On May 25, Le Monde published in its Ideas section a new essay by Center Director Edmund Phelps on the central fault of the Tunisian economy that the youth were protesting. In this piece, he argues that a misdiagnosis by European economists has lead them to prescriptions that would do nothing to bring about a reform of the Tunisian economy that would meet the needs of the protesters for meaningful careers. The piece was based off of a speech Professor Phelps gave at the XXIII National Forum, on May 16, 2011, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Here is a link to the piece in English, republished on May 31 in Project Syndicate.
