Blog 3 Columns

  • Stagnation – temporary or a new normal?

    Stagnation – temporary or a new normal?1

    The global financial and economic crisis has exposed a chasm between the theory and the practice of policy. Not only did the models underpinning policy choices not help anticipate the crisis, but now arguably they cannot even help fight it. Concerns are rising in the policymaking field that something structural – that models cannot capture – has changed. The stagnation afflicting the global economy could hence be a new normal, from which we can escape only by thinking out of the box of deceptively comfortable models.

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  • Corruption and corporatism – is TTIP still desirable for the EU?

    Corruption and corporatism – is TTIP still desirable for the EU?2

    Experiencing a period of economic stagnation, the European Union (EU) has started to look for different ways to enhance its economic growth rates. One solution is represented by the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). However, this solution is also one of the most debated issues within the circles of economists due to economic and social costs at stake. Among these costs, the issues of corruption and corporatism should not be neglected. Although they do not make the TTIP-related headlines, these issues are very important because they could minimize and even overcome the positive effects of trade liberalisation.

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  • Goodbye, FARC? How to end the world’s longest civil war

    Goodbye, FARC? How to end the world’s longest civil war0

    On the 23rd of June the Colombian government finally concluded a peace agreement with the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia). Commentators quickly labelled it a historic moment, which potentially ends the world’s longest insurgency. Signing a peace agreement is, however, one thing, effectively demobilizing fighters and reintegrating FARC-controlled territory another. How should Colombia, and the international community, tackle these problems? How can we end a conflict that left more than 220,000 dead?

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  • NATO Summit Outcome: Preventing a conflict or creating one?

    NATO Summit Outcome: Preventing a conflict or creating one?0

    The 2016 NATO Summit held in Warsaw has now ended. As expected, one of the main topics on the agenda was NATOs strategic response to Russia, which included debates about tactical troop positioning and other deterrence measures. What the summit – at least publicly – did not address, is the reason for the standoff between NATO and Russia and how NATO plans to prevent it from escalating.

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  • All eyes on Rio: Blessing or curse for local tourism?

    All eyes on Rio: Blessing or curse for local tourism?1

    The Olympic Games have manifested themselves as global extravaganzas that attract eyes from all over the world to its host city. Such worldwide attention has the power of attracting tourists long after the Games are over – look at what the 2010 FIFA World Cup did for South Africa. However, extensive media coverage might just as well expose flaws rather than strengths. Will the 2016 Olympic Games convince spectators that Rio de Janeiro, and Brazil at large, are the ultimate holiday destination? It is time for citizens, businesses and government to unite in an effort to showcase Rio’s unique beauty and spirit.

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  • BREXIT Vol. 2: Britain’s withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights

    BREXIT Vol. 2: Britain’s withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights0

    In the midst of debates on whether the United Kingdom (UK) should leave the European Union, the UK’s Home Affairs Secretary Theresa May came out with a controversial statement turning things upside down by redirecting the British opposition against another European institution – the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

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The School of Public Policy at CEU