Greece is still in the news. Not surprising, since the European Union (EU) has never had such a huge problem as this with a member country. I’ve written a lot on the subject already and don’t want to belabor the point. But I’ll try to summarize here (data from Eurostat in billions of euros). Background. […]
Keynes on Pessimism
We all know that we as human beings have a hard time separating ourselves from the present situation. If we are in a crisis, we think the tough times will last for years, and the contrary if we are in an economic boom. The opinions of experts, institutes and others reflect that behavior: most of […]
Will China’s Bubble Burst?
Some economists are debating about China’s economic bubble: not about whether the bubble exists (they concur on that point), but WHEN and HOW it will burst. In your opinion, does this threat really exist? And what are the main risks for the international economy posed by the current situation of the Chinese economy? Alfredo […]
Families: The key to addressing social and economic inequality
Francis Fukuyama delivers an engaging critique of Robert Putnam’s latest book, Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis (Financial Times, March 2015). Putnam alerts us to the real reason behind America’s inequality, which is missing in current debates on the subject. His belief is that the gradual decline of the stable, two-parent, mother and father […]
Redistribution is not Enough
Ricardo Hausmann recently wrote a piece titled “Redistribution or inclusion?” for Project Syndicate. It provides a different view of the causes of inequality of income, looking particularly at developing countries. It points out that modern production requires many complementary inputs, many of which are present in advanced economies, but lacking in emerging economies. Some years ago a friend told […]
