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Economy and ethics in crisis
"Europe talks to Europe" debate in Bucharest
When the financial crisis made clear the extent of western banks' involvement in eastern European economies, concerns surfaced about the effects on western economies, re-awakening perceptions of the East as unruly and unpredictable. In the East, meanwhile, suspicions were reinforced that the West was interested in the new EU member states only insofar as they provided an opportunity to expand existing markets.
What are the ethical and political implications of a globalized economy in general, and of western companies' expansion in eastern Europe in particular? Does the financial crisis mark the end of neoliberal politics? What does the European integration project really mean, not only economically but also at a social and cultural level? Has the failure of existing political and economic structures in the current situation opened up a new-old east-west divide?
ECONOMY AND ETHICS IN CRISIS
A new-old east-west divide?
Speakers:
Robert Misik (Vienna)
Daniel Daianu (Bucharest)
Chair: Mircea Vasilescu (Dilema veche)
Introduction: Carl Henrik Fredriksson (Eurozine)
Language: English
Time: Wednesday 31 March, 6 p.m.
Place: Romanian Cultural Institute, 38 Aleea Alexandru, Bucharest
About the speakers
Robert Misik is an Austrian author and journalist. He is a regular contributor to magazines and newspapers in Germany and Austria, including Die Tageszeitung, Der Standard, Profil and Falter. In 1999 he was awarded the Bruno-Kreisky-Preis for the Political Book and in 2008 the Austrian State Prize for cultural journalism. Misik has written extensively on the consequences of globalization, establishing himself as a fierce critic of neoliberalism and a proponent of state regulation of the economy.Daniel Daianu is a Romanian economist. In the 1990s, he was the Finance Minister of Romania and the Chief Economist of the Romanian National Bank. From 2007 to 2009, he was an MEP belonging to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. He is also an associate member of the Romanian Academy and a professor of public finance at the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration in Bucharest. Daianu has taken a strong position against western European banks receiving state aids to withstand the crisis, while at the same time speculating against eastern European currencies with disastrous effects on emerging economies in the region.
Europe talks to Europe
A polylogue on culture and politics
From Autumn 2009 to Spring 2011, Eurozine organizes a series of high-profile debates in different central and eastern European cities, including Budapest, Bratislava, Brno, Bucharest, Ljubljana, Sofia, Warsaw and Vienna. Making use of a well-established media platform and a wide-ranging network of editors, authors and intellectuals, the debates will make a substantial contribution to cross-border discussion on cultural identities and the European integration project.The Bucharest debate, part of the series "Europe talks to Europe", is a cooperation between Eurozine and the ERSTE Foundation, realised together with Dilema veche and The Romanian Cultural Institute.
More information about the debate series Europe talks to Europe.With the financial support of the European Commission and the ERSTE Foundation.
Published 2010-03-01
Original in English
© Eurozine
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