Mitchell, B. (2014) “The loaded language of austerity – but all the sinners are saints!“, Bill Mitchell Blog, 27 Νοεμβρίου. The US National Institute of Justice tells us that – Recidivism is “is one of the most fundamental concepts in criminal justice. It refers to a person’s relapse into criminal behavior, often after the person receives sanctions or undergoes intervention for a previous crime”. You know murder, rape, theft, …Read More
Two speeches on Europe, half an idea
PoliticsatSurrey & Simon Usherwood (2014) “Two speeches on Europe, half an idea“, Politics at Surrey Blog, 27 Νοεμβρίου. It’s that time of year when people apparently decide they need to talk about ‘Europe’: this week we’ve seen two good examples of why this might not be such a good idea. The first, made by former British agriculture minister, Owen Paterson, to the eurosceptic lobby Business for Britain, came on Monday. …Read More
Social Choice and Social Welfare
Amartya Sen (2014) “Social Choice and Social Welfare“, Project Syndicate Organisation, 26 Νοεμβρίου. Human beings have always lived in groups, and their individual lives have invariably depended on group decisions. But the challenges of group choice can be daunting, particularly given the divergent interests and concerns of the group’s members. So, how should collective decision-making be carried out? A dictator who wants to control every aspect of people’s lives …Read More
Germany and the European Commission’s €315 Billion Infrastructure “New Deal” is Yet More Smoke and Mirrors
Smith, Y. (2014) “Germany and the European Commission’s €315 Billion Infrastructure “New Deal” is Yet More Smoke and Mirrors“, Naked Capitalism Blog, 26 Νοεμβρίου. I have to confess I had not taken the announcement of a €315 billion infrastructure spending program by the European Commission all that seriously, despite the fact that this on the surface represented a very serious departure from the Troika’s antipathy for anything resembling fiscal …Read More
Η οπισθοχώρηση της ειρήνης στην Ευρώπη: Η εξωτερική πολιτική τής ΕΕ και ο ελληνικός παράγων
Μαλλιάς, Π. Α. (2014) “Η οπισθοχώρηση της ειρήνης στην Ευρώπη: Η εξωτερική πολιτική τής ΕΕ και ο ελληνικός παράγων“, Foreign Affairs Hellenic Edition, 25 Νοεμβρίου. Περίληψη: H Κοινοτική πολιτική, όπως τότε στα Βαλκάνια στην δεκαετία τού 1990, όπως και τώρα στην Ουκρανία, στις σχέσεις με την Ρωσία και σε όλη την διάρκεια των σημαντικών εξελίξεων και ανατροπών στην Μέση Ανατολή την τελευταία τετραετία, δεν προέχει, δεν υπερτερεί αλλά ακολουθεί …Read More
Europe’s German Ball and Chain
Gros, D. (2014) “Europe’s German Ball and Chain“, Project Syndicate Organisation, 24 Νοεμβρίου. A storm-tossed ship near dangerous cliffs needs a strong anchor to avoid finishing on the rocks. In 2012, when a financial storm engulfed the eurozone, it was Germany that kept the European ship off the shoals of financial disaster. But now Europe’s anchor has become a brake, hindering forward movement. Of course, German Chancellor Angela Merkel …Read More
The Consequences of Imposing Negative Interest Rates
Tenebrarum, P. (2014) “The Consequences of Imposing Negative Interest Rates“, Acting Man Blog, 21 Νοεμβρίου. Negative Interest Rates and Capital Consumption Ever since the ECB has introduced negative interest rates on its deposit facility, people have been waiting for commercial banks to react. After all, they are effectively losing money as a result of this bizarre directive, on excess reserves the accumulation of which they can do very little …Read More
Why Countries Wage Currency Wars
Shilling, Α. G. (2014) “Why Countries Wage Currency Wars, BloombergView, 23 Νοεμβρίου. The U.S. dollar has been on a tear this year, rising against the currencies of virtually all major developed economies. What we’re seeing around the world is intense — and in some cases, deliberate — devaluations. What’s going on and what are the investment implications? One reason for the devaluations is that, when economic growth is weak …Read More
Why We Need Our Fiscal Policy Instrument Back
Wren-Lewis, S. (2014) “Why We Need Our Fiscal Policy Instrument Back, Social Europe Journal, 24 Νοεμβρίου. The latest Bank of England forecast has inflation returning to the 2% target by the end of 2017, which is in three years time. That is an unusually long time to be away from target. So what is the MPC proposing to do about this long lapse from target? Absolutely nothing. Tony Yates goes through all the detail, but …Read More
Vicious circle(s) 2.0 – while trying to sever the sovereign-banking link, we may be disregarding vulnerabilities from banks’ mutual interconnectedness
Merler, S. (2014) “Vicious circle(s) 2.0 – while trying to sever the sovereign-banking link, we may be disregarding vulnerabilities from banks’ mutual interconnectedness“, Bruegel Institute, 20 Νοεμβρίου. Since the beginning of the crisis – and more so since 2010 – Europeans have been looking at the sovereign-banking “vicious circle”, tying the dismal fates of States and banks together. This has emerged as a characteristic disease during the euro crisis, …Read More