A look back at the roundtable "From austerity to sobriety?"

The notion of "sobriety" entered the public debate in the wake of the energy crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On November 13th, 2023, we organised a roundtable discussion entitled "From austerity to sobriety?", with the aim of conceptualising the role of sobriety in shaping public policy and questioning its relationship with the idea of "austerity", which has dominated public policy for over ten years. At a time when investment needs have increased to ensure the ecological transition while protecting our social models, it is crucial to grasp the issues raised by these two concepts and their implications for the direction of public spending.

Listen to the presentations (in English) by two members of the CEE, Colin Hay, professor of political science and an expert on the evolution of welfare states, Ulrike Lepont, CNRS research fellow who studies public investment policies, as well as by Clara Leonard, PhD in economics and co-founder of the Institut Avant-Garde, a nonpartisan think tank whose aim is to transform economic thought by drawing on research. The roundtable was introduced by Claire Lejeune and Meryem Bezzaz, Phd Candidates at the CEE.

Read a wrap-up by the Institut Avant-Garde (in French).

Read academic articles recently published by Colin Hay and Ulrike Lepont (in English):

• “Public spending and austerity: The two faces of the French Investor State”, Ulrike Lepont, Competition and Change, first published online on 13 November 2023.
• "The ‘New Orleans effect’: The future of the welfare state as collective insurance against uninsurable risk", Colin Hay, Renewal: A journal of social democracy, 31 (3). pp. 63-81. ISSN 0968-252X, first published online on 27 September 2023.