The paper looks at the deep and the direct causes of the crisis in the Eurozone and considers what changes are necessary. It shows that, together withfinancial aspects, the Eurozone crisis stems from the difficulties of the real economy and the incompleteness of European institutions. The former...

This paper investigates economic performance and policies in OECD countries. Our hypothesis is that the effects of policy are determined by country-size. We employ non parametric distribution dynamics techniques (e.g. Quah, 1993) and we analyze differences across and within groups of countries...

The recent global financial and economic crisis has revealed some weaknesses in the regulation and supervision of the financial system and its architecture, especially in the treatment of systemic risks and vulnerabilities, and also the financial implications and downsizes of the globalization...

This paper explores the impact of context on forms of knowledge dissemination using secondary data concerning the role of management consultants in international development. It identifies three forms of consultancy intervention (forced, invited, humanitarian) which differ considerably in the...

Never before has finance been regarded with the suspicion of these past three years. Yet money and credit are part of what enabled human beings to overcome the barbarism of immanence, the savagery of a life ruled by consumption for survival. The critical rethinking of finance involves the very...

Fiscal councils now exist in a number of countries.  This paper first considers the extent of deficit bias, potential explanations for it, and how independent institutions could help reduce it.  Are fiscal councils complements to or substitutes for fiscal rules, and why do none at  present...

The apparent success of independent central banks in conducting monetary policy has led many to argue that some form of policy delegation should also be applied to the macroeconomic aspects of fiscal policy.  A number of countries have recently established Fiscal Councils, although their role...

Review of the book titled 'Rethinking Housing Bubbles The Role of Household and Bank Balance Sheets in Modeling Economic Cycles' by Steven D. Gjerstad and Vernon L. Smith. Published by Cambridge University Press in May 2014.

Une double crise bancaire et souveraine dans plusieurs pays de la zone euro appelle à chercher des solutions innovantes et à revisiter des solutions ayant déjà fait preuve. L’expérience suédoise de la résolution d’une crise immobilière et bancaire dans les années 1990, qui a...

This paper examines the outcomes for changes introduced by the UK Coalition government in 2010. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is generally regarded as a success, and should become a permanent part of fiscal policymaking. The form of the primary fiscal mandate, involving a five-year...