hydrOHxide t1_j2udvyh wrote on January 4, 2023 at 12:33 AM

Reply to comment by Cranialscrewtop in European economies have developed stronger anti-trust regulations, more competitive markets, and more robust consumer protection than the US in the last 20 years. The reason for this is the EU. EU member states are incentivized to empower a strongly independent pro-competition regulator. by smurfyjenkins

You present the metrics as something purely positive, but that's not what they actually are.

"Employment" in the US translates to some people working three jobs to make ends meet. In the EU, it's perfectly fine if someone works part-time and tops up with taxpayer money to take care of their family. Growth, likewise, doesn't follow the "the higher the better" notion - there's a potential growth that's optimal for an economy, going beyond that is actually not beneficial.

With inflation, the EU juggles a whole lot of different economies, some of which would benefit from higher inflation, some from lower - as such, the ECB has an inflation target that they try to keep inflation of the Euro close to. Too low an inflation can also have negative consequences, and that's something many here in Germany haven't quite realized yet.

Also, inflation can have different causes - intrinsic structural ones or exogenic ones - the latter are often transitory. Inflation in the US and inflation in Europe are currently driven by fundamentally different problems.