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Van De Cloot, Ivan
Chefökonom beim Itinera Institut, einem unabhängigen Denktank für nachhaltiges ökonomisches Wachstum und sozialen Schutz
2 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Belgium needs to change its ways
Highly indebted Belgium needs to save at least 22 billion over the next four years. In the current election campaign all parties should make it clear that the impending austerity measures will be even more drastic than those in the 1980s, economist Ivan van de Cloot writes in the daily De Standaard: "At least as important as the concrete measures is the need to effect a genuine cultural break. In the past ten years the government conducted policies that required plenty of budgetary leeway. This period has ended: The budgetary leeway has significantly shrunk. ... Later we will look back on the first decade of the 21st century as the time when the people were led to believe that everything was for free. In the next ten years the citizens will have to pay for the services of the state. ... This includes the use of roads, bridges and schools."
» full article (external link, Dutch)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Belgium
Obama's radical proposal
US President Barack Obama's plan to strictly regulate risky bank practices is the most radical financial reform tabled to date, writes Belgian economist Ivan Van De Cloot in the daily De Standaard: "Obama's new bank plan may still be very vague. Nevertheless it is certain that this plan to step up the regulation of the US bank sector will have a far greater impact than all of the measures introduced in our country until now. If the Americans can get the situation under control at home they will doubtlessly also exert pressure on the international community to introduce similar measures. It is crucial that rather than focusing solely on the bonus system, we should finally address the true problems, meaning primarily the banks that 'are too big to fail'. These are a perversion of capitalism because they give free rein to irresponsible action."
» full article (external link, Dutch)
More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Banks, » Belgium, » U.S.
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