For almost half a century following World War Two, Hungary’s Communist regime exercised far-reaching controls over virtually every aspect of society, including education and culture. A … Read More
Columns & Interviews
Cum-Ex Scandal: Europe, Let’s Take Back Control
A gang of bankers and lawyers has plundered the treasuries of eleven European countries. The estimated damage from what is known until now: over 55 billion Euros are gone. Cum-Ex is reportedly the … Read More
Searching For Germany’s Volkspartei
If the recent state elections in Bavaria and Hesse tell us anything at all, they simply provide three instructive lessons for Germany’s political elite. The electorate is tired with establishment … Read More
The Liberal Conception Of ‘Freedom’ Is Incapable Of Addressing The Problems Of Contemporary Capitalism
In a forthcoming book, Branko Milanović identifies four ‘troublesome features’ in ‘meritocratic liberal capitalism’ (while retaining full responsibility for these very tentative remarks, I would like … Read More
Electoral Authoritarianism, Elective Dictatorship
Jair Bolsonaro will be President of Brazil. A homophobic soldier with authoritarian excesses, who has scorned democratic mechanisms and threatened his political rivals, will lead the greatest regional … Read More
The Finnish Basic Income Experiment – Correcting The Narrative
The last few months have been unkind to basic income experiments. In Ontario, the newly elected Provincial Government reneged on its promises and on 31 July unceremoniously announced the experiment … Read More
Platform Work – Breaking Barriers Or Breaking Bad?
If you’ve ever ordered a taxi through an app, taken a pizza delivery from a guy on a bike or searched a website for a plumber to unblock your drain, you’ve probably witnessed platform work first hand. … Read More
The Brexitization Of European Politics
Far from settling the question of the United Kingdom’s future, the 2016 Brexit referendum and subsequent negotiations with the European Union have triggered a full-blown identity crisis and culture … Read More
Blogs
Creating Good Quality Jobs: If Not Now, Then When?
Everybody at the European level agrees that we need more quality jobs to build momentum for recovery and climb out of the years of crisis. But what does this actually mean? And what realistic plans … Read More
Income Inequality And Trust In National Governments In Central, Eastern And Southeastern Europe
Trust in national governments has reached worryingly low levels in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE), at least compared to the EU-15 average. In addition, trust in the EU is generally … Read More
Deregulating Job Protection: Surprising IMF/OECD Messages
IMF rediscovers “Political Economy” This summer, the IMF challenged yet another pillar of neoliberal thinking when it published its Working Paper on the negative impact of deregulating job protection … Read More
Are Blue-Collar Jobs Turning White?
Manual jobs in European manufacturing are being transformed as blue-collar workers take on more intellectual tasks. This is a consequence of the increasing use of digital tools and the growing … Read More
Alleviating The Working Poor Will Take More Than Job Creation
With the onset of the economic crisis since 2008, a new term, the working poor, has emerged at European level. This new “class” features a portion of the population that, although working, is paid … Read More
Italy And The New Eurozone Risk Morphology
It’s a well-established fact that the eurozone as a monetary union is a weird animal. Among the main reasons that surely stands out is its one-size-fits-all monetary policy that does not fail to be … Read More
EUSSR: A Reasonable Analogy?
Dear Brian,Thank you for your sincere letter that I read with great interest. I respectfully disagree with many things you wrote and hence feel compelled to reply openly. It will also help me to … Read More
Prevent Another Economic Meltdown With A European Green New Deal
In the acres of recent coverage about the causes of the Lehman Brothers collapse and how to ensure it doesn’t happen again, there was much emphasis on changing the EU’s economic imperatives away from … Read More
Talks & Conversations
Why Brexit Won’t Cure Britain’s Broken Economic Model
Simon Deakin explains in this audio podcast that Britain’s low-wage, low productivity economy is the result of 40 years of neoliberal economic policies. While some on the Left think that Brexit will … Read More
Adam Tooze: Did They Really Save The Euro?
The euro is unfinished business, and not only because its banking and fiscal unions remain incomplete but, more importantly, because it still raises serious questions about democratic legitimacy at a … Read More
The Economy’s Cuban Missile Crisis
In 2008 a global financial meltdown was just barely contained. But Adam Tooze says that the crisis of confidence has had long aftershocks.Adam Tooze, Columbia University historian and author of … Read More
How To Build Progressive Power
Even in these dark times, I am confident that we can defeat Donald Trump and all he stands for. But it will require building a multiracial, middle, and working class coalition dedicated to renewing … Read More