Fresh Approaches to Boosting GDP
“As of September, all
European Union countries will be required to take fuller accounting of trade in
sex, drugs and other underground businesses as part of an overhaul of economic
measurements by Eurostat, the European statistics agency. The point of counting
everything, including the wages of sin, is to get a more accurate reading of
each country’s gross domestic product. Because G.D.P. is such an important
number — one that can sway national policies and make or break politicians —
the European Union wants numbers “better reflecting the economic environment,”
Vincent Bourgeais, a Eurostat spokesman, said. With European Union governments
obliged to reduce debt as a percentage of their economies, the changes are also
expected to make growth rates from Spain to Sweden look better, possibly also
making debt ratios seem rosier.”
France Fixes Book Prices
Apparently, a long standing French law limits book discounts:
“Its 1981 “Lang law,” named after former
Culture Minister Jack Lang, says that no seller can offer more than 5 percent
off the cover price of new books. That means a book costs more or less the same
wherever you buy it in France, even online.”
EU versus Silicon Valley
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/06/google-amazon-europe-goes-to-war-power-digital-giants
UPDATE: International Affairs - A Complex Triangle
UPDATE: International Affairs - A Complex Triangle
Germany-Russia-US