First and foremost, the dogma that solid public finances – and, more broadly, a functioning state – can be achieved only through painful austerity is an illusion. When forced to choose between their societies and their clientele, politicians may well decide that allowing social tensions to rise – even to dangerous levels – is better than sacrificing their own power bases.
遍及南欧的政治和社会动荡给紧缩支持者提供了不少教训，特别是德国。首先，稳固的公共财政——更广义地说，运转良好的国家——只有通过痛苦的紧缩才能实现的观点纯属幻觉。当政客不得不在社会和衣食父母之间做出选择时，他们极有可能会放任社会紧张发展——即使到达了危险水平——而不愿牺牲自身权力基础。