Fiscal federalism in crisis: lessons for Europe from the US

Drawing comparisons between the fiscal situation in the US and the European Union, Bruegel Research Fellow Zsolt Darvas answers three questions in this Policy Contribution- Why has the euro been hit so hard? How would a more federal European fiscal union closer to the US model have helped? How do the euro area’s fiscal architecture reform plans stand up in light of the US example? The author analyses why current fiscal reform proposals if implemented will result in improvements but implementation could be deficient or lack credibility and can lead to disputes and carry political risk.