Is It Easier On the Outside?

See this post at the Economist’s Free Exchange blog.

Public Capital Programme

Here is a link to the new infrastructure and capital investment programme. There is a lot in there so it will take a little time to digest it.

Some quick points:

– There is a commitment to the National Children’s Hospital;

– There is funding for new schools;

– Luas BXD to go ahead (Metro North and DART Interconnector shelved, Metro West was shelved some time ago);

– the A5 project in Northern Ireland (80 km from the border to Derry) has now also been shelved (in addition to the shelving of 45 other national roads projects announced some time ago);

Boone, Dooley, O’Hagan and Pisani-Ferry on European Sovereign Debt Crisis

The audio and video recordings from the October 25 event are now available

Also available on iTunes (search for Henry Grattan)

New Idea from Germany

The FT reports that the German economic advisory council advocates a ‘vast euro debt fund‘ (€2.3 trillion) which would be focused on debt redemption.

Update: this expert group has now written a VOX article on the topic.

Third and Fourth Level Education

The challenges facing public universities in the United States have some parallels here –  Pete Orszag has a Bloomberg article here.

This research article highlights that there is a widening earnings gap between primary degree holders and postgraaduate degree holders.