There is evidence that a budget consolidation strategy can work with only a small and shortlived negative impact on growth. However, many countries are currently trying to consolidate at the same time as firms and consumers are deleveraging. We develop ten guidelines for consolidation during...

The cyclically adjusted budget balance (CAB) plays a key role in the EU fiscal surveillance framework. It started off in a supporting role in the shadow of the headline defi cit and, before long, turned into the linchpin of the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact. The steep ascent was driven...

Positive spillovers from structural and other reforms figure among the key reasons for the Lisbon and the Europe 2020 Strategies. This paper investigates the theoretical and empirical evidence for such spillovers and shows that the need for coordination in some policy areas is less evident than...

Auf ihrem letzten Gipfeltreffen Ende März haben die europäischen Staats- und Regierungschefs einen Europäischen Stabilisierungsmechanismus für die Zeit nach 2013, eine Schärfung des Stabilitäts- und Wachstumspaktes und einen Euro-Pakt-Plus beschlossen. Dies soll dazu führen, dass die...