About the Author

Hannes Androsch was born in Vienna (Austria) in 1938. In the 1970s and 1980s he was one of the foremost politicians in the country, serving in successive Bruno Kreisky administrations as finance minister and vice-chancellor. After leaving politics, he served as general director of the Creditanstalt-Bankverein and as a consultant with the World Bank. Today, Dr. Androsch is holding a range of industrial enterprises, in addition to his activities in scientific and cultural institutions. He is widely sought after for his views on important financial, economic, and political events in Europe and is a regular contributor of articles and commentaries to a wide range of journals and periodicals.