AltAusterity Digest #8 August 3-9, 2017

Workers at a Nissan plant in Canton Mississippi voted against forming a union, with 62% of workers rejecting the UAW. The UAW has filed seven charges with the National Labour Relations Board (NLRB), alleging Nissan waged an illegal anti-union campaign. An anti-union ruling is unlikely as Trump’s appointees take over the NLRB.

The Economist critiques the idea of the ten-year budget. More appropriate, are three-year budgets that can more readily be adapted to “exogenous shocks.” As U.S. Congress gets set to debate tax reform, these considerations should be included.

André Broome (University of Warwick) discusses how the IMF’s changing policies have attempted to strike a balance between fiscal austerity and protecting economic growth. The IMF’s June 2017 Strategy, Policy and Review Department report suggests it may be in the process of rethinking how conditionality works in its loan programmes, especially in relation to reducing countries budget deficits.

Italy’s current economic trouble, in conjunction with general elections coming up in May, have led some commentators to question whether voters will choose a Euro-skeptic party. According to a Eurobarometer survey, only 53 percent of Italians support the common currency. Even traditional parties such as the center-left Democratic Party has become more critical of EU policy.

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