Prerequisites for creating a monetary union in UNASUR

In view of the creation of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and the Banco del Sur, this book analyses whether the UNASUR members fulfil the preconditions to form a stable monetary union. Based on a model developed by Bayoumi and Eichengreen, it constructs an optimum currency area (OCA) index vis-à-vis Brazil. In comparison to the European Monetary Union, it then assesses which countries of UNASUR have been converging towards a South American monetary union to draw implications for policy making.