CNE Monatsmagazin Digest
December 2004

English Summary

Go tell it on the mountain: News from CNE - The new Journal for the New Europe is a biannual interdisciplinary online-journal, published by The Centre for the New Europe. Issues can be downloaded for free at www.cne.org. The journal includes scholarly articles in the humanities, a forum with essay-type papers on changing topics, and book reviews.

It is simple, but not easy: CNE-Board Member Wilfried Prewo explains his empowerment reform proposal and CNE-publication, From Welfare State to Social State. The cornerstone is the Social Savings Account. It can be applied to sick leave, health, unemployment, and pension. Substitution within each area as well as between them - savings from unemployment insurance used for pension insurance - is not just possible, but desirable.

Oh come all ye faithful: The Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy Council (PEPC) met in Lisbon to discuss the frightening discontent of Europeans with their health care systems (84%, according to a poll by Populus in eight EU-countries), look at the hidden costs of co-payments and at the pros and cons of various European health care systems.

Arthur-Koestler-Award: DGHS (German Society for Dying with Dignity) awarded Professor Gerard Radnitzky, member of CNE's Academic Advisory Council, for his essay on "Suicide and final care as philosophical problem". In his acceptance speech, Radnitzky addressed the main two threats to freedom and self-determination, namely anti-individualism and occidental fundamentalism.

A conservative Hayek? To Rostock political scientist Hans Jörg Hennecke, Michael Oakeshott is a sort of English Wilhelm Röpke. "While in his own country seen as a leading political philosopher, Germans almost silenced Michael Oakeshott up to day", says Hennecke. In his essay he highlights analogies to Hayek and Oakeshott's original critique of rationalism.

Winter Wonderland: We should be much more grateful to politicians, says Hardy Bouillon sneeringly, "or else they might wish to destroy our "winter wonderland". It is rumoured that some politicians even think that the increase in paper money is not a good idea at all and that financial crashes are caused by the FEDs of this world. How stupid, as if fiat money and 20th century 25 hyperinflations were in any way connected."

Click here to view the full Monatsmagazin in German.

Dr. Hardy Bouillon is Head of Academic Affairs at the Centre for the New Europe.