„The ECB's Fiscal Policy“

International Tax and Public Finance 25 (6), Juni 2018, pp. 1404-1433; NBER Working Paper Nr. 24613, Mai 2018; CESifo Working Paper Nr. 7019, April 2018

While the ECB helped mitigate the euro crisis in the aftermath of Lehman, it has stretched its monetary mandate and moved into fiscal territory. This text describes and summarises the crucial role played by the ECB in the intervention spiral resulting from its bid to manage the crisis. It also outlines ongoing competitiveness problems in southern Europe, discusses the socalled austerity policy of the Troika, comments on QE and presents two alternative paths for the future development of Europe.