In the long aftermath of the acute global financial crisis of 2008/09, the need to get economies back on track and to handle high levels of public and private debt has created conflicting objectives. Challenges yet to be mastered are the need to avoid counterproductive measures of adjustment and the persistent need to 'rebalance' the economy with new sources of growth and productivity. Hence, there is an urgent requirement for policies to reverse the decline in public and private investment, and to fuel innovation.These needs, and the corresponding policy challenges, are especially prevalent in Europe, in particular Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. On this issue, this book contributes important lessons learned from earlier balance sheet recessions. It also addresses the often overlooked link between macroeconomic imbalances and economic inequality. A mix of contributions from academics and policy-makers focus on the interaction between monetary policy and financial stability, adding regional perspectives to the resulting dilemmas and trade-offs.

This book is essential reading for the study of economics in emerging economies.

Contributors: T. Beck, M. Belka, S. Chakrabarti, D. Daianu, J.B. DeLong, N. Fabris, M. Gächter, M. Geiger, F. Glotzl, D. Gros, M. Holzner, J. in 't Veld, R.C. Koo, R. Kuodis, E. Nowotny, P. Pontuch, R. Raciborski, L. Reichlin, D. Ritzberger-Grunwald, H. Schuberth, M. Singer, L.E.O. Svensson, T. van Treeck