Dan Breznitz (Georgia Tech): Ideas, Structure, State Action and Economic Growth: Rethinking the Irish Miracle. Lorenzo Zucca (King's): Crucifix in the Classroom: The Grand Chamber decision in Lautsi. A look at how European Christians don’t want government to reduce income inequality. Eyes to the far right: K Biswas charts the rise of "nativist" populism in Europe. Could the humble potato have spurred Europe’s rise, from 1700 to 1900? Michael Ruse on German culture: Goethe, Wagner, Hitler? A review of Spain: A Unique History by Stanley G. Payne. A True Finnish Spring: A national identity crisis follows an election. As a former punk rock hell-raiser and renowned comedian, Jon Gnarr may not have been the most obvious choice as mayor of Reykjavik in the aftermath of a financial crisis. A review of Immigrant Nations by Paul Scheffer. Marine Le Pen, France’s (kinder, gentler) extremist: She is taking the far-right National Front Party where her truculent father never could — into the country’s mainstream politics. Giorgia Serughetti and Alessandro Lanni on the women of Berlusconi’s Italy. Last December, a Romanian man made headlines when he leapt off a seven-meter-high balcony in the parliament in Bucharest — Adrian Sobaru's protest against the country's austerity measures has made him a hero for some and sparked a debate over Romania's future. Honoring Baltasar Garzon: The Spanish judge who dared to hold brutal human rights violators to account is now fighting for his legal career. The Eurovision Song Contest proves that Europeans are just as tacky as Americans (and more and more). Martin Lewis on the ambiguities of sovereignty in early modern central Europe. Iceland’s Big Thaw: Yes, the country is recovering, by forgetting about banking and rediscovering its essential weirdness — ever try cod sperm?
