01.05.2012
Delivering hope – is there a green answer to the challenges raised by the rise of the Front National?

The success of the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in the first round of the French Presidential election, and the success of similar nationalistic parties in other European countries, has left many wondering how the greens and progressive forces should respond to this perceived threat to European values. Edouard Gaudot suggests that the answer lies in offering hope to those who feel rejected by the political and economic system.

EN
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01.05.2012
Britain’s Gendered Austerity

Austerity in Britain has a face. That face is female. That face is a mother of a dependent child. A mother with a job – although a job she may well lose in the next couple of years through no fault of her own. A very poor paying, part-time job, renting at high cost in the private sector, in a home that’s poorly insulated and expensive to heat.

EN
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01.05.2012
Poland: the dark side of growth

With one of the highest growth rates in the European Union, the Polish economy seems to escape the crisis. But there is another side of the coin. The Polish are working more and more but earning less. This is the result of a practical obligation to systematically work overtime during weekends and the impossibility of taking annual leave. But what is the social impact of this inequality?

EN
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01.05.2012
Austerity in Spain – a failed ideology

This article aims to analyse the consequences of the structural reforms and expenditure cuts in Spain. It starts from a theoretical debate of why are these measures taken, continues with the details on the reforms and discussing whether Spain is going to achieve the EU deficit objectives, and finishes proposing a change in the approach at Spanish and EU level.

EN
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01.05.2012
The social consequences of imposed austerity: the case of education

Austerity is being promoted across Europe as a means of restoring competitiveness and growth. However, its implementation has disproportionately impacted the education sector, and is being used as a cloak to implement an ideological drive to privatise education systems. What are the long-term implications of such a strategy?

EN
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01.05.2012
Inequality as cause and consequence of the crisis

Inequalities lie at both ends of the equation of the crisis. Inequality is unsustainable in many ways: it puts in danger the cohesion of our societies and it is a driving force of our unsustainable consumption model. An interview with Jean Lambert MEP and Romual Jagodzinski from the ETUI.

EN
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