Wright, Τ. (2015) “Will Syriza’s Victory in Greece Mean Easing Austerity?“, Newsweek, 29 Ιανουαρίου. At the weekend, Syriza and its leader Alexis Tsipras won a clear victory in the Greek elections and have formed a coalition government with the small right-wing party Independent Greeks, which is also anti-austerity and anti-bailout. Tsipras has a clear mandate to renegotiate Greek debt and its relationship with the European Central Bank (ECB). Much …Read More
Who’s (still) exposed to Greece? – a first trace of normalisation and resume in confidence since 2013, which the present political turmoil risks to revert
Merler, S. (2015) “Who’s (still) exposed to Greece? – a first trace of normalisation and resume in confidence since 2013, which the present political turmoil risks to revert“, Bruegel Institute, 29 Ιανουαρίου. Since the start of the crisis, the structure of Greek debt has changed considerably (almost 80 percent of government financial liabilities are now accounted for by loans, against slightly less than 20 percent back in 2008). At the same …Read More
European social democracy is in danger of terminal decline unless it can reengage with its core values
Angier, T. (2015) “European social democracy is in danger of terminal decline unless it can reengage with its core values“, LSE EUROPP, 30 Ιανουαρίου. With the rise of parties on the far-right and radical left of European party systems, social democratic parties now face a challenge to retain their support base in several European countries. Tom Angier writes that the primary problem facing social democrats is that they have …Read More
Greece Turns Left, Europe Goes Right
Feldman, N. (2015) “Greece Turns Left, Europe Goes Right“, BloombergView, 30 Ιανουαρίου. Why has Greece chosen a far-left government at a time when discontented and frustrated voters elsewhere in Europe have turned to the far right? In northern Europe, the frustrated voters’ parties of choice are right wing and anti-immigrant. So how come frustrated Greeks made a sharp turn to the left, electing the near-communist Syriza party to lead …Read More
Tsipras’s Debt Plan Sends Athens Stock Market Sliding
Aldermanjan, L. (2015) “Tsipras’s Debt Plan Sends Athens Stock Market Sliding“, The New York Times – International Business, 28 Ιανουαρίου. Investors made clear on Wednesday the depth of their concerns about Greece’s new leftist-led government, driving up its borrowing costs, pushing down stock prices and highlighting the risks in the country’s banking system. Despite some soothing words from Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who at the first meeting of his …Read More
Populist arguments have become more pervasive in Western European countries
Rooduijn, M. (2015) “Populist arguments have become more pervasive in Western European countries“, LSE EUROPP, 29 Ιανουαρίου. To what extent has populism become a feature of public debates in European countries? Matthijs Rooduijn employs content analysis to assess the frequency of populist statements in newspaper articles in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK. He concludes that populism is more widespread in these countries than previously assumed, with …Read More
How Greece Could Change the Future of Europe
Weisbrot, M. (2015) “How Greece Could Change the Future of Europe“, Vice News, Opinion & Analysis, 28 Ιανουαρίου. The Syriza party’s big win in Greece’s legislative election last weekend is a turning point in the long political fight over Europe’s botched recovery from the financial crisis and world recession of 2008-2009. The occasion presents a milestone for the eurozone, which has been plagued by mass unemployment and economic stagnation, …Read More
An Unemployment-Oriented Investment Strategy for Europe
Escudero, V., Horne, R., Kühn, S., Milasi, S., López Mourelo, E., Pignatti, C. & Silvander, J. (2015) “An Unemployment-Oriented Investment Strategy for Europe“, International Labour Organization (ILO) Research Department, Studies on Growth with Equity, Ιανουάριος. Key Policy Options and Considerations Against a backdrop of sluggish economic conditions and continued weak job creation, the Investment Plan proposed by the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker would provide a rapid economic stimulus …Read More
Bank resolution in Europe: The unfinished agenda of structural reform
Ringe, G. & Gordon, N. J. (2015) “Bank resolution in Europe: The unfinished agenda of structural reform“, VoxEU Organisation, 28 Ιανουαρίου. Bank resolution is a key pillar of the European Banking Union. This column argues that the current structure of large EU banks is not conducive to an effective and unbiased resolution procedure. The authors would require systemically important banks to reorganise into a ‘holding company’ structure, where the …Read More
Why Europe Will Cave to Greece
Crook, C. (2015) “Why Europe Will Cave to Greece“, Bloomberg View, 28 Ιανουαρίου. A prediction for you: Greece and the European Union will split the difference in their quarrel over debt relief. What’s uncertain is how their respective governments will justify the new deal, and how much damage they’ll inflict on each other before accepting the inevitable. EU governments, with Germany in the lead, are saying that debt writedowns …Read More