Smaghi, L.B., (2013), “Austerity and Stupidity”, VoxEU, 06 November. Today’s austerity, many argue, is stupid. This column argues that today’s EZ austerity may arise from stupidity before the crisis – specifically lacklustre structural reform. Excess debt arose in nations maintaining unsustainable living standards and welfare systems in the face of poor growth. The Crisis forced radical adjustments such as austerity in a recession. It’s not austerity which caused low growth, …Read More
EU 2013 Report on Policy Coherence for Development
European Commission, (2013), “EU 2013 Report on Policy Coherence for Development”, Commission Staff Working Document, SWD(2013) 456, October. Τhe European Commission published its report on policy coherence for development which lays out the progress made by the EU and its Member States in ensuring that their action in areas such as trade, agriculture, security or migration is in line with the goal of overcoming poverty in developing countries. The report …Read More
Breakup Is Not A Solution to the Eurozone Crisis
Hacker, B., (2013), “Breakup Is Not A Solution to the Eurozone Crisis”, Social Europe Journal, 25 October. The unexpectedly high level of support for the new party “Alternative für Deutschland” (AFD) in the general elections in Germany puts their central program point back on the agenda of the political debate. Parties proposing a dissolving of the common currency might gain ground prior to the European Elections in 2014. But the …Read More
Why are Neo-liberal ideas so resilient?
Schmidt, V. and Thatcher, M., (2003), “Why are Neo-liberal ideas so resilient?”, Policy Network , 24 October. Given the abject failure of the Neo-liberal policy offer, why has it persisted as the dominant approach to European policymaking and is there any way out? Despite the economic crisis that hit the US and Europe full force in 2008, political leaders have made little attempt to rethink the neo-liberal ideas that are …Read More
Massacre memories: German car sales and the EZ Crisis in Greece
Fouka, V. and Voth, H.J., (2013), “Massacre memories: German car sales and the EZ Crisis in Greece”, VoxEU, 23 October. The EZ crisis increased north-south conflicts between bailout providers and recipients – especially between Germany and Greece. This column shows evidence that political conflict directly translated into losses of market share for German car producers in Greece – especially in areas where German armed forces committed massacres during World War …Read More
Europe’s Flight from Futility
Vedrine, H., (2013), “Europe’s Flight from Futility”, Project Syndicate, 22 Οctober. In the next 25 years, Europe’s share of the world population and global GDP is expected to fall considerably. Does that mean that a weakened Europe will fall prey to the rising powers of 2040? Given that Europe’s prospects are highly dependent on external factors, any speculation about its future must account for global conditions. One thing seems certain: …Read More
Investing in Europe’s physical and knowledge infrastructure
Coulter, S., (2013), “Investing in Europe’s physical and knowledge infrastructure”, Policy Network, 21 October. Europe would benefit from extra investment in both its physical and knowledge infrastructure – the two are necessities, not alternatives. But what are the political choices and impediments to an EU investment and growth agenda? With Europe’s debt crisis receding for the moment and the economic numbers slowly ticking up, heads are beginning to lift up …Read More
A ‘Poldermodel’ For The EU?
Van Waarden, F., (2013), “A ‘Poldermodel’ For The EU?”, Social Europe Journal, 16 October. National social policy programs across Europe have their roots in three different traditions of origin. There is the (partially British) liberalist regime, where programs are the outcome of supply and demand on markets; there is the (French) étatist tradition, where programs have been produced and are organized by the state; and there is the (Germanic) corporatist …Read More
The 2014 European elections: Why a partisan Commission president would be bad for the EU
Grabbe, H. and Lehne, S., (2013), “The 2014 European elections: Why a partisan Commission president would be bad for the EU”, Centre for European Reform, 14 October. The EU urgently needs measures to improve its democratic legitimacy and the decisions taken in its institutions. But the most prominent proposal touted in Brussels as the solution to the democratic deficit could make the problems worse rather than better. The idea is …Read More
Atypical forms of employment contracts in times of crisis – Working time reforms in times of crisis
Lang, C., Schömann, I. and Clauwaert, S., (2013), “Atypical forms of employment contracts in times of crisis”, European Trade Union Institute, Working Paper 2013.03. This working paper builds on previous research undertaken by the ETUI on the impact of the economic and financial crisis on labour law reforms in EU Member States. It maps the landscape and evolutions in the regulation of atypical employment contracts, analysing how some of these …Read More