Social Europe

The Spider Of Finance

The global system of financial regulation is extraordinarily complex. Partly for that reason, it is little understood. In order to explain it to my students

Minimum And Living Wages In Times Of Cuts

A few years ago, Richard Anker, a former ILO official, wrote an important paper on the historical evolution of the notion of ‘living wages’ and

The Economic Consequences Of Sex

Until recently, there has been very little analysis of women’s role in the economy. Two centuries ago, Mary Wollstonecraft published her proto-feminist A Vindication of the

The Age Of Vulnerability

Two new studies show, once again, the magnitude of the inequality problem plaguing the United States. The first, the US Census Bureau’s annual income and poverty

Law And Solidarity: Reflections On August 1914

On the occasion of the centenary of the outbreak of the war in Europe, it is my great privilege to give this address to the

Policy-Makers Need To Be More Open About The Benefits Of Immigration

The right to free movement is one of the founding principles of the European Union, however it has also been a source of controversy, particularly

Europe’s Fading Climate Policy Ambitions

Europe is losing momentum in greening its economy, and its former leadership in this area is eroding rapidly. Indeed, after a 60% drop in clean

If You Look At One Graph About Inequality Look At This!

You might have heard about recent reports stating that global inequality is decreasing. This is a nice example of constructing the comparison according to the result

Europe’s Austerity Disaster

“If the facts don’t fit the theory, change the theory,” goes the old adage. But too often it is easier to keep the theory and

One Nation – Labour’s Political Renewal

The SPD in Germany are part of the Grand Coalition Government with 26 per cent of the vote. The Social Democrats in Sweden form a minority

Revamping Europe’s Tattered Social Contract

For most of the beginning of 2014, the eurozone seemed to be in a state of recovery – weak and unsteady, but nonetheless real. In

The Price Of Scottish Independence

Though the world’s eyes now are on Scotland’s referendum on independence from the United Kingdom, Scotland is not alone in seeking to redraw national boundaries. There are

Vanguard Scotland?

Since I believe that the Scots are sensible, I think that they will vote “no” this week to independence. But, whichever way the vote goes,

How The Rich Rule US Democracy

It is hardly news that the rich have more political power than the poor, even in democratic countries where everyone gets a single vote in