26 September 2017 Despite Europe’s recent economic upswing, Germany’s election result provides a stark reminder of the region’s political discontent in the aftermath of the Euro crisis, protracted unemployment, and increasing income inequality. Following the disappointing elections, can Chancellor Merkel and French President Macron produce the domestic and EU reforms needed to produce European prosperity? [...]
1 August 2017 The recent release of second quarter GDP data had something for everyone. For the post-Brexit sceptics, the meagre 0.3% gain (following a similarly paltry advance in Q1) confirmed the economic recovery was faltering. Recently, weak consumer spending has been a major headwind, resulting from modest income growth and higher prices following sterling’s [...]
3 July 2017 In announcing his recent decision that America would withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, President Trump rationalised this choice indicating he represented the citizens of Pittsburgh, not those of Paris. His remarks, however, suggest the President perceives Pittsburgh as a heavily polluting city in industrial decline, requiring the government’s protection from the [...]
22 June 2017 The Conservative Party’s failure to gain a majority of Parliamentary seats in the June 8 snap election has shifted the landscape on key policy issues. In particular, Prime Minister Teresa May had asked the British electorate for a mandate to adopt an aggressive stance in upcoming Brexit negotiations, including walking away if [...]