Can Consistent Underfunding Doom a Country? — On the Perils of Austerity
As some of you might know, I have taken up a journalist position at Czech Radio’s external service Radio Prague International. So, I have been publishing less on this blog as a result — as well as working on my, I’m happy to say, near-finished dissertation thesis (I’ll have more info about that shortly).
But because of my journalist position, I have been focusing a lot more on the Czech Republic (also known as Czechia).
Czechia is an interesting country because of how much it embodies neoliberal politics. It has incredibly low wages in comparison with the Western world and underfunds a host of sectors. And, as a result (I’d like to think), I think it’s lagging in innovation and has turbulent politics that fan the flames for the populist opposition.
So, I thought I would highlight my problem with neoliberalism’s austerity policy in Czechia via a few areas.
I also have an interview coming out with an expert on the topic shortly, which I hope to publish here as well. Stay tuned.
Let me explain.
Recent reports have shown that labor market conditions in Czechia have deteriorated for the third consecutive year and are now ranked as the tenth worst in the EU, primarily due to low flexibility and…
