Chari, Α. & Blair Henry, Ρ. (2015) “Austerity and recovery: East Asian lessons for Europe“, VoxEU Organisation, 06 March. In the wake of the Great Recession, a contentious debate has erupted over whether austerity is helpful or harmful for economic growth. This column compares the experiences of the East Asian countries – whose leaders responded to the East Asian financial crisis with expansionary fiscal policy – with those of …Read More
Cenusa, D. (2015) “The EU risks alienating the Moldovan population if it fails to take a tougher line with the country’s pro-European parties“, LSE EUROPP, 05 March. The EU signed an association agreement with Moldova in 2014. Denis Cenusa writes on the EU’s relations with the country since 2009, when a pro-European alliance of parties first came to power. He argues that the failure of these parties to successfully …Read More
Ha-Joon Chang (2015) “What does it really mean to be ‘pro-business’?“, The Guardian, 03 March. Despite the best efforts of some of its members to discredit it with market rigging, tax avoidance, and unjustified bonuses, the business community is still held in awe in Britain. Any suggestion of higher taxes for top earners or tougher regulations on the abuse of market power is howled down as dangerously anti-business. Politicians …Read More
Murkens, J. (2015) “A referendum on Britain’s EU membership is a sure fire way to encourage the breakup of the UK“, LSE EUROPP, 02 March. David Cameron has pledged to hold a referendum on the UK’s EU membership if his Conservative party wins a majority at the British general election in May. Jo Murkens writes on the impact an EU referendum would have on the UK’s place in Europe …Read More
Mitchell, B. (2015) “Germany is not a model for Europe – it fails abroad and at home“, Billy Mitchell Blog: Modern Monetary Theory … macroeconomic reality, 02 March. Some time ago I wrote a blog – The German model is not workable for the Eurozone (February 3, 2012) where I outlined why Germany’s export-led growth strategy could not be a viable model for the rest of the Eurozone nations. …Read More
Görlach, Α. (2015) “The critical junction – Unless Germany charts a new business course, it will lose out to the rest of the world economy“, The European Magazine, 02 March. Sigmar Gabriel lives in the 19th century. For the German Minister for Economic Affairs, the list of what matters isn’t long: industry, German cars and so forth. Digital innovation? New business models? Not for him. He is, rather, stirring …Read More
Mauro, Ρ. (2015) “Greece’s Reprieve: In Praise of Kicking the Can Down the Road“, Peterson Institute, RealTime Economic Issues Watch, 24 February. The melodrama in Greece has produced demands that Athens and its European partners take decisive action to fix a complicated situation once and for all. In fact, kicking the can down the road—as the players did recently to avert a financial crisis—is an underrated and long-standing feature …Read More
Bhalla, R. (2015) “The Intersection of Three Crises“, STRATFOR Geopolitical Weekly, 24 February. Within the past two weeks, a temporary deal to keep Greece in the eurozone was reached in Brussels, a cease-fire roadmap was agreed to in Minsk and Iranian negotiators advanced a potential nuclear deal in Geneva. Squadrons of diplomats have forestalled one geopolitical crisis after another. Yet it would be premature, even reckless, to assume that the …Read More
Crook, C. (2015) “What Germany Owes Greece“, BloombergView, 19 February. How much does it matter, if at all, that Greece’s demand for a new bailout program with softer terms is being pressed by a new government, elected for that very purpose — a government that retains solid support even as its standoff with other European Union governments drags on? How much does democracy matter in a situation like this? …Read More
Weisbrot, M. (2015) “Who’s Extorting Whom? It’s All About Coercion“, The Huffington Post, 17 February. The Economist‘s Feb. 6 cover displayed the Venus de Milo statue pointing a revolver, with the headline “Go ahead, Angela, make my day.” In the editors’ upside-down world, Greece is threatening Europe, or at least Germany. Really? On Monday, Feb. 16, European officials “handed Athens an ultimatum: Agree by Friday to continue with a …Read More
