The IRA and European industrial policy
With the US turning interventionist, the EU will look foolish still backing ‘free markets’. Time for an enterprise policy.
Economy
The shakeup the World Bank needs
If Ajay Banga is confirmed as World Bank president he will have to meet the demands of a global south eager for change.
Moldova first domino in a Russian plan for escalation?
Events in Georgia represent a setback for Russia’s meddling in the post-Soviet neighbourhood. But they are no sign it will end.
Separate and unequal: gender segregation at work
Gender segregation in sectors, occupations and roles still sees women persistently losing out.
Will tech layoffs silence or galvanise tech workers?
Mass layoffs have hit large technology companies. Previously well-paid workers suddenly became the target of brutal firings.
Disaster in Greece: when politics goes off the rails
The government’s efforts to deflect responsibility for the train disaster have failed to contain public outrage.
How to promote green industry beyond subsidies
The EU has more to offer green industry—a stronger regulatory framework and credible carbon pricing.
The myth of meritocracy and the populist threat
Social democrats, Lisa Pelling writes, should abandon the idea of meritocracy if they are to reconnect with les classes populaires.
Germany trapped in an unavoidable change
Germany has made significant strides to transcend ordoliberal nostra. But huge obstacles still stand in the way of progress.
Impartiality and public-service media
The media storm in Britain around a television personality speaks volumes about why the UK has become a dysfunctional state.
Corporate greenwashing—misusing ‘net zero’ pledges
Companies are making ‘carbon neutral’ claims based on dubious emissions offsetting and ‘insetting’—rather than actual cuts.
Invisible women—creators, carers and mental health
The European mental-health strategy should recognise the burdens women face—and the role of culture in lightening them.
How to strengthen women’s resilience to disasters
Gender inequality exacerbates the impact of natural disasters, whose consequences compound it.
A conjured-up polarisation endangers democracy
European societies are less polarised than in the United States—and than we are led to believe.
Consultants and the crisis of capitalism
Growing reliance on big consultancies is stunting state capacity and undermining democratic accountability.
Making the most of the European Year of Skills
Learning to learn must be embedded in working life, Sofia Fernandes writes, if the EU is to meet social and economic goals.
EU concerned by Ukraine’s controversial labour reforms
The European Union says Ukraine’s reforms must follow international labour standards.
What’s driving the social crisis in France
The huge demonstrations against the pension ‘reform’ stem from accumulating resentment under Emmanuel Macron.
Sustainable competitiveness needs a social dimension
Glancing across the Atlantic, austerity and deregulation will make Europe neither competitive nor green.
How the banking lobby diluted EU regulation
EU institutions have taken a position weakening international standards and risking bank stability.