Agora
Posts in Society
No victory, just plenty of misery
It has become evident over the last few weeks that the eurozone’s pro-austerity camp is trying to defend its record, either through the ground it is afforded by influential media or through commentators that end up resembling cheerleaders rather than sober judges of the events that have unfolded in the single currency area.
Contributor: Yiannis Mouzakis
Categories: Europe (292), Politics (409), Economy (344), Society (149), Greece (522)
![Photo by Myrto Papadopoulos [www.myrtopapadopoulos.com]](resources/toolip/img-thumb/2013/10/09/poverty_myrto_0910-large.jpg "Photo by Myrto Papadopoulos [www.myrtopapadopoulos.com]")
The Greek crisis we don’t see
The economic impact of the Greek crisis has been well publicised. A recession that began in 2008 has led to GDP contracting by a quarter, while unemployment has risen above 27 percent. Greece’s fiscal consolidation effort has also received much attention. A general government deficit of 15.6 percent in 2009 was transformed into a small surplus in 2013 – one of the sharpest adjustments the world has ever seen.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Economy (344), Society (149), Greece (522)
The wrong prescription
As is customary by now the troika’s return to Athens has been accompanied by a flurry of speculation about how targets will be met. This time the focus is on the structural rather than fiscal side. This simply means replacing the back and forth between Greece and its lenders over excruciating details of how money will be saved with a similar tug of war over the minutiae of reforms.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Economy (344), Society (149), Greece (522)
Spain’s economic recovery languishes amid graft scandals
Overwhelmed by corruption cases, Spain is struggling to recover from a two-year-long recession that is reflected in an unemployment rate that still remains over 25 percent -the second highest in the euro zone after Greece- and in a sluggish credit flow.
Contributor: Arturo Lopo
Categories: Europe (292), Politics (409), Economy (344), Society (149)
![Photo by Can Esenbel [http://www.mundanepleasure.com/]](resources/toolip/img-thumb/2014/02/12/peopleblur_agora_esenbel-large.jpg "Photo by Can Esenbel [http://www.mundanepleasure.com/]")
Buying time: The delayed crisis of democratic capitalism - a review
By now books about the financial crisis of 2008/09 and the sovereign debt crisis in the euro area since 2010 could fill entire libraries across the globe. The crisis narrative continues to carry such resonance in publishing houses, ranging from eye witness accounts, academic analysis, textbook guidance and even finding its way into novels.
Contributor: Jens Bastian
Categories: Europe (292), Politics (409), Economy (344), Society (149), Greece (522)