Hatzis, A., (2013), “Greece’s Reforms Have Only Cracked the Surface”, The Wall Street Journal, 05 December. Last week Ángel Gurría, the secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, visited Athens to present the OECD’s latest economic survey of Greece. Since 2010, the report said, Greece “has made impressive headway in cutting its fiscal and external imbalances and implementing structural reforms to raise labor market flexibility and improve labor …Read More
Corruption Perceptions Index 2013
Transparency International, (2013), “Corruption Perceptions Index 2013”, Transparency International, December. The Corruption Perceptions Index 2013 serves as a reminder that the abuse of power, secret dealings and bribery continue to ravage societies around the world. The Index scores 177 countries and territories on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). No country has a perfect score, and two-thirds of countries score below 50. This indicates a serious, …Read More
The Faux European Recovery and Youth Unemployment
Weeks, J., (2013), “The Faux European Recovery and Youth Unemployment”, Social Europe Journal, 03 December. Suddenly the media is a buzz with the prospect of a recovery in the euro zone. After four grim years of contracting GDP, unemployment and falling real wages, we read that country after country has turned the corner. Austerity worked and now we can reap the benefits. Before we become too overjoyed, it is worth …Read More
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The 2013 Euro Plus Monitor: From Pain to Gain
Schmieding, H. and Schulz, C., (2013), “The 2013 Euro Plus Monitor: From Pain to Gain”, The Lisbon Council, Policy Brief, Volume III, No.1, December. If the eurozone and its 17 members stay the course, the systemic crisis that has rocked Europe since 2010 could be largely over by mid-2014. That is the principal conclusion of The 2013 Euro Plus Monitor: From Pain to Gain, the premiere competitiveness ranking published each …Read More
Greece Needs a Fresh Start
Hatzis, A., (2013), “Greece Needs a Fresh Start”, The New York Times, Room for Debate Column, 01 December. During its tumultuous history modern Greece has always managed to be part of the winning alliances. Right after its independence Greece was attached to the powerful British Empire. In the two world wars Greece was an energetic ally of the western powers. After a ferocious civil war it saved itself from becoming …Read More
Library » Greece » Economy » Politics » Opinion Articles
OECD Economic Surveys: Greece 2013
OECD, (2013), OECD Economic Surveys: Greece 2013, Paris: OECD Publishing. Greece, which has been under an internationally coordinated adjustment programme since 2010, has made impressive headway in cutting its fiscal deficit and implementing structural reforms to raise labour market flexibility and improve labour competitiveness. Shrinking domestic demand has also led to a substantial reduction of the current account deficit. Slow product market reforms held back price competitiveness and exports in …Read More
The Greek Budget Myth
Feldstein, M., (2013), “The Greek Budget Myth”, Project Syndicate, 27 November. Recently, newspaper headlines declared that Greece would have a balanced budget for 2013 as a whole. The news came as quite a shock: Recall that when Greek officials came clean about the true state of their country’s public finances in 2010, the budget deficit was more than 10% of GDP – a moment of statistical honesty that triggered the …Read More
Library » Greece » Economy » Opinion Articles
The Greek paradox
Karamouzi, E., (2013), “The Greek paradox”. In LSE, The Crisis of EU Enlargement, London: LSE !deas. In recent years, Greece’s place in the EU has been ferociously debated as Athens’ financial and economic woes continue to trouble the stability of the euro and rattle the Eurozone markets. Contemporary press and European political elites alike engage in a seemingly endless blame game over the political origins of the Greek financial crisis. …Read More
Interview of P.Thomsen at ‘Kathimerini’
Thomsen, P., (2013), Interview at ‘Kathimerini, Kathimerini, 24 November. Why has the IMF been repeatedly too optimistic on growth, and how do you see the outlook for the economy now? During the first year of the program, in 2010, the economy was on track with program projections. However, growth began to disappoint in step with growing political uncertainty and instability, which prompted fears of euro exit and drained deposits from …Read More
Library » Greece » Economy » Opinion Articles
The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013
WEF, (2013), The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013: Reducing Barriers to Economic Growth and Job Creation, Geneva: World Economic Forum. Under the theme “Reducing Barriers to Economic Growth and Job Creation”, The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013 assesses 140 economies worldwide based on the extent to which they are putting in place the factors and policies to make it attractive to develop the travel and tourism sector. Read …Read More