Three decades after the fall of the Wall, there is still a ‘wall in the head’ in German politics—and it goes through the party of the far right.
Columns & Interviews
New UK regulations aim to end gender stereotypes in adverts—but could go further
Advertisers still often hit consumers with gender stereotypes. And so they often miss—at their own business expense.
Older and wiser?—when governments get it wrong on pensions reform
Greater dependency ratios may imply pensions reform—but not that it be unfair.
The Danish election: a red wave with black undercurrents
The large swing to the left in the Danish election could lead to a long period of opposition for the right. Unless, that is, the social democrats revert to their ‘third way’ approach when last in government.
This time is different
Marx once wrote of the temptation, confronted with a new historical situation, to summon up the ‘borrowed language’ of the past. He’s still right.
Big Data and its enclosure of the commons
Digital dystopias are overdone but inequality is rising. The answer lies in treating data as a commons and Big Data as a collective-action problem.
An industrial policy for good jobs
Competition by public authorities to attract large companies with tax breaks or other subsidies is not the route to good jobs. An iterative dialogue with firms offers a better way.
Finland stepping up to climate leadership—will the government deliver?
The new social-democrat led government in Finland has committed the country to carbon neutrality by 2035. Can, will it be done?
Europe’s coal problem
The eurozone muddled through its crisis at Germany’s behest. The climate emergency is much too serious for that.
Curbs on migration or freedom of movement—the Swiss experience
Arguments about immigration have polarised between restriction and liberalisation. But key are accompanying measures to ensure freedom of movement is associated with wage and social protection.
Blogs
Beyond the EU budget zero-sum game
Discussion of the EU budget brings strife between supposed net contributors and beneficiaries. Yet the picture is more complex and Europe-wide taxation offers a way out.
Social imbalances in the EU
Despite the economic recovery of recent years, persistent social imbalances—such as those affecting women and young people—must be taken into account in the debate on Europe’s future.
ICT-enabled flexible working—all plain sailing?
Tech-based flexible working conjures up the independent consultant tapping on her tablet with a latte to hand. But the picture may not be so positive.
Redefining austerity: a lesson from Greece
What can an elected left-wing European government do when faced with imposed austerity? Redefining austerity can bring a turnaround.
Structural crisis and robotisation require more Europe, less austerity
The Great Recession, as with the Great Depression, is proving to be a structural crisis, which only a Euro-Keynesian programme of public investment can tackle.
Modern monetary theory: a simple macroeconomic model
Why has modern monetary theory come out of the academy? Because it helps model the current economic predicament and how to get out of it.
Sovereign spreads and the frailty of the eurozone
The failure to provide for risk-sharing in the eurozone architecture has sustained chronic mistrust, reflected in sovereign spreads.
The Celtic Tiger leaves Irish workers scarred
Workers in Ireland are still bearing the brunt after the Celtic Tiger’s demise—but with a modest gain against the precarisation of work.
