Agreements with, and access to, the International Monetary Fund and Europe s new bailout fund provide (soft) constraints.

After a bank s shareholders are wiped out and its creditors take an 8 haircut, the European Fund transforms itself into a bailout fund, justifying some of Germany s fears. And there is no explicit prohibition of some form of national government bailout.

After a bank s shareholders are wiped out and its creditors take an 8 haircut, the European Fund transforms itself into a bailout fund, justifying some of Germany s fears.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel prevailed with her demand that the International Monetary Fund participate in a Greek bailout, should one be necessary.

Despite a 2.8 billion International Monetary Fund bailout package, the economy continues to totter, with inflation soaring and public sector salary disputes flaring.

And then Greece, Ireland, and Portugal lost access to credit markets, requiring bailout packages from the International Monetary Fund and the European Union.

Bailout Blues

Busted Bailout

ATHENS Germany s arguments against introducing Eurobonds, expanding the eurozone s bailout fund, and instituting a comprehensive system of economic governance are transparent and easy to understand.

Indeed, we are warned almost daily by the International Monetary Fund and others that if bailout efforts are not greatly expanded, the euro will perish.

The game started with the bailout fund for Greece, which was followed by the European Financial Stability Facility, the European Financial Stability Mechanism, and the International Monetary Fund, which in turn were relieved by the ESM.

The Bailout Bias

China s American Bailout?

And it would spare German and other taxpayers from the EU s solvent northern countries from having to fund yet another bailout of a southern member state.

ATHENS Germany s arguments against introducing Eurobonds, expanding the eurozone s bailout fund, and instituting a comprehensive system of economic governance are transparent and easy to understand. But are they right?

Why the Greek Bailout Failed

Third, bailout fatigue is apparent.

The ECB s Secret Bailout Strategy

Consider the Irish bailout sorcery.

Does it need a BailOut?

Even talk of a government bailout reduces the debt holders incentive to act, making the bailout more necessary.

ATHENS Even as the European Union and the International Monetary Fund lay the groundwork for a giant first round bailout, debate is swirling about whether Greece can avoid sovereign default.

And the decision to combine the eurozone s new bailout fund (the European Stability Mechanism) with the old one (the European Financial Stability Facility) significantly increased the size of the eurozone s firewall.

I cannot plead for a government bailout.

The bailout exposed deep hypocrisy all around.

The ESM is Ireland s insurance policy as we work our way out of the bailout program with the troika (the European Commission, the ECB, and the International Monetary Fund) and return to the markets.

Second, the eurozone s bailout bill continues to rise.

The Swiss government could afford the bailout, just.

Europe has similarly expanded its regional bailout facility.

Is that outcome morally superior to a bailout?

Eurozone taxpayers provided 10 billion in bailout funds.

This comes despite the combined bailout package that the European Union, International Monetary Fund, and European Central Bank created for Greece in May, and despite the ECB s continuing program of buying peripheral EU countries bonds.

To be sure, there is always the possibility that Greece s increasingly dire situation will finally catalyze the creation of a democratically legitimate pan European bailout fund that provides automatic and unconditional relief to struggling countries.

The bailout packages are, in this light, impressive achievements.

The bailout fund created last year by the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank to enable Greece and other distressed sovereigns, like Ireland and now Portugal, does exactly that, but on the condition that they implement austerity programs to eliminate their deficits over a short period of time.

Absent a foreign bailout, no other solution was on offer.

First came the Greek crisis, followed by the Greek bailout.

The reality of the 1976 bailout is even more complicated.

Spend in haste, repent at leisure America s latest bailout plan

Here is where the latest Irish bailout is particularly disconcerting.

The bailout of banks led to a wave of mergers.

Reacting to the US bailout plan, a Filipino academic writes

Nations everywhere are starting to implement aggressive stimulus and bailout packages.

A recent example is the Greek bailout agreement of May 2010.

Another conservative accusation is that a bailout would infringe free trade rules.