Kevin O’Rourke on Ireland and Europe

The Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) carries a video interview with Kevin – you can find it here.

WSJ: Sorry, Professor Sinn, You’re Way Off Target This Time

This WSJ article provides another critique of Sinn’s Target 2 analysis.

LBS: Private-Sector Involvement “a good idea”

Karl posted a link to yesterday’s speech by Lorenzo Bini-Smaghi.  I would focus on his theme  that debt restructuring is a good idea but that it should be used as a last resort, rather than pre-emptively.  Some relevant quotes:

The point I would like to make is that having the private sector actively involved in preventing and resolving sovereign crises is a good idea.

and later

This is why such restructuring should only be the last resort, i.e. when it is clear that the debtor country cannot repay its debts.

and

Where is the problem? The problem emerges when debt restructuring is carried out not as the last resort but as a preventive tool, even becoming a precondition for receiving (or providing) financial assistance, a point mentioned in some official circles since mid-October 2010. Debt restructuring would be a way to tackle not only dramatic cases of insolvency but also any difficulties countries face in accessing the financial markets.

Accordingly, the speech usefully boils down the argument to its essence –  at what point should policymakers insist on private-sector burden sharing vis-a-vis sovereign debt?  LBS provides reasons to argue that it is too early to close off other options; others will judge that it is better to eliminate the debt overhang now.

Charlie Rose: The State of the U.S. Economy

For something a bit different, Charlie Rose hosts an interesting round table discussion on the U.S. economy with David Walker, Jared Bernstein, Paul Krugman and Kenneth Rogoff.   See here (36:38 minutes; click on the picture).

Update: Readers might also find interesting this NYT op-ed by recent Nobel winner Peter Diamond on the withdrawal of his nomination for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve.

Donal Donovan: Irish bailout actions display credibility the Greeks lack

Donal Donovan writes in today’s Irish Times on the importance of demonstrating the political capacity to see through the adjustment programme: article here