Brexit Into Trumpland
British Prime Minister Theresa May is leading the United Kingdom toward a very “hard” Brexit in 2019 – and potentially off a cliff, if the
Hungary In 2017: Could The Left And Far-Right Unite To Keep Orban Out Of Power?
In many ways, 2017 will be just another pre-election year in Hungary. Still riding high in almost every opinion poll, the ruling Fidesz party has
Italy 2017: Back To Austerity
The political turmoil that followed the Renzi government’s resignation after the results of Italy’s referendum on constitutional reforms, the hurried appointment of the new executive
Why Has The White Working Class Abandoned The Left?
Maybe the most surprising political development during this decade is why increased inequality in almost all capitalist market societies has not resulted in more votes
Poland’s Dysfunctional Democracy
During 2016, Poland metamorphosed from the poster boy of post-communist democratic transition to the rebellious teenager of the new populist zeitgeist. Having come to power
Ten Theses For The Fight Against Right-Wing Populism
Who is drawn to right-wing populism and why is it so dangerous? In the United Kingdom, United States, Hungary, and Poland, right-wing populist alliances have
The New Xenophobia
Democratic governments in the West are increasingly losing their bearings. From the shift toward illiberalism in Poland and Hungary to the Brexit vote in the
Illegitimate Inequality
In the wake of increasing inequality across the OECD area, public debate over policies of redistribution has become more intensive. Large parts of the populations
Europe Needs Franco-German Action To Project Power
After the shock of the United Kingdom’s Brexit referendum and Donald Trump’s election as President of the United States in 2016, this will be a
Another Way To Overcome Italy’s Banking and Economic Crises
The most urgent task of the new Gentiloni government is to solve the serious problem of Monte dei Paschi di Siena and other banks with
Zygmunt Bauman: A Beacon Of Hope In The Darkness
I don’t know what to do. A world that was getting darker suddenly turned pitch black. Zygmunt Bauman is dead. The towering intellectual colossus of
Has Income Inequality Finally Got To Top Of The IMF Agenda?
Outgoing US President Barack Obama has named the reduction of economic inequality as the “defining challenge of our time”. This is true not only for
The Age Of Hyper-Uncertainty
The year 2017 will mark the 40th anniversary of the publication of John Kenneth Galbraith’s The Age of Uncertainty. Forty years is a long time, but
Euro Is The Problem, Not The Union
Year of Referendum Disasters In 2016 the European Union both as an organization and hope for a better and more peaceful future suffered at least
No Intergenerational Equity For Millennials
Eight years on from the global economic crisis, social inequality is rising in the majority of EU member states, according to recent studies. Even worse,
European Works Councils – Another Brexit Victim
European Works Councils (EWCs) are a living, functioning embodiment of Social Europe and the core EU concept that workers should have rights and, in exchange
How Bad Can It Get? Prepare For Economic Nationalism
2016 was already quite miserable in so many respects; 2017 promises to get even worse. Looking at the chamber of horrors President-elect Trump is putting