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Op-ed
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Stagnation – temporary or a new normal?1
- Op-ed, Social and Economic Policy
- 20/07/2016
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?2
- EU Governance and Politics, International Trade, Op-ed
- 19/07/2016
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 war0
- International Relations and Global Affairs, Op-ed
- 18/07/2016
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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Parody and freedom of expression – who decides what is funny?0
- Human Rights and Migration, Op-ed
- 14/07/2016
Recently, German comedian Jan Boehmermann caused an international scandal when he published a parody song about Erdogan, after which he was sued by the Turkish president. How protected is parody as an act of freedom of expression?
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Community leadership in Rio’s favelas: a showcase for resilience0
- International Relations and Global Affairs, Op-ed
- 13/07/2016
Rio de Janeiro has recently taken considerable initiative to better adapt to climate change and to make favelas more resilient. Yet, the positive effects have been limited. It is time to realize that the key to achieving true resilience lies within communities themselves.
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NATO Summit Outcome: Preventing a conflict or creating one?0
- International Relations and Global Affairs, Op-ed
- 12/07/2016
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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