Stierle, S. (2014) “Despite optimistic economic assessments, Greek living standards are still a long way from emerging from the crisis“, LSE EUROPP, 04 July. Greece was the epicentre of the Eurozone crisis, however the Bank of Greece recently announced that it expects the country to return to growth before the end of this year. Steffen Stierle writes on whether the crisis is now being overcome within Greece. He argues …Read More
Crisis over in the eurozone? Not in the real world
Traynor, I., (2013), “Crisis over in the eurozone? Not in the real world”, The Guardian, 09 October. According to the detailed study being released on Thursday by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: “The long-term consequences of this crisis have yet to surface. The problems caused will be felt for decades … The economic crisis is creating the conditions for a widespread social crisis, whereby a …Read More
Countries with higher rates of taxation tend to have happier citizens
Binder, D., (2013), “Countries with higher rates of taxation tend to have happier citizens”, European Politics and Policy Blog, 10 September. What impact does a country’s level of taxation have on the happiness of its citizens? Using OECD data, David Binder assesses the relationship between high taxation levels and measures of citizen wellbeing/happiness. He finds that there is a correlation between high taxation and increased happiness, but that there are …Read More
Euro-Zone Unemployment Unlikely to Fall Quickly
Billington, I., (2013), “Euro-Zone Unemployment Unlikely to Fall Quickly”, The Wall Street Journal, The Euro Crisis Blog, 10 September. The euro zone may have emerged from recession this year, but unemployment is unlikely to fall quickly with companies less likely to hire staff in the final three months of the year than they were earlier in 2013, a survey of employers showed Tuesday. The quarterly Manpower Employment Outlook shows that, while there …Read More
The Next Social Contract
Derviş, Kemal, (2013), “The Next Social Contract”, www.project-syndicate.org, 18 July. Around the world nowadays, persistent unemployment, skill mismatches, and retirement frameworks have become central to fiscal policy – and to the often-fierce political debates that surround it. The advanced countries are facing an immediate “aging” problem, but most of the emerging economies are also in the midst of a demographic transition that will result in an age structure similar to …Read More