Economic Policy, Crisis and Innovation: Beyond Austerity in Europe

Cover
Half Title
Series Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
List of figures
List of tables
List of contributors
Introduction
	Acknowledgement
	Reference
PART I: Europe in crisis: the cases of Italy, Spain and Germany
	1. The economic consequences of the Maastricht Treaty: why Italy’s permanent crisis is a warning to the Eurozone
		Italy’s permanent crisis – which started in 1992
		Perpetual fiscal austerity
		Permanent real wage restraint
		The suffocation of Italian aggregate demand after 1992
		Cumulative causation at work: Italy’s structural demand deficiency feeds
into a productivity crisis and a squeezing of the profit rate
		Italy’s permanent crisis is a warning for the Eurozone
		Acknowledgements
		Notes
		References
	2. Recovery or stagnation? Spain and Italy after the Great Recession
		Introduction
		Italy and Spain: similar problems, different paths
		Crisis and post-crisis
		Conclusion: no change ahead
		Notes
		References
	3. The German “reforms” – no model for the EU
		Introduction
		The innovation of the production model
		Internal devaluation
		A misattributed success story
		Conclusion and outlook
		References
PART II: Integration and disintegration in the European Monetary Union
	4. Did monetary union make political union less likely?
		Introduction
		Monetary union
		Events in Eastern Europe: 1989
		The crisis of the GDR and the negotiations on monetary union
		Political union: the first steps
		Conclusion
		Note
		References
	5. External imbalances and European integration
		Introduction
		The European growth and convergence model prior to the crisis
		External imbalances of different groups of Europe’s low- and mediumincome
countries
		The impact of the crisis: external accounts adjustment
		External and sectoral imbalances and the “manufacturing imperative”
for Europe’s EMEs
		Implications of divergence: political economy considerations
		Summary and policy conclusions
		Acknowledgements
		Notes
		References
	6. The Italian economy from WWII to the EMU: structural weaknesses and external constraint
		Introduction
		The Italian “golden-age”
		Failure to adapt and mistakes in policy design in a changing global context
		The bumpy road towards the EMU: becoming the periphery
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
PART III: The social effects of neoliberal macroeconomics
	7. Market income inequality and welfare state redistribution in Europe: some facts and policy suggestions
		Introduction
		Market income and disposable income inequality in 2008 and 2016
		What we need: inequality-reducing policies
		Inequality in the EU as a whole and a comparison with the US
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	8. Labour market reforms in Europe and young people’s labour market integration in turbulent times
		Introduction
		Background literature
		Method
		Results
		Conclusion
		Acknowledgements
		Notes
		References
	9. Prolonged austerity and gender equality: the cases of Greece and the UK compared
		Introduction
		The political and economic factors leading to prolonged austerity
		Comparison of labour market trends by gender in Greece and the UK, 2008–2017
		Labour market reform and gender equality
		Gender equality policies
		Care policies
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	10. Disseminating expertise on gender and economics: the experience of inGenere.it
		Introduction
		The experience of inGenere.it
		Gender mainstreaming in times of crisis at inGenere.it
		Towards a “pink new deal”
		Notes
		References
PART IV: Technological challenge and policy
	11. Is automation beneficial for society as a whole? What we can learn re-reading Ricardo and Marx on machinery and labour
		Introduction
		Ricardo on machinery and on his change of mind
		Marx: the complexity of the relationship between machinery and labour
		Conclusion
		Acknowledgements
		Notes
		References
	12. Working conditions and quality of work in the digitized factory
		Introduction
		Labour costs, bargaining and new machines
		A stylized model of a 4.0 production plant
		Taylorism and Industry 4.0: standardization and low qualification of
work can easily co-exist with digitalization
		Maintenance, control, and instruction of machines
		Training and skill development
		Work intensity and health
		Conclusion
		References
	13. Digital transformation in the automotive supply chain: a comparative perspective
		Introduction
		What is meant by “digital transformation”?
		Digital transformation in progress
		State-of-play of digital transformation in the automotive supply chain:
China, Germany, Italy and Japan
		Multi-dimensional perspective on digital transformation: two examples
		Policy implications
		Acknowledgments
		Notes
		References
	14. Productive structures and industrial policy in the EU
		Introduction
		Productive structure: a conceptual framework
		Productive structures in EU centre: focus on Germany
		Structural Funds and EU industrial policy
		Productive structures in the EU periphery: focus on Ireland
		Product systems and intractable sectors
		Conclusion: government as strategic organizer
		Acknowledgements
		Notes
		Annex
		References
	15. Vision vs improvisation: on the industrial future of Italy
		Finally, we can talk about it
		The need for governing policies affecting the productive context
		Direct policies
		Connecting industrial policy to territorial rebalancing
		Further reading
Index