Neoliberalism

While Poland presents itself to the outside world as a country untouched by the economic crisis, the reality is far different for an entire generation of Polish people. Rather than face up to the structural difficulties in the job market, the Government ignores the problem and remains committed to the doctrines of the neoliberal model.

We need a new social contract based on the ideals of the American and French Revolutions, says Pierre Rosanvallon, whose recent book La société des égaux has attracted much attention in France and beyond. Rosanvallon, professor at the College de France, delivered the Jan Pato?ka Memorial Lecture at the iwm in November 2011. This article was originally published in the Institut für die Humane Wissenschaften.

The world view of GroenLinks is founded on three deeply-held convictions: Green, leftist and progressive. These ideals are still alive but each of them in turn points to the need for a sharper critique of capitalism and the neoliberal culture.

Tim Jackson’s ‘Prosperity Without Growth’ has been credited with reviving the debate over the merits of economic growth. This review describes it as a book that challenges orthodox economic thinking and which presents a path to a sustainable future.

Irish Green Party leader Eamon Ryan argues that a breakup of the Eurozone would offer no benefits to Ireland, and that the solution instead is to champion a strong, Green economy that ties Ireland ever closer to Europe.

The Greens must remain faithful to their European commitment by continuing to promote a European alternative to the austerity policy of the ‘Merkozy’ duo. But passing on an unsustainable debt to the future generation is just as ecologically unsound as leaving a planet in ruins. Whatever their differences, the Greens must present their alternative to the neoliberal’s prioritising of market forces and the “statism” of the old left. This alternative must begin with a recovery package funded by a tax on financial transactions.

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?

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.

Four years into the economic crisis, the global economy continues to verge on catastrophic failure. Debt-fueled capitalism, and its resulting inequalities, appear at fault, but what is the solution?

This afternoon whilst strolling in the university gardens I had a most extraordinary, if not hallucinatory, encounter!