Dr Claes Belfrage: progressive austerity in Iceland
Lecturer in International Business, Dr Claes Belfrage gave an invited talk on “’Progressive Austerity’: lessons from the Icelandic approach” at the 15th Sandwell Health and Other Economic Summit 2016: Austerity, Poverty and Health on Monday 26th September at Portway Leisure Centre, Oldbury.
The talk was part of The Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH), a collaborative organisation working in partnership with others where appropriate in order to both maximise the voice for public health and to minimise the use of resources.
The talk addressed the Icelandic ‘progressive’ alternative to Austerity following the financial crisis highlighting wage and tax policy along with debt relief, but also the depth of the crisis and the politics of dissent that keep on pushing this ‘progressive’ approach to austerity onwards. The presentation defined austerity in Iceland and highlighted the history of Icelandic finacialisation. Finally, it identified key lessons to be learnt from the Icelandic alternative, especially for Public Health.