Gaspar, V. (2015) “Fiscal Policy And Structural Reform“, iMFdirect, 27 Μαρτίου.   One of the big questions to emerge from the global financial crisis, especially in the euro area, is how to raise a country’s potential growth while restoring healthy public finances. For example, the euro area— despite some favorable news recently — faces marked-down growth prospects alongside high levels of public debt. The combination of high debt and tepid …Read More

Dhingra, S., Ottaviano, G. & Sampson, T. (2015) “Should the UK stay or go? The economic consequences of Britain leaving the EU“, LSE EUROPP, 24 Μαρτίου.   How would a British exit from the EU affect the UK’s economy? Swati Dhingra, Gianmarco Ottaviano and Thomas Sampson outline the economic consequences of a Brexit, writing that reduced integration with EU countries is likely to cost the UK economy far more than is gained …Read More

Jacques Attal (2015) “Think differently about the Right and the Left, L’ Express Blog, 09 Μαρτίου.   While political parties, doctrines and party platforms might not want to admit it, there is a certain, albeit slow, shift in the traditional Left-Right cleavage in the practice of governments all over the world: As so often happens, practice precedes doctrine and creates it. Clearly there is still on the one hand the …Read More

Sander, H. (2015) “The ‘Juncker plan’ does not offer a genuine route to boosting the Eurozone’s recovery“, LSE EUROPP, 19 Μαρτίου.   On 10 March, EU finance ministers agreed to roll out Jean-Claude Juncker’s flagship investment programme, commonly termed the ‘Juncker plan’. Harald Sander writes on the economic impact the plan could have in the Eurozone. He argues that while it has been portrayed by some observers as a route …Read More

Kowalsky, W. (2015) “Where Now For The Europe 2020 Strategy?”, Social Europe Journal, 18 Μαρτίου.   Does the Commission take unemployment as a serious challenge? What future for the Europe 2020 strategy? A few comments on European Commission: “Results of the public consultation on the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth” This new note from the European Commission is clearly a step further down the road towards …Read More

Oberndorfer, L. (2015) “How The Troika Breaches EU Law“, Social Europe Journal, 18 Μαρτίου.   How did the troika come about formally? In 2010 it became apparent that the European constitution offers no clues as to how one should handle financial crises on this scale. So, instead of setting in train the democratic procedures designed to do this, EU law swiftly went out of the window and one seized on …Read More