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European Spring: Why Our Economies and Politics are in a Mess - and How to Put Them Right Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 51 ratings

Britain and the rest of Europe are in a mess. Our economies are failing to deliver higher living standards for most people and many have lost faith in politicians' ability to deliver a brighter future, with support for parties like UKIP soaring. Are stagnation, decline and disillusionment inevitable? Do people have to turn to the likes of UKIP for alternative solutions?

As a critically acclaimed author who was until recently a senior policymaker, Philippe Legrain has a unique combination of insider knowledge, intellectual authority and independent perspective that make him ideally placed to explain why things have gone wrong – and how to put them right. In this brilliantly original and passionate book, he explains why we need a European Spring: economic and political renewal.

'Philippe Legrain provides an original and insightful analysis of what has gone wrong with Europe's economies and politics and a timely warning that the crisis ultimately threatens our open societies. Better still, he provides a blueprint for a brighter future and how to achieve it. ' George Soros

“...a well-informed and blistering critique of errors made by European policy makers since Greece revealed the extent of its fiscal woes in 2009-10... essential reading.”
Ferdinando Giugliano, Financial Times

'A splendid book on the European malaise. Legrain argues compellingly that policy makers’ response to that crisis was and remains a disaster. He warns that the eurozone is still far from healthy and that the German example, which members are supposed to follow, is a delusion. He notes, too, that the UK’s recovery is built on sand. He goes well beyond this to show that radical reforms are needed to produce an “adaptable, dynamic and decent” Europe.'
Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator, Financial Times

Philippe Legrain is an independent thinker and communicator who also has practical experience of policymaking at the highest level. From February 2011 to February 2014, he was independent economic adviser to the President of the European Commission and head of the team that provides the president with strategic policy advice. He is also the author of three critically acclaimed books – Open World: The Truth about Globalisation (2002); Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them (2007); and Aftershock: Reshaping the World Economy After the Crisis (2010).

He tweets as @plegrain. For more details, see philippelegrain.com/about/

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00J5KN972
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CB Creative Books (April 24, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 24, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1352 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 484 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 51 ratings

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Philippe Legrain
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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
51 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides good insights and perspectives on how politicians tackled the Euro crises. They describe it as an interesting and refreshing read, written in a well-written prose by a competent author.

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9 customers mention "Insight"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides good insights into how politicians tackled the Euro crisis. They appreciate the clear explanations and perspectives from an insider. The book is described as informative, interesting, and refreshing. Readers also mention that it's useful and thought-provoking.

"Exhaustive, authoritative, and in well-written prose, this text serves as a great survey of all that is rotten in Europe while managing to remain..." Read more

"The author definitely holds few punches. He's extremely knowledgeable and an insider. He breaks down the causes of the crisis and offers solutions...." Read more

"...otherwise there are good perspectives." Read more

"...leaders, this book provides a rational and thought-provoking analysis of the fallacy of austerity, of why it is technically impossible to have every..." Read more

4 customers mention "Readability"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They appreciate the author's analysis and say it's worth reading.

"Exhaustive, authoritative, and in well-written prose, this text serves as a great survey of all that is rotten in Europe while managing to remain..." Read more

"Written by a competent author with both the knowledge and the courage to pinpoint the wrong decisions of European leaders, this book provides a..." Read more

"...you may not agree entirely with the author's analysis it is worth reading it...." Read more

"Very interesting, very informative and a good analysis...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2015
    The author provides a profound analysis of what is ailing the European Union and the Eurozone. Many of his proposals to solve the crisis are worth looking into further, even if some are ambitious and unlikely to happen in the near future.

    The benefits of the EU and Eurozone are also well articulated; together with the fact that there are no good alternatives to the objective of making the EU work better. Europe needs more people who think like the author and are willing to reform the European project.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2014
    Exhaustive, authoritative, and in well-written prose, this text serves as a great survey of all that is rotten in Europe while managing to remain upbeat for its future. Legrain is clearly familiar with the political bargaining, the institutional lags, and inherent structural weaknesses of European policy. For anyone interested in understanding the evolution of the 'post' Euro crisis continent, this is a must read.

    Legrain has compiled a significant list of sources from which he derives his argument. He does not shy from reminding the reader of this throughout the text. Legrain also tends to push his own previous work a bit more than the reader may like, though such annoyances do not detract from the overall analysis.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2015
    The author definitely holds few punches. He's extremely knowledgeable and an insider. He breaks down the causes of the crisis and offers solutions. The author has a particular disdain for German economic policy and Euroskeptics like those in UKIP. But he's very fair and balanced overall. You will learn. And you will almost certainly enjoy.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2014
    A bit dramatic and the author wrote like 'they didn't listen and hence the mess' tone. otherwise there are good perspectives.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2014
    Written by a competent author with both the knowledge and the courage to pinpoint the wrong decisions of European leaders, this book provides a rational and thought-provoking analysis of the fallacy of austerity, of why it is technically impossible to have every country emulating Germany, and why the UK should not even think about leaving the EU, among other things.

    In addition, the book discusses a set of ideas about how to reshape the European economy based on entrepreneurship, controversial taxation policies, and cultural diversity.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2015
    Clearly written. Full of interesting insights.
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2015
    This book provides a valuable insight into the euro area crisis, exposing what the author sees as policy mistakes and offering ideas how to resolve certain issues. Although you may not agree entirely with the author's analysis it is worth reading it. Although some things have changed since the publication of the book, it contributes to a debate that is not going to end soon about the future of the EU.
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2014
    good

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Mr. Adrian Mcmenamin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Angry and brilliant polemical plea for change
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2014
    Philippe Legrain is about as far from an anti-European as it is possible to get, but like a true friend he is also not afraid to dispense some really quite brutal advice. This book is tough love at it's best - part polemic, part plea, all expressed with a raw and heartfelt anger at how something so precious - the European Project - has gone awry. Events since it was written have only served to show how astute an analysis this book contains (that said I don't agree with all his prescriptions).
    I wish more mainstream politicians would read this - and then have the gumption to act on it.
  • Kindle User Nemo ^_^
    4.0 out of 5 stars 今買って春休みに読もうよ
    Reviewed in Japan on February 28, 2016
    高校生、大学生にもおすすめですよ(*^ー^)ノ♪今なら¥303だよ。
     今の西ヨーロッパの経済的混乱という、近過去から今を知る良い本です。
    Kindleならば豊富な時事語彙の有る、Kindle英辞郎もおすすめ。
    近過去の時制構文の勉強にもなるし、iPhon でも読めるよ。
    何よりも実際に意思決定権者だった「中の人」の著作は、説得力有るよ♪>^_^<
  • Bill Welsh
    4.0 out of 5 stars Useful background reading in the run up to the EU referendum
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2016
    I bought this book as I thought it would provide strong arguments for Britain to remain in the EU. The author was an independent economic advisor to former European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and clearly is a supporter of the EU. However the first half of the book is strongly critical of the EU, its institutions and leadership. He is especially scathing about the handling of the eurozone debt crisis particularly regarding Greece. In the second half the author details measures he believes are required to fix the multitude of problems in the union for example the lack of democratic accountability there. It is only in the penultimate chapter that I found the material supporting Britain's remaining in the EU which I was looking for. Free trade between EU countries has led to most Europeans being better off than they otherwise would have been and there is certainly a wider choice of better-value products in shops. He also demonstrates that there would be a reduction in foreign investment in the UK following a Brexit.
    For those of us who are sceptical about the case for austerity following the 2008 financial crisis there is plenty of ammunition here. Mr Legrain tells us how the Conversative-led Government hitched the UK to the austerity bandwagon which had started up in the eurozone and is in no doubt that this was unnecessary and economically damaging for us. There is plenty of data about UK and eurozone economic growth after 2008 comparing unfavourably with the US which did not go down the austerity route but followed a fiscal stimulus path instead. Also he provides strong evidence that the UK would have had a stronger recovery and be in a better position now had austerity not been pursued so religiously.
    The chapter about Germany not being a good role model for the rest of Europe is particularly interesting. The image of Germany shared by many people including myself is certainly not the one of economic immiseration and decaying infrastructure portrayed here. The description of German wage levels being kept artificially low resulting in a drag on their economy came as a surprise to me.
    Overall I would recommend this book as useful background reading for anyone who is still not sure which way to vote in the forthcoming EU referendum in the UK.
  • Frank 9
    5.0 out of 5 stars It's a disturbing but very useful read.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 21, 2016
    If you want a detailed insight into the processes and economic policies of the EU this is required reading. Legrain was an EU economic adviser and policy maker at the highest level and is a highly respected author. It's a disturbing but very useful read.
  • Geejay
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good in Parts
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 13, 2014
    The first section is an excellent analysis of the current problems and how we got to where we are, laying the blame fairly and squarely where it belongs, on hubristic policymakers, politicians and bankers. He also blows out of the water the "German solution" and UK ministers claims that we on the road to recovery.

    However, the book seems to have been published without troubling the editor as it is about twice as long as it need be and the second section, on "solutions", is a kind of projectile vomit of "all the ideas I've ever had". They come thick and fast, resulting in this reader loosing the will to live as solution follows solution, an ill-digested regurgitation of everything he's previously written.

    Some stylistic editing would have been beneficial, as his use of the term "worse" to start a sentence becomes, well, "worse" as the book proceeds.

    It could have been an excellent contribution, but spoiled by wordiness and some idiosyncratic notions and prejudices. Worse, too many of his ideas and opinions are presented uncritically.

    Despite these reservations, worth a read.

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