<p>This thesis is trying to find out whether the five studied countries, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain would have avoided the economic crisis by having an independent central bank.The theory used for our study is the Taylor rule, using statistical data in order to count out the short-term nominal interest rate. Results are compared with the ECB nominal interest rate to see if the difference between the two rates is big. By looking at other macroeconomic data we will try to understand if the fiscal policy could have been conducted in a better way.The results we reached were varying. In the case of Ireland and Spain we could clearly see that a higher interest rate could have drastically altered the outcome, potentially avoiding the crisis. Regarding Italy and Portugal, the current crisis is more due to structural problems and not due to the level of the interest rate. Finally, we could see that Greece could have benefited from a higher interest rate. But we cannot definitely say that this has been the reason for the crisis since the Greek fiscal policy has been poorly conducted.</p>

This thesis is trying to find out whether the five studied countries, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain would have avoided the economic crisis by having an independent central bank.The theory used for our study is the Taylor rule, using statistical data in order to count out the short-term nominal interest rate. Results are compared with the ECB nominal interest rate to see if the difference between the two rates is big. By looking at other macroeconomic data we will try to understand if the fiscal policy could have been conducted in a better way.The results we reached were varying. In the case of Ireland and Spain we could clearly see that a higher interest rate could have drastically altered the outcome, potentially avoiding the crisis. Regarding Italy and Portugal, the current crisis is more due to structural problems and not due to the level of the interest rate. Finally, we could see that Greece could have benefited from a higher interest rate. But we cannot definitely say that this has been the reason for the crisis since the Greek fiscal policy has been poorly conducted.

This diploma thesis describes the formation of The European monetary union, financial situation of the member countries before the start of the debt crisis in eurozone. The thesis focuses on the PIIGS countries, which includes Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain. Consequently it deals with the course of the debt crises, the financial support provided to PIIGS countries and possibilities of the future development of the EU, respectively eurozone.

Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka de attityder som svenska och finländska konsumenter har beträffande ursprungslandsinformation, i synnerhet bilden av PIIGS-länderna. Teorierna i uppsatsen utgår ifrån Country of origin och dess effekter samt från tidigare forskning.Uppsatsen har en kvantitativ ansats där en enkätundersökning och statistiska beräkningar utförts. Slutsatserna i denna uppsats är att de svenska och finländska konsumenterna generellt inte tar hänsyn till ursprungslandsinformation. De påvisar även negativa attityder gentemotPIIGS-länderna gällande tillförlitlighet och produktkvalité i jämförelse med deras hemländer. / The purpose of this paper is to examine the attitudes that Swedish and Finnish consumers have regarding Country of origin information, in particular the image of the PIIGS countries.The theories in this essay are based on Country of origin and its effects as well as from previous conducted research. The essay has a quantitative approach in which a questionnaire and statistical calculations have been performed. The conclusions of this paper are that the Swedish and Finnish consumers generally do not take Country of origin information into account.They also show negative attitudes towards the PIIGS countries regarding reliability and product quality in comparison to their home countries.

Peiwei Li Abstract: This paper is to investigate whether the Eurozone crisis brings similar effects to the economic growth of two groups of the EU's peripheral countries, including the PIIGS and the CEE countries. Greece, Ireland and Portugal from the PIIGS group; and the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland from the CEE group are selected as the researched countries in this paper. In order to quantify how the Eurozone crisis affects the economic growth of these two groups of countries, this research utilises the statistical software STATA to operate a panel regression model with country and time fixed effects. The employed panel data contains selected indicators of the six researched countries over 2004-2018. Indicators that may affect economic growth of countries during the Eurozone crisis includes current account balance, FDI inflows, debt, exports and unemployment. Apart from the generation of overall results for all the six countries over 2004-2018, this paper generates a dummy variable "eurozone" to divide the researched countries into two groups. Therefore, it compares the results of each group. The research period also be equally divided into three stages: 2004-2008, 2009-2013 and 2014-2018, which represent for pre-crisis period, crisis period and post-crisis period. The divided periods are used to...

The Ireland´s recovery from the crisis that broke in the Irish economy was fast comparing to other eurozone nations so-called PIIGS. Therefore, the thesis identify sources and turning points that generate the inclusive growth of the Irish economy. Economic growth comes from the accumulation of labour and capital inputs combined with improvements in the productivity of labour associated with technological progress. There are clear signals that all these factors contribute to the economy growth in Ireland. Ireland benefits from large inflows of foreign direct investment that helps to spread technological progress, know-how into the country. This has resulted in export of hi-tech goods and services. Labour force in Ireland are skilled individuals. In addition, both, labour force and labour market in Ireland are highly adaptable to change. Above mentioned drivers and others are fundamental to economic growth. Overall, Ireland´s economy is reasonably well established and it has made significant progress in many areas that contrast with southern economies in PIIGS group.

This thesis focuses on analysis of current problems of so called "South wing countries" of EMU and Ireland (countries which are being called "PIIGS") from the theory of optimum currency area point of view. It uses the static and dynamic version of the theory as a framework for analyzing the problems of internal and external imbalance within those countries and mainly the connection between current accounts deficits, high level of private and public debts, loss of competitiveness in international trade and high percent of unemployment. The thesis comes with a conclusion that the main factors behind the crisis were inflation and inflation expectations which then through different inflation differentials created asymmetric shocks in monetary policy. This inflation differential phenomenon is described in Walters critique and with other theories creates the basis of analytical part. In the appendix it assesses the readiness of Czech Republic for accepting the euro, based on the analysis made in this thesis.

In my graduation theses I deal with the eurozone crisis. This crisis can be seen in relation to the causes of it, as a result of many factors of varying importance - the global financial and economic crisis, the State lavishness, the construction of EMU, etc. Eurozone crisis can however be also seen in the inability of states to agree on the future appearance of the eurozone. In the first two chapters I analyze the first mentioned approach, namely financial and debt crisis with regard to their expensiveness. In detail I attend to interconnection of banking and debt crisis and the role of the ECB. In the second part I come to the principal point of my work, another approach to the crisis, namely the attitude of Germany to address problems of EMU. Germany therefore, that as the largest economy of EMU it forms it the most, but also carries the largest share of costs. I will analyze both the priorities of Germany, and his approach to promoted measures from the fiscal compact to Eurobonds. Eventually, through an analysis of the attitudes of actors in Germany - the German Government, the political opposition, the constitutional court, the Bundesbank, the German academics, public opinion - I come to a conclusion that the position of Germany is divided, however, at least for political representation I can not yet speak of fundamental contradictions. But it seems that the German population begins to differ in this way from their political representatives. The future will show us how serious this discrepancy will be and what results will it bring.