On 29 April, the French National Assembly approved a first major package of measures presented by the new socialist cabinet, led by the newcomer Prime Minister Manuel Valls, as the only way to meet the economic goals set by the European Union. Under this plan, launched as a 'Stability Pact', the costs of government will be reduced by a total of fifty billion euros until 2017, of which the so-called 'welfare state' will be deducted 11 billion, in cuts from social protection programs, and 10 billion to be saved on health-care costs.
I like economists who, besides inventing things, are remembered for knowing how to explain the reality that surrounds them and making it understandable to others. I like economists who do not die, but survive the problems of their times and whose solutions reach future generations. I like economists who are convincing in simplicity, implacable in logic, overwhelming in evidence. This is how Nobel Prize winner economist and professor of Economics and Sociology at the University of Chicago, Gary Becker, was, and how we will always be.
It is said that China, boosted by an accelerated economic development, is practically unstoppable. The great emerging power, they say. Maybe. But it could also happen—remember what happened to Germany throughout the first decades of the 20th century—that a great power is weakened by its increasing power. And it could also happen that China’s neighbours and competitors—Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam or India—reach a sort of agreement—either implicit or explicit—to—politically, commercially and territorially speaking—stop the Asian giant. In any case, China is there. And it follows its course. Thus, a question comes up: can we consider the hypothesis of a China that, economically and commercially speaking, will “colonise” the United States? A plausible...
FAES Foundation launched Canalejas. Un liberal reformista, the fourth volume of the series Biografías Políticas, published by its imprint Gota a Gota. The book was launched in the Centre for Political and Constitution Studies. Ricardo Martín de la Guardia, professor of Contemporary History at the University of Valladolid; Benigno Pendás, director of the Centre; and Miguel Ángel Quintanilla, FAES Director of the Publishing Department, also took part in the event.
The following text was sent to newspaper El Pais, Catalonia edition, on 21 March. On the 26th it dismissed its publication: On March 21, Joan B. Culla i Clará wrote an article for this newspaper entitled 'Ethnicists', which considered that a text signed by me and published in the series "Analysis" of FAES Foundation was sliding 'down the slope of ethnicity' and was an expression of 'tank' (I suppose in the sense of battle tank, incorrect) and not of 'think'. I should remind the reader that in it, entitled 'Who lives in Catalonia'?, an objective statistical fact was shown with hardly any comment about it: Spain's National Institute of Statistics establishes that the most common surnames of the people living in Catalonia are also the most common among those living in any other Spanish...
La vulnerabilidad de un país se deriva de la existencia de una amenaza real y de la adecuación de la seguridad y defensa nacional para disuadirla o eliminarla. Con esta ecuación en la mano, España es, un año después de los atentados del 11-M, más vulnerable, posiblemente más vulnerable que nunca antes. La amenaza persiste y la defensa nacional ha empeorado para hacerle frente.
La Política de Cohesión financiada desde el presupuesto comunitario es beneficiosa para todos los países de la Unión. Permite, por un lado, a medio y largo plazo, un proceso de convergencia real de los países y regiones más pobres, aunque supone también importantes ventajas competitivas para los más ricos. Sin embargo, si las políticas regionales no van acompañadas de las reformas estructurales necesarias corren el riesgo de pretender hacer de la subvención la principal fuente de renta de amplias capas extensas de población con carácter permanente, pervirtiendo así la naturaleza y objetivo de los fondos.
Desde su inicio, la Unión Europea ha adoptado sus decisiones por consenso y respetando el equilibrio de los intereses de todos. Este afán se plasma en un sistema político-institucional sui generis en el que los Tratados atribuyen el poder legislativo, judicial y ejecutivo entre las diversas instituciones comunitarias. Dentro del entramado institucional comunitario, el Consejo desempeña un papel fundamental, puesto que es co-legislador y autoridad presupuestaria junto con el Parlamento Europeo. Además, el Consejo está llamado a ejercer un papel cada vez mayor en la definición de la política exterior de la Unión Europea y realiza una labor fundamental en la preparación de las reuniones del Consejo Europeo, verdadero vértice político de la Unión Europea. La forma en que el Consejo adopta sus decisiones está también diseñada para conseguir el consenso y mantener el equilibrio de poderes. Hasta ahora, el Consejo ha adoptado sus decisiones mediante el denominado sistema de voto ponderado.
05.12.2014. On 29 April, the French National Assembly approved a first major package of measures presented by the new socialist cabinet, led by the newcomer Prime Minister Manuel Valls, as the only way to meet the economic goals set by the European Union. Under this plan, launched as a 'Stability Pact', the costs of government will be reduced by a total of fifty billion euros until 2017, of which the so-called 'welfare state' will be deducted 11 billion, in cuts from social protection programs, and 10 billion to be saved on health-care costs.
05.06.2014. I like economists who, besides inventing things, are remembered for knowing how to explain the reality that surrounds them and making it understandable to others. I like economists who do not die, but survive the problems of their times and whose solutions reach future generations. I like economists who are convincing in simplicity, implacable in logic, overwhelming in evidence. This is how Nobel Prize winner economist and professor of Economics and Sociology at the University of Chicago, Gary Becker, was, and how we will always be.
04.03.2014. It is said that China, boosted by an accelerated economic development, is practically unstoppable. The great emerging power, they say. Maybe. But it could also happen—remember what happened to Germany throughout the first decades of the 20th century—that a great power is weakened by its increasing power. And it could also happen that China’s neighbours and competitors—Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam or India—reach a sort of agreement—either implicit or explicit—to—politically, commercially and territorially speaking—stop the Asian giant. In any case, China is there. And it follows its course. Thus, a question comes up: can we consider the hypothesis of a China that, economically and commercially speaking, will “colonise” the United States? A plausible...
04.01.2014. FAES Foundation launched Canalejas. Un liberal reformista, the fourth volume of the series Biografías Políticas, published by its imprint Gota a Gota. The book was launched in the Centre for Political and Constitution Studies. Ricardo Martín de la Guardia, professor of Contemporary History at the University of Valladolid; Benigno Pendás, director of the Centre; and Miguel Ángel Quintanilla, FAES Director of the Publishing Department, also took part in the event.
03.31.2014. The following text was sent to newspaper El Pais, Catalonia edition, on 21 March. On the 26th it dismissed its publication: On March 21, Joan B. Culla i Clará wrote an article for this newspaper entitled 'Ethnicists', which considered that a text signed by me and published in the series "Analysis" of FAES Foundation was sliding 'down the slope of ethnicity' and was an expression of 'tank' (I suppose in the sense of battle tank, incorrect) and not of 'think'. I should remind the reader that in it, entitled 'Who lives in Catalonia'?, an objective statistical fact was shown with hardly any comment about it: Spain's National Institute of Statistics establishes that the most common surnames of the people living in Catalonia are also the most common among those living in any other Spanish...
05.01.2005. La vulnerabilidad de un país se deriva de la existencia de una amenaza real y de la adecuación de la seguridad y defensa nacional para disuadirla o eliminarla. Con esta ecuación en la mano, España es, un año después de los atentados del 11-M, más vulnerable, posiblemente más vulnerable que nunca antes. La amenaza persiste y la defensa nacional ha empeorado para hacerle frente.
04.01.2005. La Política de Cohesión financiada desde el presupuesto comunitario es beneficiosa para todos los países de la Unión. Permite, por un lado, a medio y largo plazo, un proceso de convergencia real de los países y regiones más pobres, aunque supone también importantes ventajas competitivas para los más ricos. Sin embargo, si las políticas regionales no van acompañadas de las reformas estructurales necesarias corren el riesgo de pretender hacer de la subvención la principal fuente de renta de amplias capas extensas de población con carácter permanente, pervirtiendo así la naturaleza y objetivo de los fondos.
06.01.2004. Desde su inicio, la Unión Europea ha adoptado sus decisiones por consenso y respetando el equilibrio de los intereses de todos. Este afán se plasma en un sistema político-institucional sui generis en el que los Tratados atribuyen el poder legislativo, judicial y ejecutivo entre las diversas instituciones comunitarias. Dentro del entramado institucional comunitario, el Consejo desempeña un papel fundamental, puesto que es co-legislador y autoridad presupuestaria junto con el Parlamento Europeo. Además, el Consejo está llamado a ejercer un papel cada vez mayor en la definición de la política exterior de la Unión Europea y realiza una labor fundamental en la preparación de las reuniones del Consejo Europeo, verdadero vértice político de la Unión Europea. La forma en que el Con...
