The ECB and the Fed

By: Charles Wyplosz, Graduate Institute of International Studies

Facing different situations, the Fed and the ECB muddle through, each in its own way.

The case against a Grand Coalition in 2009

By: Wolfgang Münchau

Forget all this hogwash about the responsibility of the cenrtre. Grand coalitions are undemocratic.

Is the euro challenging the dollar's role as a global currency?

When the Euro was launched in 1999, there was much speculation among academics and policy makers about whether the euro could challenge, over even overtake, the dollar as an international currency. Toward the end 2006, the euro has indeed become a big international currency, but has so far failed to challenge the dollar’s predominance in the main categories that define it as the world’s premier currency.

Globalisation - a primer about the European Debate

Globalisation is the probably the single biggest issue that hit the European Union in this decade. A present but ill-defined fear of globalisation was one of the main reported reasons why the French electorate rejected the European constitutional treaty in 2005. There is a sense in Europe that globalisation is a force that will end up impoverish the continent, that it will destroy its values, and its way of life. It is unlikely that European integration will continue further unless and until the Europeans come to terms with globalisation, and devise a strategy.