Watson Events

A Crisis Examined: Reflections on Greece's options on the eve of the general elections

A Crisis Examined: Reflections on Greece's options on the eve of the general elections

Speakers:

Dr. C. Ban, The Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University

Prof. K. Kornetis, Dept. of History, Brown University

Prof. S. Michalopoulos, Dept. of Economics, Brown University

Prof. E. Papaioannou, Dept. of Economics, Harvard University

Financial Times' Martin Wolf predicts that given the existing constraints, if all goes well Southern Europe is in for a gloomy decade of stagnation, low wages and high unemployment. There is simply no easy way out of the tragedy, it is said, and Greece is at the center of it. The field of discussion is vast but two questions stand out:

1. The current consensus that informs the Troika's wisdom is that that austerity will be expansionary (Greece will grow to pay back its debt) if complemented by structural reforms of labor, services and products. What is the evidence for this? Do we buy it? 

2. Are there feasible different ways out of the house of pain and if so how would they work?

Sponsored by The Program of Modern Greek Studies, Development Studies and the Hellenic Students Association.

Location: Joukowsky Forum, Watson Institute, 111 Thayer Street.