After the 2008 financial meltdown, the American crisis soon infected the European financial system, becoming both a sovereign debt crisis and a banking debacle in many peripheral Euro area countries. The European crisis spread quickly among closely integrated economies and the implementation of austerity policies reinforced a spiral of economic contractions and provoked a rising political rebellion. This World Economics Association book, edited by Victor Baker and Beniamino Moro, was written to address monetary, financial and debt issues, alongside the questions of social stabilization, strategies for structural reform and economic growth that may be re-considered to frame new economic perspectives for Europe. The call for reflection is persuasively made by the contributors: Jacques Sapir; Gerson Lima; Carmelo Ferlito; Merijn Knibbe; Enrico Marelli and Marcello Signorelli; Tom Vleeschhouwer and Tara Koning; Cristiano Boaventura Duarte and AndrE de Melo Modenesi; Dimitri B. Papadimitriou, Michalis Nukiforos and Gennaro Zezza.
The World Economics Association's on-line forums are an important step toward the goal of open exchange on policy questions among economists of diverse views world-wide. I congratulate Victor Beker and Beniamin Moro, who here bring together a set of important papers on the European question.
James K. Galbraith, The University of Texas at Austin
The huge debates on the future of the European Union as well as the management of the Euro are among the hottest issues in both contemporary politics and finance. The papers in this volume offer a broad survey of the terrain and a broad menu of possible solutions. The authors and the World Economics Association have provided a major public service with this text of great interest for both the general public and for policymakers.
Carlos Marichal, El Colegio de MExico
The European Union is suffering from many crises - and l3,