Causes of the 1980s Slump in Europe

Jean-Paul Fitoussi (1) , Edmund S Phelps (2)

1 OFCE - Observatoire français des conjonctures économiques (Sciences Po)
2 Center on Capitalism and Society

UNEMPLOYMENT in Europe has reached levels in this decade that have not been seen since the Great Depression. The annual unemployment rate in the European Economic Community rose sharply in 1981 and continued rising to its 1984-85 plateau. In contrast, the U.S. unemployment rate, which also rose to a postwar record level, nearly regained its 1980 level by 1985, as shown below.

Domaines: Economies et finances

Jean-Paul Fitoussi, Edmund S Phelps. Causes of the 1980s Slump in Europe. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 1986, 2, pp.487-520. ⟨hal-01025314⟩