But this neglects a crucial fact: austerity worked in Europe’s other crisis-hit countries. Indeed, Portugal, Ireland, Spain, and even Cyprus are showing clear signs of recovery, with unemployment finally falling (albeit slowly and from high levels) and access to capital markets restored.
而阻碍希腊新援助条款的最根本原因就是其自身认知——并由其当前的经济困局不断强化——认为该国是过度紧缩政策的牺牲品。但这忽视了一个关键的事实：紧缩政策对其他受危机冲击的欧洲国家是起作用的。事实上，爱尔兰，西班牙甚至塞浦路斯都呈现出明确的复苏迹象，失业率终于开始下降（虽然缓慢并从高位下行），从资本市场融资的渠道也得到了恢复。