Economics and politics - comment and analysis

What is an international imbalance? 

In the Financial Times, Martin Wolf noted a few days ago that imbalances in international trade are back on the political agenda. Although Wolf reaches entirely reasonable conclusions regarding mercantilism, he nevertheless states that it is nonsense to claim that the US trade deficits can be eliminated solely through trade or exchange rate policy. …

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Romania, a new crisis, an old realisation: Eastern Europe is caught in the appreciation trap

If there is one constant in Eastern Europe, it is the lack of constancy. Nowhere else are there such frequent changes of government or desperate attempts to form a functioning government through one snap election after another. Bulgaria, for instance, had gone through a striking series of snap elections before the vote two weeks ago at least offered hope of forming a government capable of governing.  …

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