The EU has long viewed economic and institutional convergence as important goals, but the results thus far have been decidedly mixed, and there remain several open questions: How exactly should convergence be defined? How much convergence is necessary? What steps can be taken to improve...

Seit zehn Jahren wird in Österreich und Europa schrittweise der Postmarkt liberalisiert. Bis spätestens 2011 sollen auch noch die letzten Barrieren fallen und der gesamte österreichische Postmarkt für alle Postdienstleister offen sein. Während Liberalisierungsbefürworter davon ausgehen,...

Following ECB-president Draghi's remark that the European Social Model does no longer exist and the crisis can only be overcome through a combination of austerity and structural reform, this paper examines the consequences of austerity measures and structural reforms adopted during the crisis in...

This paper should be understood as a modest contribution to an emerging debate about the conclusions from the crisis and the future of the European Social Model. Inspired by the writings of Karl Polanyi, the first section of the paper discusses the nature and some of the main characteristics of...