Working Paper

Ten Years After: Iceland's Unfinished Business

Thorvaldur Gylfason
CESifo, Munich, 2018

CESifo Working Paper No. 7318

This study discusses the economic, political, and judicial aftermath of Iceland´s financial collapse in 2008. It considers lessons learned, or not learned, with emphasis on unsettled issues concerning the distribution of incomes and wealth, banking, and politics. The study makes three main points. First, the measurement of income flows and living standards needs to be adjusted in two respects. Second, since the crisis, Ireland has made a significantly stronger recovery than Iceland in terms of per capita income. Third, Iceland´s economic recovery from the crisis is marred by a visible deterioration of various components of the country´s social capital.

CESifo Category
Fiscal Policy, Macroeconomics and Growth
Monetary Policy and International Finance
JEL Classification: G010