debating progressive politics in Europe and beyond
Uncertainties about the EU’s future are undermining mainstream parties throughout Europe. In central and eastern Europe politicians can no longer sell the european model of liberal reforms when that model is itself in crisis. Although only three EU members in central and eastern Europe (CEE), Estonia, Slovakia and Slovenia, have adopted the Euro, the knock-on [...]
Most East European states are a long way from democratic; but the stability of their regimes depends on respecting certain rules of the game, such as dividing the spoils. It is normally the President who acts as ‘Lord of The Rings’ to keep the various circles of interest in balance – though there are several [...]
Sitting in the presidential palace of an Arab country must feel like being a domino awaiting one’s turn to fall. Apart from trying to convince the military to remain loyal, sticking needles into a Mark Zuckerberg voodoo doll and checking the liquid worth of one’s portfolio, there is just not much one can do. The [...]
It’s the end of the world as we know it. It’s the end of the world as we know it. It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine. – REM, “It’s the end of the world as we know it“ Disappointment, as well as renewed pressure from the financial [...]
One of the main purposes of the current drive for European economic governance is to transform wages into the main or even single instrument of adjustment under monetary union. Strangely, this idea appears to enjoy a high degree of consensus among both conservative and progressive economists. For the former, extreme wage flexibility including wage cuts [...]
In elections last March, Estonia’s reform government was rudely toppled from power by a left-leaning coalition. In light of its accomplishments, dismissal of the reform government seems an ungrateful act by Estonian voters. For by 1994 Estonian inflation was down to an annual 20% (lowest in the FSU), and the economy was growing at a [...]
Dysfunctional governance is central to why some countries remain poor. Since 1991 Europe has attempted to improve governance by promoting democratisation. Yet the distinction between democratic and autocratic regimes does not relate closely to that between good and bad governance. Whereas some autocratic regimes are plundering tyrannies, others are delivering prosperity. Similarly, while some democratic [...]
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