Austerity policies and structural reforms are leading to theAmericanization of the European Social Model

Will Europe’s social model survive the current Eurozone crisis? Antonio Lettieri argues that the politics of the new “Frankfurt-Brussels consensus” are based on austerity and “structural reforms”. Reductions in social spending that are going hand in hand with the increased privatization of pension, health and education systems point towards an ‘Americanized’ social model for Europe in the future.