debating progressive politics in Europe and beyond
The problem of capitalism is not its wealth-creating capacity, but its inability to share it. A global economic system that produces incredible wealth, but cannot ensure “zero hunger” on this planet is deeply flawed. Markets lacking the visible helping hand of democratic and accountable governments are producing socially undesirable, and most likely unsustainable, outcomes. The [...]
This crisis has been good for Germany. Unemployment is at its lowest level since unification, real wages are going up after a decade of stagnation, up to now exports are booming, tax revenues are plentiful, and hence a public deficit of just 1% – well below the Maastricht criteria – was possible without any major [...]
Last month, Juan Somavia, the long serving Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) announced his departure in 2012. As head of the ILO, he introduced the Decent Work Agenda in 1999 to re-focus the ILO and make it relevant for the 21st century. Twelve years later, the concept of ‘Decent Work’ is firmly established [...]
‘A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet’ The real tragedy in Romeo and Juliet was that names do matter and all too often politicians try to change names instead of substance particularly when an old name is discredited. Most famously, under Margaret Thatcher the British nuclear reprocessing plant known as ‘Windscale’ was [...]
Social justice and equality are contested terrains as much among ordinary people as among philosophers. In the absence of divine or natural justice, and of an objective definition of socially fair outcomes, post-enlightenment thinkers have in recent decades focused more on just institutions and fair processes than on a substantive definition of justice. Unfairly simplifying [...]
During the last decades, labour markets in many countries have been deregulated and trade union strength has declined. Trade liberalization and deregulated financial, product and labour markets created a mutually reinforcing trend towards weaker regulatory provisions. Lower labour market protection and increased precarious employment resulted in a declining wage share and growing inequality. The lack [...]
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