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
Credit supply and the housing boom
Justiniano, A., Primiceri, G. & Tambalotti, A. (2015) “Credit supply and the housing boom“, VoxEU Organisation, 27 February. There is no consensus among economists on the forces that drove the historical rise of US house prices and household debt that preceded the Global Crisis. In this column, the authors argue that the fundamental factor behind that boom was an increase in the supply of mortgage credit. This rise was …Read More
Debt sustainability and economic convergence of Euro-area Member States: Challenges and Solutions
Mauro, P. (2015) “Debt sustainability and economic convergence of Euro-area Member States: Challenges and Solutions“, European Parliament, Directorate General for Internal Policies – Economic Governance Support Unit, February. Abstract The Eurozone is at risk of economic stagnation and the crisis has led to the most pervasive and pronounced increase in government debt-to-GDP ratios since the Second World War. Member countries are facing vastly differing economic growth rates, with some …Read More
Fiscal multipliers in downturns and the effects of Eurozone consolidation
Gechert, S., Hughes Hallett, A. & Rannenberg, A. (2015) “Fiscal multipliers in downturns and the effects of Eurozone consolidation“, Centre for Economic Policy Research, Policy Insight No. 79, 25 February. The literature on fiscal multipliers has expanded greatly since the outbreak of the Global Crisis. This column introduces CEPR Policy Insight 79, which reports on a meta-regression analysis of fiscal multipliers collected from a broad set of empirical reduced form …Read More
Greece’s Reprieve: In Praise of Kicking the Can Down the Road
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
We are glimpsing at the outlines of a new economic system
Conversation by Lars Mensel and Max Tholl with Jeremy Rifkin: “We are glimpsing at the outlines of a new economic system”, The European Magazine, 25 February 2015. Economist and bestselling author Jeremy Rifkin argues that our grandchildren will pity our working conditions and that a bright future is not a utopian dream but an achievable goal. The European: Mr. Rifkin, the visions you formulate in your recent book “The …Read More
What is a ‘responsible’ fiscal policy today for Europe?
Buti, Μ. & Carnot, Ν. (2015) “What is a ‘responsible’ fiscal policy today for Europe?“, VoxEU Organisation, 24 February. In an uncertain world, fiscal policy must be robust to a range of models. This column introduces a rule of thumb governing fiscal expansion that is consistent for a group of countries, and for each country individually. Applying this rule to the Eurozone recommends overall fiscal neutrality, with moderate consolidation …Read More
The Intersection of Three Crises
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
Why We Need A Welfare Union In Europe
Boeri, Τ. (2015) “Why We Need A Welfare Union In Europe“, Social Europe Journal, 23 February. Are Europe’s welfare states fit to meet the demands brought on by the financial crisis? In an interview with EUROPP’s Managing Editor Stuart Brown, Tito Boeri discusses the need for a ‘stress test’ of the European welfare state, why citizens in southern European countries have been much more susceptible to poverty during the crisis, and …Read More
Why participatory governance offers a realistic route to addressing the EU’s legitimacy crisis
Oskar Lindgren, K. (2015) “Why participatory governance offers a realistic route to addressing the EU’s legitimacy crisis, LSE EUROPP, 24 February. How can EU decision-making be brought closer to Europe’s citizens? Based on a case study of the ‘REACH’ regulation governing the production and use of chemical substances, Karl-Oskar Lindgren writes on the potential for a participatory governance approach to increase the EU’s legitimacy by enhancing the capacity for …Read More