Greece: if austerity doesn't work... Try more austerity! | 287 comments (287 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: What's wrong with this plan? (none / 0)

According to the FT.

Greek unit labour costs have risen by 50 per cent since 2001. This compares with a eurozone average of about 25-30 per cent and a German cost increase of little more than 6 per cent. Even Portugal has a much lower increase than Greece of some 36 per cent.

So yeah, massive wage inflation.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid on Sat Jun 25th, 2011 at 03:18:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: What's wrong with this plan? (none / 0)

Uh, no, you can't conclude that from the data given. The data given is also consistent with asset stripping.

I note, in passing, the inherent dishonesty of comparing to German unit labour costs, since German wages have failed just as much as Greek wages to track productivity.

- Jake

Friends come and go. Enemies accumulate.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Sat Jun 25th, 2011 at 03:43:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: What's wrong with this plan? (none / 0)

Not dishonest, as in the next sentence it's mentioned that German salaries need to increase. And as far as I know, there has been no evidence of any unusually large asset stripping in Greece in the decade leading up to the Greek crisis.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid on Sat Jun 25th, 2011 at 04:01:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: What's wrong with this plan? (none / 0)

Greek unit labour costs have risen by 50 per cent since 2001

50% is outlandish even for nominal compensation. I would like to see that sourced. I'm having second thoughts about Jones' numbers, but certainly noone has claimed 50% increase in even nominal ulc netween 2001 and 2009

The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom - William Blake

by talos (mihalis at gmail dot com) on Sat Jun 25th, 2011 at 07:15:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: What's wrong with this plan? (none / 1)

As I said, Jones was using 2009 projections, but since the economy collapsed in 2009 these were not accurate. Here he restates his case with updated numbers

The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom - William Blake

by talos (mihalis at gmail dot com) on Sat Jun 25th, 2011 at 07:41:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: What's wrong with this plan? (none / 1)

One could play BTW with this from the University of Pennsylvania Center for International Comparisons and see how GDP per person per hour worked compared:

The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom - William Blake

by talos (mihalis at gmail dot com) on Sat Jun 25th, 2011 at 07:38:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: What's wrong with this plan? (none / 0)

In GDP per capita, Greece is now below where it was in the 1990s.

by Upstate NY on Sun Jun 26th, 2011 at 07:51:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Greece: if austerity doesn't work... Try more austerity! | 287 comments (287 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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