On Collision Course : The European Central Bank,Monetary Policy,and the Nordic Welfare Model

The question addressed in this paper is whether a particular discursive construction of globalization sets the boundaries for what is politically feasible within the EU. To answer this question, the macroeconomic policies of the European Monetary and Economic Union with its rigid emphasis on price stability are analysed in the context of the Nordic promise to preserve the present level of social programmes. What makes this 'puzzle' so interesting is that for the first time a large section of women voters hold the key to joining EMU. The analysis differs frommanyother feminist approaches to EMUand equal opportunity policy in that it combines a constructivist understanding of EMU with feminist political economy. The paper concludes that the Nordic promise to its female constituency to safeguard the present socialandemployment system cannot be sustained within the context of the restrictive monetary regime institutionalized by EMU. Feminist economists are calling for a 'transformative' approach to macroeconomics arguing that democratizing the process of macroeconomic policy making is a crucial element in changing the fundamental assumptions of the present neo-liberal policies and provides an alternative that would lead to a more gender-democratic Europe.     

实证政治经济学视角下的政治因素对宏观经济影响分析

主流经济学在讨论宏观经济理论时,常常忽略政治价值与意识形态等政治问题及其诸如维护全体一致和派系形成等政治需要,在一个不受政治因素影响的环境下来论述宏观经济现象的波动。有鉴于此,实证政治经济学引入政党竞争、投票活动及派系活动等政治变量,试图理解现实世界中各种政治制度的运作与演变对宏观经济变动的影响。实证政治经济学的研究领域几乎涉及宏观经济的每一个重要领域,也取得了丰硕的成果。本文回顾了实证政治经济学在经济周期、公共支出规模、公共支出组合和社会福利支出等重要宏观经济问题上的主要研究成果,并指出实证政治经济学的重要理论意义及其借鉴价值。