Austerity and Anarchy: Budget Cuts and Social Unrest in Europe, 1919-2009

Hans-Joachim Voth, Jacopo Ponticelli, Tue, 08/09/2011

In the wake of this week's London riots, some commentators have linked the youth unrest to budget cuts. The authors of CEPR DP8513 explore the historical basis for this view and find that austerity and violence have tended to go hand in hand.

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URL: www.cepr.org/DP8513

Topics: Global crisis Macroeconomic policy Poverty and income inequality Welfare state and social Europe

Tags: Europe, London riots, demonstrations, government deficits, instability, public expediture, riots and unrest