Wren-Lewis, S. (2014) “Why We Need Our Fiscal Policy Instrument Back, Social Europe Journal, 24 November. The latest Bank of England forecast has inflation returning to the 2% target by the end of 2017, which is in three years time. That is an unusually long time to be away from target. So what is the MPC proposing to do about this long lapse from target? Absolutely nothing. Tony Yates goes through all the detail, but …Read More
Wille, Α. (2014) “The Commission after the 2014 EP Elections“, Ideas on Europe – UACES Blog, 19 November. ‘This Time It’s Different’! This was the campaigning slogan for the official run-up ahead of the 2014 European Parliament (EP) elections. Voters were led to believe that these elections would be different. Not only would they be choosing the EP, but indirectly they also would select the next president of the …Read More
Costa-i-Font, J. & Zigante, V. (2014) “Why the views of middle class citizens help explain increased choice in European healthcare systems“, LSE EUROPP, 21 November. Several countries across Europe have attempted to reform their health systems by allowing patients more choice over their healthcare provider. The typical rationale for this strategy is that by creating competition between providers, there will be an increased incentive to improve the efficiency and …Read More
Pelkmans, J. & Renda, A. (2014) “Does EU regulation hinder or stimulate innovation?“, Regulatory Policy, CEPS Special Reports, 19 November. One frequently hears the question posed in the title to this report, but there is little systematic analytical literature on the issue. Fragmented evidence or anecdotes dominate debates among EU regulatory decision-makers and in European business, insofar as there is a genuine debate at all. This CEPS Special Report …Read More
De Groen, W. P. (2014) “Was the ECB’s Comprehensive Assessment up to standard?“, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), Policy Brief Νο. 325, 10 November. The Comprehensive Assessment conducted by the European Central Bank (ECB) represents a considerable step forward in enhancing transparency in euro-area banks’ balance sheets. The most notable progress since the previous European stress test has been the harmonisation of the definition of non-performing loans and …Read More
Kennedy, P. (2014) “Opinion polling leaves little doubt Podemos could break into the mainstream of Spanish politics at next year’s general election“, LSE EUROPP, 12 November. Recent opinion polls in Spain have indicated that the left-wing Podemos (‘We Can’) party, which was only formed in January of this year, could gain the largest share of the vote in Spain’s 2015 general election. Paul Kennedy assesses the challenge the party …Read More
Dhéret, C. & Morosi, M. with Andrea Frontini, Annika Hedberg and Romain Pardo (2014) “Towards a New Industrial Policy for Europe“, EPC Issue Paper No. 78, 12 November. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Recent policy debates have confirmed that manufacturing forms a key pillar of the industrial sector and of our economy. However, European manufacturing has been in steady decline for decades. This trend, accelerated by the economic and financial crisis, is …Read More
Michael White, Larry Elliott & Charlotte Higgins: “What if Britain left the EU?“, The Guardian, 04 November 2014. Budget rows, referendum pledges, Ukip on the rise … is Britain heading for an EU exit? It would certainly be a messy divorce after 44 years. But what would it mean for our politics, prosperity and cultural life? Politics: How would Europe regard Britain’s retreat? With disappointment and anger In a …Read More
Goodhart, Α.Ε. C. & Erfurth, P. (2014) “Monetary policy and long-term trend“, VoxEU Organisation, 03 November. There has been a long-term downward trend in labour’s share of national income, depressing both demand and inflation, and thus prompting ever more expansionary monetary policies. This column argues that, while understandable in a short-term business cycle context, this has exacerbated longer-term trends, increasing inequality and financial distortions. Perhaps the most fundamental problem has …Read More
“EU migration – a deliverable proposal for reform“, Open Europe Blog, 03 November 2014. As we already noted here, today we published a new pamphlet by Professor Damian Chalmers of the LSE and our Research Director Stephen Booth. The basic question the authors ask is, in the current political climate, how in the world can we ‘save’ EU free movement? As we’ve stated repeatedly, Open Europe thinks that the …Read More
