaire, une évolution quidépendra de la compétitivité future de l’euro et du renminbi, de manière à surclasser laposition dominante du dollar. / Based on the theory of international currency competition, our thesis work analyzes the roleof the renminbi in the global economy. This novel approach allows us to reflect on the statusof the international monetary system in the 21st century. The first part follows the longprocess of the dollar, progressively replacing the pound sterling. The monetary inertiaobserved in the pound sterling was also found in the dollar today. Consequently, thereformation of the current IMS follows a path which is full of hazards. The IMS based on thedollar is neither efficient nor equitable. So, a multi-polar IMS is desirable in the long run.Monetary polycentrism, as talked about since the beginning of floating changes, wouldbecome a reality. Among the potential competitors of the dollar, the renminbi plays the role ofan outsider, and our analysis shows that the renminbi is already the third currency in terms ofcompetitivity. The second part focuses on the internationalization of the renminbi. Since theeconomic reforms in the 1980s, China has experienced a significant growth that has neverbeen seen in previous centuries. Taking into account the rise of China, it is entirely possiblefor the renminbi to become a new international currency. However, China still suffers from anumber of handicaps, in particular the control of financial accounts and exchange rate regime,which supposes that the red bill will become a regional currency before being international.The third part analyses the emergence of tri-polar IMS, centered on the dollar, the euro, andthe renminbi, and its consequences on the global economy. According to our analysis, weconclude that the current IMS is already partly tri-polar, which contributes to the stability ofthe IMS without solving the Triffin dilemma, but brings little commercial gain to the globaleconomy. Today, we are evolving towards a real tri-polar IMS. Yet, this evolution depends onthe future competitivity between the euro and the renminbi in such a way as to surpass thedominant position of the dollar.

This study analyzes validity of the relative purchasing power parity (PPP) and the uncovered interest rate parity (IRP) theories for the dollar/euro exchange rate. The period of analysis is from 1990 to 2003. The dollar/euro exchange rate represents the currencies of a country, the USA, and a region, the Euro Area. The basic data needed for this study are the dollar/euro exchange rate, and the inflation and the interest rates for the USA and the Euro Area. Since the Euro Area was officially formed on January 1st, 1999, we had difficulty in finding the data for the Euro Area. For the lacking Euro Area data, synthetic values are created by using the individual data of Euro Area countries. These synthetic values are treated as the equivalents of the actual values and are used in the parity implied dollar/euro exchange rate calculations. The parity implied dollar/euro exchange rates are compared with the actual dollar/euro exchange rates. Our results indicate that the parity implied dollar/euro exchange rates are statistically significantly different from the actual dollar/euro exchange rates. In other words, both the PPP and the IRP theories do not hold for the dollar/euro exchange rate.

Au plus fort de la crise, le régime monétaire international se révèle être impuissantlorsqu’il s’agit de limiter la volatilité excessive des taux de change, l’ampleur desdéséquilibres des balances de paiements courants, le développement d'une spéculationeffrénée sur les marchés des changes et l’asymétrie entre pays en excédent et pays endéficit. Cette thèse, qui a eu le mérite d’ouvrir des pistes nouvelles dans lacompréhension des rapports complexes entre les déséquilibres mondiaux et le régimeactuel, a montré que ces déséquilibres sont intrinsèquement rattachés aux défaillances dela structure monétaire internationale. Pour interrompre cette dynamique qui détériore lesdéséquilibres mondiaux, nous proposons que le régime tende vers un système centraliséavec la création d’une monnaie internationale et d’une chambre de compensation. Cettethèse, qui réactualise le plan Keynes, inclut également des dispositions statutaires visant àajuster automatiquement les dettes extérieures aux capacités de paiement des pays. Bienque cette réforme soit une avancée, cette réflexion n’occulte pas les progrès qu’il reste àfaire pour résorber les déséquilibres extérieurs. Pour améliorer l’efficacité et la pérennitédu système des paiements internationaux, il est utile de renforcer la coopération desbanques centrales, notamment dans un contexte marqué par les crises d’endettementextérieur. Dans ce sens, cette thèse montre les opportunités qu’offre la constitution dezones monétaires régionales intégrées dans une union monétaire internationale / At the height of the crisis, the international monetary system is powerless to reduce theinstability of exchange rates, the imbalance of the current account of balance ofpayments, instability of exchange rates and the development of speculation in financialmarkets the and the asymmetry between net exporters countries and net deficits countries.This thesis, which had the merit of opening new tracks in order to understand thecomplex relationships between global imbalances and the actual system, showed thatthese global imbalances are intrinsically linked to the failures of the internationalmonetary structure. To stop the deterioration of global imbalances, we propose that thesystem turns towards an international system payment with the creation of aninternational currency and a clearing house. This thesis, which reactualizes the KeynesPlan, also includes statutory dispositions for automatically adjusting the external debt tothe capacities payment of countries. Although this reform is a step forward, we don’t hidethe progress that can be done to reduce external imbalances. To increase the efficiencyand sustainability of the international payments system, it is useful to boost thecooperation between central banks, particularly in a context marked by the external debtcrises. In this sense, this thesis shows the opportunities which offered the creation ofregional monetary zones which are integrated in a monetary union international