Stiglitz was chair of the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress in 2008 and last year was appointed to the United Nations General Assembly as chair of the Commission of Experts on Reform of the International Financial and Monetary System.

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Since then, two of those countries, Latvia and Cyprus, have needed financial aid from the EU and International Monetary Fund, while Slovenia is restructuring its ailing banking system to avoid requesting a bailout.

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