Germany and the EU can’t afford to drive a hard bargain over Brexit

Many assume the EU will take a punitive stance towards Brexit negotiations in an effort to deter Eurosceptic parties. But Gunnar Beck argues that Germany’s negotiating position is weaker than most people realise – largely thanks to Angela Merkel’s disguise of the true cost of the eurozone bailout. Italy, too, is in no position to put its exports at risk. If she makes a few minor concessions, he predicts, Theresa May will be able to choose her terms

Angela Merkel will soften her stance on austerity and debt mutualisation, regardless of whether German citizens support it or not

One of the key issues in relation to the new German government is whether it will alter its course on European issues, in particular by relaxing the promotion of austerity policies and embracing some form of debt-mutualisation in the Eurozone. Gunnar Beck outlines eight reasons why Angela Merkel will relax her stance on austerity and debt mutualisation. He argues that regardless of whether German citizens support these policies or not, the German Chancellor will do whatever it takes to save the euro

ECJ legal rulings designed to help the Eurozone are threatening the accountability of European governance

One of the most controversial issues during the Eurozone crisis has been the extent to which policies aimed at resolving the crisis, such as the decision by the European Central Bank to adopt ‘Outright Monetary Transactions’ (OMT), comply with EU law. Gunnar Beck writes that the European Court of Justice has adopted outwardly ‘political’ rulings which allow for courses of action to take place which are incompatible with the EU’s treaty framework. He argues that this approach has undermined the accountability of European governance and has ensured EU law has become merely the continuation of politics by other means

The seven days of Brexit: how a Leave government could bypass Article 50

Most agree that leaving the EU would entail a negotiating period of at least two years, as set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. But, argue Frank Vibert and Gunnar Beck, this is not a certainty. If a Brexit vote – combined with a Commons majority in favour of Leave – were deemed to constitute ‘a fundamental change of circumstances’ under the UN’s Vienna convention on the Law of Treaties, Britain could leave the EU immediately. They set out a timetable that would see Britain leave the EU within a week

Longitudinal examination of infant baseline and reactivity cortisol from ages 7 to 16 months

This study characterized the longitudinal evolution of HPA axis functioning from 7 to 16 months of age and identified individual and environmental factors that shape changes in HPA axis functioning over time. Participants were 167 mother–infant dyads drawn from a larger longitudinal study, recruited based on maternal history of being maltreated during childhood. Salivary cortisol levels were assessed before and after age‐appropriate psychosocial stressors when infants were 7 and 16 months old. Maternal observed parenting and maternal reports of infant and environmental characteristics were obtained at 7 months and evaluated as predictors of changes in infant baseline cortisol and reactivity from 7 to 16 months. Results revealed that infants did not show a cortisol response at 7 months, but reactivity to psychosocial stress emerged by 16 months. Individual differences in cortisol baseline and reactivity levels over time were related to infant sex and maternal overcontrolling behaviors, underscoring the malleable and socially informed nature of early HPA axis functioning. Findings can inform prevention and intervention efforts to promote healthy stress regulation during infancy. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 57: 356–364, 2015.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110887/1/dev21296.pd

Probing the exciton condensate phase in 1T-TiSe2 with photoemission

International audienceWe present recent results obtained using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy performed on 1T-TiSe2. Emphasis is put on the peculiarity of the bandstructure of TiSe2 compared to other transition metal dichalcogenides, which suggests that this system is an excellent candidate for the realization of the excitonic insulator phase. This exotic phase is discussed in relation to the BCS theory, and its spectroscopic signature is computed via a model adapted to the particular bandstructure of 1T-TiSe2. A comparison between photoemission intensity maps calculated with the spectral function derived for this model and experimental results is shown, giving strong support for the exciton condensate phase as the origin of the charge density wave transition observed in 1T-TiSe2. The temperature-dependent order parameter characterizing the exciton condensate phase is discussed, both on a theoretical and an experimental basis, as well as the chemical potential shift occurring in this system. Finally, the transport properties of 1T-TiSe2 are analyzed in the light of the photoemission results