Over the past decade central banks have taken on new and expanded roles in an attempt to manage the global financial crisis. Panicos Demetriades, former governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus during the country's bailout in 2013, examines the role of the ECB and its adoption of these new powers.

The advent of the euro was a revolution for the 340 million people who exchanged their former currencies – considered a fundamental element of national sovereignty – for this new single currency. Encouraged by some who believe that its introduction gives more cohesion and strength to Europe in an increasingly globalized economy, the euro is criticized by others who believe that the constraints it imposes are a source of austerity and favor northern European countries at the expense of countries in the south. The Future of the Euro Currency traces the evolution of the monetary policy which the European Central Bank instituted at a time when economic, monetary and financial crises were legion. The book presents, as objectively as possible, the advantages and disadvantages of this new currency, while considering the improvements that could promote its durability.

David Howarth and Peter Loedel provide a theoretically inspired account of the creation, design and operation of the European Central Bank. Issues explored include the theoretical approaches to the ECB, the antecedents of European monetary authority, the different national perspectives on central bank independence, the complex organisation of the bank, the issues of accountability and the difficult first years of the ECB in operation.

The European Cenrtral Bank starts operations on January 1st 1999. As the independant bank which issues euro banknotes and controls European monetary policy, it is one of the key financial institutions of the world - symbol of Europe's ever closer financial and political union, and the seminal driving-force behind Europe's growing world power in politics and economics. The Bank provides a first-hand account, based on access to the key players, of the intrigues and in-fighting surrounding the creation of the Bank and the appointment of its first president, the German-backed Dutchman Wim Duisenberg. It provides a detailed analysis of the Bank's operations and prospects, and a rigorous examination of all the related issues of European and global power - financial, economic, and political - including the impact of the bank on the City of London's future as an world financial centre.