Read all posts for ‘austerity measures’

Despite popular opinion that Australia has been immune to the worst of the global financial crisis, it’s the stories you don’t hear about, that tell us the woes Australia’s economy is traversing. Both federal and state governments have implemented a variety of austerity policies in an effort to “bring the budget […]

In 2010, the Boc government implemented austerity measures in Romania’s public sector, introducing 25% cuts in salaries and 15% cuts in pensions. Mrs. B. is one of many who was cut to the quick by this move. A high school teacher with over 10 years’ of experience, Mrs. B was […]

When economic growth is not a given anymore, how can democratically elected governments trigger growth, maintain the welfare state and keep public spending down all at the same time? The answer is easy: they simply can’t. European welfare states have come to a crossroads. On the one hand, private investors […]

Despite a recent rise in its foreign reserves, Egypt is clearly suffering from an economic crisis as evidenced in its spiralling budget deficit that has now  reached around 12% of GDP. As political instability continues, the crisis persists while the government seeks to stem it by taking loans from various […]

What can the experiences of people and communities tell us about the value of austerity measures? Have austerity policies exacerbated inequality in our societies, or rendered us all more equal? How do people in different countries view austerity policies?