Inequality is Falling Globally! (And Similar Nonsense)
I bet you think that the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer. A few well-known facts might lead you to this conclusion. For
Europe Must Escape A Savings Trap, Not A Liquidity Trap
The anti-austerity vote in the European elections reflected two different kinds of discontent. One is a feeling of frustration, which is invigorating nationalism: the vote
President Obama Is Emulating Buchanan Instead Of Lincoln
Obama is Leaving Economic Inequality for his Successors to Fix President Obama is emulating former President James Buchanan. His economic agenda is to kick the
European Social Policy For The Next Five Years
For generations, Europe was a project of hope. To my parents’ generation, after a time of war and hostility, Europe represented the hope of achieving
Why The Super-Rich Need Governments
The very rich, F. Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote, “are different from you and me.” Their wealth makes them “cynical where we are trustful,” and makes them
Is California A Model For Europe?
The new European Parliament has to turn its attention to numerous pressing issues. I shall refer here to three of them: the socio-ecological transition, growing
The Social Investment Package And The Europe 2020 Policy Agenda
The European welfare state and the European Union (EU) find themselves caught up in a double bind in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.
Manuel Valls – Le Ferdinand Foch De Nos Jours?
In 1914, as he was leading his men at the Battle of the Marne General Foch, the best of all the French fighting generals told
Rent-Seeking, Living Standards And Inequality
Rent-seeking is the activity of generating and allocating transfers between economic actors. It results in waste and inequality. The rise of rent-seeking, with its epicentre
Is Europe Back On Track?
After the European elections, the World Cup became the new hot topic. Only insiders were interested enough to follow closely the selection process of the
Why We Need Movement Of Free People
When Franklin Roosevelt outlined his essential four freedoms in 1941 he was convinced democracy could only be defended and advanced beyond the remaining 11 democracies
Europe Does Not Understand Deflation And Wages
Led by the IMF, the main body of mainstream economists is now aware of the danger that debt deflation is raising for several Euro Area
Why Isn’t Europe More Keynesian?
It is little surprise that Europe continues to struggle to generate the economic and employment growth that would make the debt crisis more manageable. The
Changing Course Towards A Social Europe
Joseph Stiglitz, who won the Nobel Prize in 2001 for his work on how markets work inefficiently was once asked about his opinion on austerity measures. “It
Streets, Avenues And Highways To Strengthen Social Europe
The EU is slowly recovering from a long period of financial instability and economic sacrifice that has pushed up unemployment to record-high levels and also
The European Councils’ Strategic Agenda Tries To Be Everything To Everybody
Many of those interpreting the results of the European elections claim to discern a fundamental disenchantment with Europe among its citizens. On this basis the
Yesterday’s Rubbish: Or Why Is A Minimum Wage Different From Free Trade?
Germany’s first post-war Chancellor Konrad Adenauer is usually held to be the origin of an often-quoted phrase „Was kümmert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?“. Roughly: