English
Economic Indeterminacy – the cause of my (relative) silence
, 03/02/2013
Regulars may have noticed that I have gone relative quiet recently. It is true! The reason is that I am struggling to put the finishing touches on an academic book entitled ECONOMIC INDETERMINACY: A personal encounter with the economists’ most peculiar nemesis (to be published by the good people of Routledge). As I have well […]
Gabe Newell on ‘Productivity, Economics, Political Institutions and the Future of Corporations’ – the video link
, 01/02/2013
On 30th January, Gabe Newell gave a talk at the University of Texas, Austin, with the above title. Click here for an abstract and a description of the motivation behind the talk. The video of his talk is now available below:
In memory of Frank Hahn, a rare jewell of a neoclassical economist
, 30/01/2013
Having just received the news of Frank Hahn’s passing, from my friend and colleague Nicholas Theocarakis, I felt the obligation to share Nicholas’s email with all of you. Those of us who knew and worked with Frank Hahn can only second Nicholas’ points. At least I do. Until time permits a long, considered assessment of […]
Why is the 2009 Greek government deficit probed by the courts, again?
, 29/01/2013
Greek judges are, again, moving against Mr Georgiou, the Head of ELSTAT (the revamped Greek national statistics bureau). Why is this happening? And what does it signify?
Gabe Newell on 'Productivity, Economics, Political Institutions and the Future of Corporations': 30th January, University of Texas at Austin
, 28/01/2013
In recent months, as some of you know, I have been working with Gabe Newell (of Valve Corporation) exploring the social economies that have spontaneously emerged within the vast and intriguing communities of video game players. Convinced that students of economics, politics and public policy in general have a great deal to learn from this […]
Some of us always said it: Grexit was an incredible threat
, 27/01/2013
So, Grexit is off the table, at least for now. Well, it was really never on the table, as some of us have been shouting from the rooftops for years now. Back in May 2011, I was writing here that the whole idea of expelling Greece from the Eurozone was based on “an incredible treat”; on […]
How can Europe overcome the crisis – by Robert Misik
, 23/01/2013
“The euro zone slips into the Merkel-recession”, writes Robert Misik in the German Trades Union Federation’s magazine AGAINST APERTURE. But, he adds, there are realistic alternatives. Some economists have developed ambitious plans. The DGB a Marshall Plan for Europe is one such. Click here to go to Misic’s webpage or read on…
Greek unemployment: Interviewed by John Doyle, ABC Radio National
, 15/01/2013
Unemployment in Greece is now at a staggering 27%, but behind all the statistics and the ongoing international drama there lies a major human tragedy and an ongoing European Crisis that is ravaging the continent like an unstoppable bushfire. Click: RN Breakfast Tue 15th Jan 2013 – Greek unemployment
The Eurozone and Greece: Is the Crisis over?
, 15/01/2013
A journalist from Chile’s El Mercurio just put two questions to me: (1) Is the Eurozone safe? and (2) Is Greece stabilising? Here are my answers:
Taking stock of 2012: Interviewed by Doug Henwood on KFPA
, 09/01/2013
Just before New Year’s Eve, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Doug Henwood once again. As the New Year was approaching fast, our talk, naturally, summed up developments on the Euro Crisis during 2012 and the prospects for 2013. To listen click: Behind the News with Doug Henwood for December 27th 2012 Podcast Contents […]
Toward an evolutionary model of the Eurozone Crisis: Ayers Scholar address, ASSA, San Diego
, 08/01/2013
We are all familiar with the so-called domino effect, or contagion, that began in Greece and has taken its toll throughout the Eurozone. Interestingly, no formal economic model has ever attempted to capture the essence of this negative dynamic. When the Association for Evolutionary Economics (AFEE) chose to honour me with the ‘Ayres Scholar for 2013’ accolade, […]
Up from Here? Panel discussion on 'The Impediments to Recovery' with K. Arrow, R. Gordon, E. Laursen and Y. Varoufakis
, 06/01/2013
On 4th January 2013, in the context of the ASSA-AEA Annual Conference, EPS (Economists for Peace and Security) organised a panel to discuss the ‘Global Crisis and the Impediments to Recovery’. The organisers afforded me the distinct honour of sharing a platform, to discuss our world’s most pressing issues, with Kenneth Arrow and Robert Gordon. […]
In lieu of a Happy New Year, courtesy of Camus
, 31/12/2012
“In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”—Albert Camus Photo by Danae Stratou
Video: Debt Crises and the World Economy, Seattle Town Hall
, 28/12/2012
On 20th November, a wonderful crowd came to Seattle Town Hall to hear me talk about Debt Crises and the World Economy, effectively a presentation of the main thesis of The Global Minotaur, suitably updated for 2012 and beyond. It was a rare occasion made possible by a crowd with which I felt a special bond […]
Ten highs and ten lows, circa 2012: my intensely biased list
, 26/12/2012
THE HIGHS The definitive discovery of the Higgs boson particle that confirms our capacity to grasp the ways of the universe first through logic and theory and later empirically; a triumph of human reason Mitt Romney’s implosion at the ballot box At last, a decent James Bond flick A piece of graffiti in downtown Athens […]
Will the real economy rebound, following Wall Street's resuscitation? And what of Europe? – Interviewed by El Confidencial
, 20/12/2012
Another Spanish newspaper, El Confidencial, were kind enough to interview me on the global and european crisis, on the occasion of the Global Minotaur‘s Spanish translation-edition. Here is the interview, in English (the actual article will appear in Spanish, of course). Read on…
Taking stock of the Global and Euro Crisis
, 16/12/2012
A Spanish journalist interviewed me on the Spanish language edition of The Global Minotaur. Her questions, however, gave me an opportunity to look retrospectively at the Global Crisis, its Eurozone offshoot and, of course, the worst aspect of the latter, the Greek calamity. In the process, I refer to what I call the ‘death of […]
Will 2013 usher in the end of the Eurozone Crisis?
, 15/12/2012
The question above was put to me by a Brazilian journalist. I would have loved to answer in the affirmative. Only it would be misleading and dishonest to do so. Here is the answer I sent him: The reason the Eurozone is in crisis is that Europe’s leaders are in denial about its nature. As […]
Greek tv interview on the Crisis in Retrospect (only available in Greek)
, 13/12/2012
Skai TV Ευθέως show; a Greek variant of Hard Talk
Greek Debt Buyback – another sad verdict, surrounded by much merriment
, 12/12/2012
Greek authorities have announced that the Dutch auction has produced offers of 31.9 billion worth of (post-PSI) Greek government bonds at an averaged price of 33.8% of face value. The same sources reveal that the Greek banks were strong-armed into offering all their holdings (against their better judgment), a total of around 17 billion. Which […]
"We all live under the dark cloud of the same crisis" James Galbraith at Germany’s IG Metall Trades Union Congress, 7th December 2012
, 12/12/2012
There is only one crisis. The various ‘episodes’ of US subprime mortgages, European and American banks, Greek debt, the recession of the Eurozone today, the trials and tribulations of Ireland, etc., all these are part of the very same, deeply interconnected world crisis. Pretending otherwise is fuel that gives this global crisis another lease of life, […]
On the sad algebra of the Greek Debt Buyback
, 10/12/2012
In a previous post, I dissected the recent Eurogroup plan to save Greece (again!). Today I single out the debt buyback operation which is a crucial aspect of that plan.
On Bruno Kreisky’s legacy: A reply by Klaus Kastner, with a rejoinder from me
, 08/12/2012
In yesterday’s post, I asked the question: Why has European social democracy abandoned the legacy of leaders like Kreisky, falling in line with a toxic economics and politics that thinkers like Kreisky would have dismissed in their sleep as pathetic claptrap? My allusion to, and explicit endorsement of, Bruno Kreisky (the late Austrian social democratic […]
At the Kreisky Forum: Why have Europe's social democrats surrendered to the toxic logic of current policies?
, 07/12/2012
On 5th December, I had the great pleasure of addressing a splendid audience at the Kreisky Forum, in Vienna. My theme was, surprise surprise, the European Crisis in its Global Context. Nevertheless, in view of the very special venue (dedicated to the late Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, and delivered in his former home), I was compelled to […]