OECD, (2013), OECD Skills Outlook 2013: First results from the survey of adult skills, Paris: OECD. Key Findings of the Survey Progress across generations Some countries have made impressive progress over recent decades in equipping more people with better literacy and numeracy skills. Young Koreans, for example, are outperformed only by their Japanese peers, while Korea’s 55 to 64 year-olds are among the three lowest-performing groups of this age. Older …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
World Economic Outlook
IMF, (2013), World Economic Outlook, Washington DC : International Monetary Global economic prospects have improved again, but the bumpy recovery and skewed macroeconomic policy mix in advanced economies are complicating policymaking in emerging market economies. Chapter 3 examines the prospects for inflation, particularly because inflation was remarkably stable in the wake of the Great Recession and, in fact, has become less responsive to cyclical conditions. Chapter 4 examines whether today’s …Read More
State Crisis and Civil Consciousness in Greece
Marangudakis, M., Rontos, K. and Xenitidou, M., (2013), “State Crisis and Civil Consciousness in Greece”, Hellenic Observatory Papers on Greece and Southeast Europe, GreeSE Paper No.77, October. This is a sociological study of the self in modern Greece. Based upon a pilot study of social and political attitudes in Greece today, the study probes the sources of the moral self and of the internalized cosmological and ontological principles in Greece …Read More
Angela Merkel’s Pyrrhic Victory
Soros, G., (2013), “Angela Merkel’s Pyrrhic Victory”, Project Syndicate, 07 October. As far as Germany is concerned, the drama of the euro crisis is over. The subject was barely discussed in the country’s recent election campaign. Chancellor Angela Merkel did what was necessary to ensure the euro’s survival, and she did so at the least possible cost to Germany – a feat that earned her the support of pro-European Germans …Read More
The Human Capital Report
World Economic Forum, (2013), “The Human Capital Report”, World Economic Forum, October. The Human Capital Report details the findings of a new Index which measures countries on their ability to develop and deploy healthy, educated and able workers through four distinct pillars: Education, Health & Wellness, Workforce & Employment and Enabling Environment. Relevant Posts De Molli, V., (2013), “European Best Performers in Times of Crisis”, EconoMonitor, 18 September. World …Read More
Effects of fiscal consolidation envisaged in the 2013 Stability and Convergence Programmes on public debt dynamics in EU Member States
Berti, K., de Castro, F. and Salto, M., (2013), “Effects of fiscal consolidation envisaged in the 2013 Stability and Convergence Programmes on public debt dynamics in EU Member States”, European Commission, Economic Paper 504, September. This paper presents a simple analysis of the public debt-to-GDP ratio responses to fiscal consolidation efforts envisaged in the 2013 Stability and Convergence Programmes presented by EU Member States. In this paper we assess the …Read More
The Eurozone’s Calm before the Storm
Roubini, N., (2013), “The Eurozone’s Calm before the Storm”, Project Syndicate, 30 September. A little more than a year ago, in the summer of 2012, the eurozone, faced with growing fears of a Greek exit and unsustainably high borrowing costs for Italy and Spain, appeared to be on the brink of collapse. Today, the risk that the monetary union could disintegrate has diminished significantly – but the factors that fueled …Read More
Tax incidence in the presence of tax evasion
Kopczuk, W., Marion, J., Muehlegger, E. and Slemrod, J., (2013), “Tax incidence in the presence of tax evasion”, VoxEU, 30 September. Tax evasion and noncompliance reduces government revenue and exacerbates the problem of increasing debt. Standard economic theory predicts that the identity of the tax remitter shouldn’t affect outcomes – but this ignores the possibility of evasion. This column provides evidence that in the presence of evasion, both the amount …Read More
Germany as Currency Manipulator
Krugman, P., (2013), “Germany as Currency Manipulator”, The New York Times, The Conscience of a Liberal Blog, 27 September. […] The general point is that if we imagine a euro breakup, I think everyone would agree that the new mark would soar in value, making German manufacturing much less competitive. The German public imagines that it is being cruelly exploited for the benefit of lazy southerners; arguably, what’s really happening …Read More