Szczurek, M. (2014) “Investing for Europe’s Future“, VoxEU Organisation, 05 September. The ‘lost decade’ is not a scenario for the EU, it’s the baseline forecast. In this column, Polish Finance Minister Mateusz Szczurek calls for an EU-wide public investment programme of 5.5% of GDP to overcome the constraints behind Europe’s ‘secular stagnation’. He calculates that €700 billion of capital expenditures could close the output gap in the short term …Read More
The political economy of regional policy and industrial location
Wiberg, Μ. (2014) “The political economy of regional policy and industrial location“, VoxEU Organisation, 03 September. Regional policy is a primary expenditure item for many countries. A substantial share of the regional policy budget is allocated to firms in poor regions. This column argues that electoral concerns and rent-seeking behaviour bias regional policy in favour of smaller regions. However, this bias lowers total welfare. The EU spends €130 billion …Read More
Forget the dodgy numbers: Leaving the EU makes economic sense
Leach, G. (2014) “Forget the dodgy numbers: Leaving the EU makes economic sense“, City A.M. free daily business newspaper, 28 May. UKIP’S recent electoral triumph has reignited debate about the cost of Britain’s place in the EU. But what do we know about the economics of our membership? Let’s start from the beginning: we’ll find that Brexit has long made economic sense. Prior to joining the then Common Market …Read More
OECD Employment Outlook 2014
OECD (2014) OECD Employment Outlook 2014, OECD Publishing. The 2014 edition of the OECD Employment Outlook reviews recent labour market trends and short-term prospects in OECD and key emerging economies. It zooms in on how the crisis has affected earnings, provides country comparisons of job quality, examines the causes and consequences of non-regular employment, and estimates the impact of qualifications and skills on labour market outcomes. How does GREECE …Read More
The Global Competitiveness Report 2014–2015
Schwab, K. (2014) “The Global Competitiveness Report 2014–2015“, World Economic Forum, 03 September. The Global Competitiveness Report 2014-2015 assesses the competitiveness landscape of 144 economies, providing insight into the drivers of their productivity and prosperity. The Report series remains the most comprehensive assessment of national competitiveness worldwide.
Europe is entering the ‘age of the referendum’, but there is nothing to fear for European democracy if referendums are properly regulated
Tierney, S. (2014) “Europe is entering the ‘age of the referendum’, but there is nothing to fear for European democracy if referendums are properly regulated“, LSE EUROPP, 02 September. Referendums have become increasingly common occurrences in European states in recent decades. Stephen Tierneywrites on some of the potential benefits and dangers of using referendums to solve key constitutional questions. He writes that while referendums can undermine democracy if used …Read More
The wrong medicine, The Eurozone’s remedies against sluggish growth rates aren’t working. The problem: a misdiagnosis of the illness
De Grauwe, P. (2014) “The wrong medicine, The Eurozone’s remedies against sluggish growth rates aren’t working. The problem: a misdiagnosis of the illness“, The European Magazine, 26 August. At the start of 2014 there was some hope that the economic recovery in the Eurozone would gather momentum. This hope has dissipated as the year has progressed. The slow growth in the Eurozone has become endemic since the start of …Read More
Backing the wrong horse, The solution to ease mass unemployment is at hand, but policymakers across Europe are too blind to see it
Ekkehard Ernst (2014) “Backing the wrong horse, The solution to ease mass unemployment is at hand, but policymakers across Europe are too blind to see it“, The European Magazine, 02 September. Even today in 2014, the job market is likely to remain Europe’s number one problem child. Five years after the outbreak of the euro crisis and two years after Mario Draghi pledged to do “whatever it takes” to …Read More
Greece, racism and the church – Your genocide or mine?
“Greece, racism and the church – Your genocide or mine?“, The Economist Blog, 29 August 2014. A long awaited bill whose stated aim is to combat racism has been limping its way through the Greek Parliament, despite several bishops from the national church denouncing it as “catastrophic” while some liberal observers say it does not go far enough. In its latest iteration the bill would: impose fines and a ban on …Read More
Migration states and welfare states: Why is America different from Europe?
Razin, A. & Sadka, E. (2014) “Migration states and welfare states: Why is America different from Europe?“, VoxEU Organisation, 01 September. European migration exhibits a bias towards low-skilled workers, whereas the US attracts the majority of the world’s skilled migrants. At the same time, the welfare system in Europe is more generous than the one in the US. This column describes an analytical framework that can explain the existence …Read More