Ekkehard Ernst (2014) “Backing the wrong horse, The solution to ease mass unemployment is at hand, but policymakers across Europe are too blind to see it“, The European Magazine, 02 Σεπτεμβρίου. Even today in 2014, the job market is likely to remain Europe’s number one problem child. Five years after the outbreak of the euro crisis and two years after Mario Draghi pledged to do “whatever it takes” to …Read More
Greece, racism and the church – Your genocide or mine?
“Greece, racism and the church – Your genocide or mine?“, The Economist Blog, 29 Αυγούστου 2014. A long awaited bill whose stated aim is to combat racism has been limping its way through the Greek Parliament, despite several bishops from the national church denouncing it as “catastrophic” while some liberal observers say it does not go far enough. In its latest iteration the bill would: impose fines and a ban on …Read More
Migration states and welfare states: Why is America different from Europe?
Razin, A. & Sadka, E. (2014) “Migration states and welfare states: Why is America different from Europe?“, VoxEU Organisation, 01 Σεπτεμβρίου. European migration exhibits a bias towards low-skilled workers, whereas the US attracts the majority of the world’s skilled migrants. At the same time, the welfare system in Europe is more generous than the one in the US. This column describes an analytical framework that can explain the existence …Read More
The GINI Project, Changing Inequalities and Societal Impacts in Rich Countries – Thirty Countries’ Experiences
Nolan, B., Salverda, W., Checchi, D., Marx, I., McKnight, A., György Tóth, I. & van de Werfhorst, G. H. (Eds.) (2014) “The GINI Project, Changing Inequalities and Societal Impacts in Rich Countries – Thirty Countries’ Experiences“, Project Funded Under the Socio-Economic Sciences & Humanities Theme, 30 Αυγούστου. Aims The GINI Project studies the economic and educational drivers and the social, cultural and political impacts of increasing inequality with novel …Read More
Greater attention should be paid to the consequences of a ‘Brexit’ for the EU and other states around the world, not just the UK
Möller, Α. & Oliver, Τ. (2014) “Greater attention should be paid to the consequences of a ‘Brexit’ for the EU and other states around the world, not just the UK“, LSE EUROPP Blog, 01 Σεπτέμβρη. The UK’s EU membership is likely to be a key issue in the 2015 British general election campaign: a point underlined by the defection last week of the Conservative MP Douglas Carswell to UKIP. Almut …Read More
Why European Progressives Stick To Austerity
Meyer, H. (2014) “Why European Progressives Stick To Austerity“, Social Europe Journal, 01 Σεπτεμβρίου. Writing about the recent French government crisis in the New York Times, Paul Krugman raised some uncomfortable questions. He worried about the ongoing dominance of austerity illogic on this side of the Atlantic and what this says about public discourse and the effectiveness of progressive forces. He criticised the UK Labour Party for its unwillingness …Read More
Assessing Public Debt Sustainability in EU Member States: A Guide
Berti, Κ. & Carone, G. (2014) “Assessing Public Debt Sustainability in EU Member States: A Guide“, European Economy, Occasional Papers, 200. Αύγουστος 2014: Βρυξέλλες. Analysing recent and prospective public debt developments and risks to debt sustainability is crucial for EA countries and the EU as a whole to be able to formulate appropriate policy responses. To this aim, the Commission services (Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs) conduct, …Read More
Publish or be damned or why central banks need to say more about the path of their policy rates
Barwell, R. & Chadha, J. (2014) “Publish or be damned or why central banks need to say more about the path of their policy rates“, VoxEU Organisation, 31 Αυγούστου. In the wake of the crisis, forward guidance has become a prominent tool of monetary policy. This column argues that central banks should go a step further, communicating to the public the internal policy debate that goes into monetary policy …Read More
Fiscal Convergence in the European Union before the Crisis
Bertarelli, S., Censolo, R. & Colombo, C. (2014) “Fiscal Convergence in the European Union before the Crisis“, Contemporary Economic Policy, Volume 32, Issue 4, σσ. 784–801, Οκτώβριος 2014. This article investigates fiscal convergence attained by EU countries in the period 1991–2008, by employing β- and σ-convergence techniques complemented by a time series analysis. Overall our results highlight a distinctive convergence pattern in the European Union. Fiscal discipline leading to …Read More
Europe According to Draghi
Pisani-Ferry, J. (2014) “Europe According to Draghi“, Project Syndicate, 31 Αυγούστου. Central bankers are often proud to be boring. Not Mario Draghi. Two years ago, in July 2012, Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, took everyone by surprise by announcing that he would do “whatever it takes” to save the euro. The effect was dramatic. This August, he used the annual gathering of top central bankers in …Read More