Public debt in the Eurozone
The German Council of Economic Advisors recently proposed a mechanism for the orderly restructuring of sovereign debt in the Eurozone. The proposal builds on logical errors and embeds well-established ideas in a setup that suffers from serious limitations.
Istanbul: The City of Four Seasons
“Istanbul is a city defined by water because its parts are separated by water. But the Bosporus is not merely a channel: it is a border between continents. If you cross to the Asian side you will not find, as visitors have been known to anticipate, signs of an Asiatic culture. “
Nordic Nations are Leading on Climate Action
Every country on Earth must choose clean energy and quit carbon if the world is to reach zero net carbon emissions by the end of this century, as outlined in the Paris Agreement.
What sort of crisis is this?
Britain is in a deep crisis, but not a 2008-style emergency. And it reveals much about the underlying forces in our politics.
The Covert Drone War in Yemen
The United States’ covert drone war in Yemen – at least 15 years old now – continues. European countries are directly and indirectly involved. Yemenis deserve a chance at peace and not the constant fear of death, from the internal conflict or from the skies overhead.
Brexit and the rise of the far right
On Thursday 23 June 2016 the Far Right achieved its most important victory in British electoral history. John Weeks, Professor Emeritus, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London looks at what happened.
Germany overhauls its flagship energy policy
So far citizens, communities and new investors have been the biggest drivers for the energy transition. But large corporations will dominate the market if the changes are implemented.
Yang Jiang, farewell
The life of a great writer, translator and intellectual encapsulates the story of modern China. The passing of Yang Jiang at the age of 104 on 26 May 2016 brings to an end one of the very last links with an era of Chinese history that predated the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949.
Negative rates and seigniorage
The business of central banks used to be profitable – they issued cash and could invest the proceeds in the assets they liked. The ECB has turned the old business model of central banks around. Today, it earns a stream of income on its liabilities, while the returns of an increasing part of its assets go to the national central banks.
Camping in Arrivals
Just outside of Athens, the old International Airport of Elliniko and the nearby 2004 Olympic stadiums are now home to thousands of refugees. Cecilia Keating spent two weeks working in the camp with the Dutch NGO Boat Refugee Foundation, entertaining the children and distributing meals to the mainly Afghan population.