The "reality" of international economic policy coordination is the subject of this book. This reality comprises the objectives of policy-makers, the various constraints faced by policy makers, and current economic knowledge about international coordination. The treatment of the subject matter is unique because the principal authors have first-hand knowledge based on their current or past involvement in the process of international economic policy coordination. This makes the book important and stimulating for both policy makers and academic specialists in this field. The study provides an in-depth analytical overview of the most important topics in the area of international coordination: the role of institutions, fiscal policy, tax policy, the international monetary system, the European monetary system, policy assignment rules and exchange rate regimes, structural policy and structural reform, methods and empirical effects of international policy coordination.