AltAusterity Digest #12 August 31-September 6, 2017

In Jeremy Corbyn’s most recent shadow cabinet meeting he pressed forward to point that the Labour party would use every opportunity to challenge the government’s austerity agenda. A first step in resisting this agenda concerns the government’s EU withdrawal bill, which will deal with transferring powers concerning rights at work and consumer protections from EU to UK law.

In a piece for The Atlantic, Jonathan Rauch makes an appeal for “modern unions” in America. Rauch examines the advantages and drawbacks of work councils, industry level bargaining, the Ghent system and union training programs. According to Rauch, it is the “archaic” federal legislation that is the greatest impediment to modernizing industrial relations.

A recently released IMF working paper analyzes the challenges of “increasing public spending to address sizeable infrastructure and social gaps” and maintaining or restoring fiscal discipline for three Central American countries. El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are the cases studied to assess how the “efficiency gap” can be closed on spending in the health and education sectors.

The OECD has released recommendations for the Slovenian economy to boost investment and productivity through improved skills and regulations. According to the survey of Slovenia, the economy still suffers from persistent long-term employment and skill shortages – with over one-third of firms struggling to find qualified labour. Recommendations for improving the economy include sustainable public finances, stronger enforcement of competition (including privatization) and the roll-out of an action plan for jobs.  

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