Anti-austerity anger swept away the reform agenda of Mario Monti’s previous technocratic government, leaving Italy, its future uncertain, to continue muddling through. The same scenario seems to be emerging in Greece, where the depth of the austerity-induced recession, with output down by 25% over five years and unemployment at 27%, is paralyzing a reform-minded center-right government.
最近的意大利选举表明，紧缩政策和追求改革的合力可以造成极坏的效果。反紧缩愤怒扫荡了蒙蒂的前技术官僚政府的改革日程，未来充满不确定性的意大利走回了得过且过的老路。相同的情景还出现在希腊，紧缩引发的深度衰退让产出在五年中下降了25%，失业率上升到27%，也在严重削弱持改革态度的中右翼政府。