Macroeconomic Monitor
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Economy

The dreaded deflation

In early January, Eurostat data was released showing the first annual deflationary episode in the Eurozone since 2009 – the overall price level fell by 0.2% between December 2013 and the same month in 2014. This sent the European Central Bank and a large number of Keynesian economists into a panic. From …

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Voters target low wages, kill bookstores

Don't believe that raising the minimum wage hurts real people? After March 31, a famous science fiction bookstore on Valencia Street in San Francisco's Mission District will no longer be able to satisfy your fantasy tastes: "The change in the minimum wage will mean that our costs ...

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Why we should fear SYRIZA

Undoubtedly the most important event on the European political scene at the end of January was the decisive victory of the far-left party SYRIZA in the early parliamentary elections in Greece. Although it fell two seats short of an outright majority, the equally extremist (but at the other end of the spectrum) Independents came to the rescue.

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How a Greek bankruptcy could still lead to the collapse of the EU

Frank Hollenbeck Greece is back in the headlines. This should come as no surprise to anyone. It would be naive to think that the Greeks would accept to remain in debt forever. Despite all the rumors that Greece will be forced to leave the eurozone, there is actually no such mechanism through which the member states of the European Union (EU) …

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It's time for pension reform, not political games

For the Christmas and New Year holidays, the government decided to give us a "small" surprise. In just a week, controversial changes to the Social Security Code (SSC) were voted on without any public debate or preliminary assessment of the impact of the adopted regulatory texts. Many question marks, disappointments and future economic shocks were tried by the government ...

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On the war against the poor

In the last months of his life, US President John F. Kennedy pushed the idea of a massive political campaign – a war on poverty in the country – through his cabinet. His successor in the White House – Lyndon B. Johnson – further developed the plan and presented his vision of the “Great Society” to the US Congress. As …

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Why should we pay 472 million to BDZ for ghost trains?

The topic of state railways has been a favorite political chewing gum since the very beginning of the transition. Especially considering the fact that the railway company (as a classic state enterprise) in its slow death has become a black hole for taxpayers' money. The annual state subsidy for passenger transportation with discounted tickets alone amounts to …

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Nationalization of funds in private pension funds. Some effects of changes in pension legislation

At the end of last year, the ruling coalition, led by the right-wing (in words) GERB party, introduced changes to the pension insurance law, which are not just not a step in the right direction, but a leap in the exact opposite. Due to the great economic importance of the negative reform, it is important to highlight some …

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