Simon Tilford

Simon Tilford

Associate fellow
Areas of expertise 

Britain and Europe, the euro, fiscal and monetary policy, labour and social policy, competition, innovation, environmental economics and demographics.

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A Greek exit will not be cathartic

A Greek exit will not be cathartic

25 May 2012
How the eurozone handles Greece will determine whether or not the single currency survives – and hence the future of the EU as a whole.
If a Greek exit from the eurozone is mishandled, contagion to the other struggling member-states could be uncontrollable, leading inexorably to the collapse of the euro....
Germany's choice

Germany's choice: Higher inflation or sovereign defaults

09 May 2012
Germany faces a choice between higher inflation or a wave of sovereign defaults culminating in either a transfer union or the collapse of the eurozone.
Stable public finances require stronger business investment

Stable public finances require stronger business investment

26 March 2012
Economic recovery in Europe is being held back by the unprecedented weakness of business investment. Despite a secular decline in business taxation and labour market reforms that have boosted the power of capital relative to labour, the ratio of investment-to-GDP across the EU is at a 60 year low. Rather...
A big eurozone gamble

Eurozone policy-makers place a big bet

13 March 2012
The ECB's decision to lend almost unlimited amounts of money to Europe's banks has bought the eurozone some time. But there is risk that time will be wasted.
France: Why the self-flagellation?

France: Why the self-flagellation?

10 February 2012
France has its economic weaknesses. But in some important respects its model holds out better prospects for a return to economic growth across the eurozone than does Germany's.
The Baltic states and Ireland are not a model for Italy and Spain

The Baltic states and Ireland are not a model for Italy and Spain

27 January 2012
Were Italy and Spain to emulate the Baltics states and Ireland, the implications for the European economy and the future of the euro would be devastating.
Needed: A growth strategy for Europe file thumbnail

Needed: A growth strategy for Europe

26 January 2012
The struggle to address the eurozone crisis means that Europe's unprecedented economic malaise is receiving far too little attention. To the extent that the EU has a growth strategy it relies heavily on the adoption of structural reforms in the crisis-hit eurozone economies. But such reforms alone will not drive...
Summit reaction

EU summit: Enough to save the euro?

08 December 2011
The UK’s decision to marginalise itself by vetoing a new EU-27 treaty has dominated the post-summit media coverage. And for good reason – it could prove a big step towards UK withdrawal from the EU. However, the bigger question is whether the agreement reached at the summit will do anything to address the fundamentals of the euro crisis. 
The ECB must stand behind the euro

The ECB must stand behind the euro

28 November 2011
The eurozone is now subject to a full-blown run on its bond market. Spanish and Italian borrowing costs are now higher than those of Greece, Ireland and Portugal when they were forced to seek bail-outs from the EU and IMF. The crisis has spread to Belgium and France, and even...
Why stricter rules threaten the eurozone

Why stricter rules threaten the eurozone

09 November 2011
To restore confidence in the eurozone, leaders must fix its institutional flaws and stretch some rules in the interim. Instead, they are doing the opposite.