Opinion pieces
Itinera takes part in the public debate by publishing incisive opinion pieces. These opinions and columns reflect the views of Itinera’s fellows on current affairs and the issues that occupy society.
The creditworthiness of a country remains crucial
The creditworthiness of a country remains essential. Only, it’s always been very simplistic to search for a unique “critical” debt level after which the economic consequences are dramatic. The context turns out crucial.
Budget discipline or debt creation is also a moral choice
Marc De Vos argues that budget discipline can be a moral imperative when debt addiction has tied future generations to present spending. Excessive public debt is an organized regressive distribution of future prosperity to today’s rich.
Disconnect euro-membership from European Union
From economic viewpoint, nothing seems more logic than disconnecting membership of the European Union from the introduction of the single currency.
What's the deal with the deposit insurance?
There has been a lot of turbulence in this country over the proposition of European commissioner Olli Rehn to let large depositors participate in the costs when a bank collapses. The guaranteed deposit system has to balance many different elements. Not taking this into account is dangerous.
Unequal when facing inflation: A flashback on results
We demonstrate that inflation is higher for low income households, retired households and young households of less than 25 years old. This result suggests that our indexation system, proportional to the health index, provides more protection to the rich than to the more vulnerable households.
The “alien” is very much alive
Marc De Vos supports the idea of burying the mental apartheid between ‘aliens’ and ‘citizens’. But there has to be a domestic citizenship reality as the starting point for integration in the country of destiny.
