Waterworth, J. (2014) “Europe’s Digital Reactionaries“, Project Syndicate, 01 July.   Many European politicians praise the Internet. Unfortunately, their lofty rhetoric often rings hollow. While calling for a strong digital agenda in one breath, the same politicians, supported by protectionist interests at home, often argue for putting a brake on the Internet’s “disruption” by imposing strict new regulation. Such double-talk is misguided. If Europe is to prosper in the twenty-first …Read More

Favell, A. (2014) “The UK has been one of the main beneficiaries from free movement of labour in the EU“, LSE EUROPP, 01 July.   Free movement of labour across the EU has become a controversial issue in several European countries, with parties such as UKIP and the Front National calling for restrictions on EU immigration. Adrian Favell writes on the debate over the issue within the UK. He argues …Read More

Mody, A. (2014) “In response: Aligning national interests in Europe’s monetary union – answering comments on my Opinion ‘Europe has wasted a good crisis’“, Bruegel Institute, 01 July.   In my opinion published on Friday, I argued that a growing east-west divide, a core-periphery rift, the rise of extremist parties and the adoption of extremist rhetoric and their policy agenda by the mainstream parties are reshaping the concept of Europe. …Read More

Perkowski, N. (2014) “Strengthening EU border security won’t stop the deaths of migrants in the Mediterranean“, LSE EUROPP, 01 July.   On 30 June, a fishing boat containing the bodies of thirty people was found heading for Italy, once again highlighting the problem of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean. As Nina Perkowski writes, the incident came at a time when Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi had been pushing for the …Read More

Walker, M. (2014) “Europe Is Closely Studying Lessons from Japan – They Fear Euro Zone Is Falling Into Similar Lethargy“, The Wall Street Journal, 29 Ιουνίου.   If Europe is tilting toward becoming the next Japan, does that mean it needs its own version of Abenomics? Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s announcement last week of fresh measures to improve sluggish growth coincides with an intensified debate in Europe about whether the …Read More

P.W. (2014) “The case against maxing out monetary policy“, Free Exchange–Economics, The Economist, 29 June.   CENTRAL banks in the developed world continue to keep monetary policy as loose as possible for as long as possible in order to facilitate a stronger recovery from the painfully weak upturn after the financial crisis and the “great recession”. America’s Federal Reserve may be phasing out its programme of asset purchases but it …Read More

Véron, Ν. (2014) “Euro crisis turning point: Two years of Banking Union – Europe’s leaders avoided their usual muddling-through complacency to do something radical—and it worked!“, Bruegel Institute, 30 June.   Europe’s banking union, constituting a supranational pooling of most instruments of banking policy, was established two years ago, in the early hours of June 29, 2012. To a greater extent than was initially realized by most observers, this step …Read More

Samadashvili, S. (2014) The magnetic pull of Europe’s soft power, EU Observer, Opinion Article, 27 June.   As Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine finalise association and free trade (DCFTA) agreements with Europe today (27 June), these Eastern Partners, together with the EU, are proving that while geography is destiny, history does not have to be so. The EU’s Eastern Partnership policy is the bridge which connects Europe to countries which were …Read More

Oliver, T. (2014) “A ‘Brexit’ would have important implications at the European and international levels“, LSE EUROPP, 24 June.   The implications of a ‘Brexit’ for the UK have been widely discussed, but the implications for the EU and other international powers have arguably received less attention. Tim Oliver explores the complex set of possibilities and implications at the European and international levels that both the UK and EU need …Read More

Wren-Lewis, S. (2014) “Real wages, monetary policy and innovation“, Mainly Macro Blog, 22 June.   In my drive into Oxford I pass a petrol station that offers a car wash service. Ten or twenty years ago you would have expected this to involve a large degree of automation. However in this particular case it involves a few workers with hoses, mops and buckets. Now anyone who has seen my own …Read More