Institutional convergence and a lingering two-speed Euro area: a response

This contribution responds to the Comment entitled 'Institutional quality convergence in the Euro area countries: a note and further evidence' on our earlier published article in the Journal of Contemporary European Studies, Volume 28, Issue 3. By using the same data on Government Effectiveness, Regulatory Quality, Rule of Law and Control of Corruption analysed in the Comment, we confirm the coexistence of certain processes of institutional convergence and, at the same time, a two-speed Euro area in institutional terms, with an increasing gap between core and periphery countries. These results help to complement and enrich their conclusions.