The financial crisis: Responses and implications in Europe

Critical Political Economy RN at the ESA conference, Lisbon, 2-5 September 2009

Europe is experiencing its most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression. The response of the EU and member states to this crisis has been paradoxical. The crisis has discredited the ‘Anglo-American’ model of finance-led capitalism and gravely weakened the American imperium.

Yet, the countries of Europe have been unable either individually or collectively to devise a concerted regional solution to the crisis. The result has been rising unemployment, the intensification of intra-regional disparities, signs of inter-state rivalries and is likely to result in growing poverty. Notwithstanding the deployment of massive resources to failing banks, the EU and member states continue to pursue the main planks of the neoliberal agenda, including labour market reforms, privatisation, and financialisation. This session seeks to address the prospects for a European alternative to U.S.-led neoliberalism. Addressing the theme of this conference, we aim to consider to what extent does the current crisis unite or divide Europe and prospective allies in the world order, and what are its implications for the European project of integration. We invite papers which consider at least one of the following:

• Limits and contradictions of the mode of development currently in crisis, which may enable us to understand the current conjuncture.
• The problem of translating intellectual criticism into policy prescription or alternative strategies
• The political consequences of the crisis, its implication for political strategies pursued in relation to the 'European model' as well as to the regulatory frameworks on national and sub-national levels
• The issue of contemporary social and political mobilization and attendant effects on the ‘limits of the possible’.

Abstracts should be submitted by 26 February 2009 (online submission form: view Call for Abstracts button at http://www.esa9thconference.com)

More information on CPE RN, see here.