Edited by John Wanna, Research School of Social Sciences, The Australian National University, Australia, Evert A. Lindquist, Professor, School of Public Administration, University of Victoria, Canada and Jouke de Vries, Professor of Governance and Public Policy, University of Groningen and Dean of Campus Fryslân, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands

• Contents:Acknowledgements1. Meeting the Challenge of the Global Financial Crisis in OECD Nations – Fiscal Responses and Future ChallengesEvert A. Lindquist, Jouke de Vries and John Wanna2. The United States Response to the Global Financial Crisis – From Robust Stimulus to Fiscal GridlockPaul L. Posner and Denise M. Fantone3. Canada’s Reactive Budget Response to the Global Financial Crisis – From Resilience and Brinkmanship to Agility and InnovationDavid A. Good and Evert A. Lindquist4. Australian and New Zealand Responses to the ‘Fiscal Tsunami’ of the Global Financial Crisis – Preparation and Precipitous Action with the Promise of ConsolidationJohn Wanna5. Budgeting in Japan after the Global Financial Crisis – Postponing Decisions on Crucial IssuesMasahiro Horie6. Budgetary Challenges in The Netherlands – Resuming Business after a Turbulent TimeJouke de Vries and Tom Degen7. The Global Financial Crisis in Denmark and Sweden – A Case of Management ‘Lite’Lotte Jensen and Sysser Davidsen 8. Spain Facing the Global Financial Crisis – Cutting Public Spending and Struggling with Structural ReformsEduardo Zapico-Goñi9. Portugal and the Global Financial Crisis – Short-sighted Politics, Deteriorating Public Finances and the Bailout ImperativePaulo T. Pereira and Lara Wemans10. The Global Financial Crisis in Greece – Its Background Causes, Escalation and Prospects for RecoveryMichael G. Arghyrou11. Managing Ireland’s Budgets During the Rise and Fall of the ‘Celtic Tiger’Richard Boyle and Michael Mulreany12. Readiness, Resilience, Reform and Persistence of Budget Systems after the GFC – Conclusions and ImplicationsEvert A. Lindquist, Jouke de Vries and John WannaIndex

‘This is a timely, important book for fiscal policy-makers and budget practitioners. It assesses why some advanced democracies were prepared for the global financial crisis and others were not, and how some countries responded in ways that exacerbated fiscal instability. Its dozen country cases offer highly relevant lessons for mitigating cyclical disturbances that frequently beset national budgets and for managing public finances during turbulent times. The key takeaway message is that government capacity and budget policies matter and should dispel the notion that all countries are helpless when crisis strikes.’