This article provides an overview of the impact of public sector pay and employment cutbacks in EU countries and discusses their justifi cation as part of austerity packages. It begins with the outcomes in the countries first hit by the economic crisis before discussing the impact of the crisis...

List of figures -- List of tables -- List of boxes -- Acknowledgements -- Notes on contributors -- Acronyms and abbreviations -- The institutional and legal framework -- Introduction -- The macroeconomic framework for managing public finances / Richard Hemming -- Public financial management...