• Workshop of the transform! Economists Working Group

  • State of the European Crisis, 'Competitiveness Shock', Alternatives

  • transform! europe invites to the first workshop of the transform! Economists Working Group. The working languages will be French and English.

Programme

Thursday, 11 April

13.00: Welcoming of the participants

13.30–19.30
State of the Crisis in Europe. Can we agree on a common analysis of the causes of the crisis in Europe and of the alternatives ?

  • Assessment of the state of the crisis and of the debate on the “scenarios  to exit from the crisis”
  • Discussion based on the presentation of a Powerpoint on the causes of the crisis and the alternatives crafted by Richard Detje and Joachim Bischoff

This working session that we want to conceive as highly interactive aims to oppose – among economists coming from differents European regions – the analyses on the causes of the crisis in Europe, six years after 2007, and to look into the definition of alternatives being produced as a result. This discussion may result in a Powerpoint built as a tool that could be used in initiatives by transform!, as well as in a reference document.

 

Friday, 12 April

09.30–12.30
Spread of the “Competitiveness Shock” in Europe – What Critic, What Alternatives?

  • Analysis of the offensive in France (rapport Gallois, governmental projects, etc.)
  • Appraisal of the 10 Hartz IV years in Germany
  • European key challenges of the competitiveness strategy

With contributions of Jacques Rigaudiat (coauthor of the report “Getting Over with the Competitiveness”, Fondation Copernic and Attac), Jean Christophe Le Duigou (economist, trade unionist), Joachim Bischoff ( journal “Sozialismus”), Steffen Lehndorff (economist, university of Duisburg), and a representative of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

This first exchange will ensure the comparison of the objectives, the political strategies (depending on the countries and the existing governements), the European scope of the offensive “competitiveness”, the nature of the alternative proposals developed on the social and political front.

14.00–16.00
Future Developments of the Economists Working Group 

  • Definition of common projects
  • Working Methods