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A capital idea: corporate taxation in a globalised era

US election 2020

The transformation of work

Most popular

Fewer Italians than Swedes hold anti-feminist views

Fewer Italians than Swedes hold anti-feminist views

by Tatev Hovhannisyan on 17th February 2021

New research from anti-extremism charities reveals ‘unexpected patterns’ of opinions towards feminism across Europe.

Germany must reduce its current-account surplus

Germany must reduce its current-account surplus

by Jan Behringer, Till van Treeck and Achim Truger on 11th February 2021

Germany’s sustained current-account surplus is not only bad for others in Europe and beyond—it is bad for almost all Germans too.

Bitcoin lacks a unique selling proposition

Bitcoin lacks a unique selling proposition

by Peter Bofinger on 8th February 2021

Peter Bofinger identifies the cryptocurrency’s Achilles heel.

The false scarcity of vaccine trade tensions

The false scarcity of vaccine trade tensions

by Katie Gallogly-Swan on 8th February 2021

The row over the EU introducing vaccine export controls has occluded its rejection of a temporary waiver on intellectual property rights.

Europe’s ‘long-Covid’ economic frailty

Europe’s ‘long-Covid’ economic frailty

by Adam Tooze on 25th January 2021

Last year’s agreement on an EU recovery package was widely celebrated. This year its inadequacy will sink in.

Spain: more stable employment contracts

Spain: more stable employment contracts

by Ane Aranguiz on 21st January 2021

The Supreme Court has modified its jurisprudence on subcontracting, limiting the scope for abuse of temporary contracts.

Politics

The crisis after the crisis

The crisis after the crisis

by Christof Schiller, Thorsten Hellmann and Karola Klatt on 2nd March 2021

The best-governed industrialised countries were better prepared for the pandemic shock. But even the best are not ready for what is to come.

The four ‘I’s of a new socio-ecological contract

The four ‘I’s of a new socio-ecological contract

by Philippe Pochet on 1st March 2021

A ‘socio-ecological contract’ has emerged as a way to conceive the transitions needed to steer out of today’s crises to safer harbour. What does it entail?

Germany’s proposed supply-chain law—a glass half-empty

Germany’s proposed supply-chain law—a glass half-empty

by Johanna Kusch and Claudia Saller on 26th February 2021

In drafting a law regulating supply chains Germany surrendered to the business lobby. The EU must not do the same.

Human-rights due diligence and Myanmar

Human-rights due diligence and Myanmar

by Frank Hoffer on 26th February 2021

Myanmar is a test case for engaged global companies’ commitments to due diligence. They must act to ensure suppression does not prevail.

Economy

Europe could make good use of a new SDR allocation

Europe could make good use of a new SDR allocation

1st March 2021 By Jayati Ghosh

Jayati Ghosh begins a new Social Europe column by pricking Europe’s conscience on its pandemic-related responsibilities towards the developing world.

UK gig drivers recognised as workers—what next?

UK gig drivers recognised as workers—what next?

25th February 2021 By Jill Toh

The UK’s highest court has delivered another benchmark judgment on gig workers. But the battle is not over.

Covid-19: a tale of two service sectors

Covid-19: a tale of two service sectors

25th February 2021 By John Hurley

If the 2008 crash brought on a ‘mancession’ of lost jobs, the sectors most hit by the pandemic employ mainly low-paid women workers.

Germany adds to recognition of platform workers

Germany adds to recognition of platform workers

18th February 2021 By Roman Kormann

The Federal Labour Court ruled late last year that a crowdworker was indeed an employee, despite the platform’s contrary claim.

Gig workers: guinea pigs of the new world of work

Gig workers: guinea pigs of the new world of work

18th February 2021 By Pierre Bérastégui

Most discussion of gig workers has focused on their material insecurity. More attention also needs to be paid to what goes on in their heads.

Society

Making EU regulation better for all

Making EU regulation better for all

3rd March 2021 By Isabelle Schömann

The stigma attached to democratic EU regulation by the ‘one in, one out’ approach must be replaced by a positive commitment to the common good.

Aligning the social pillar with human rights

Aligning the social pillar with human rights

2nd March 2021 By Birgit Van Hout

The Action Plan of the European Pillar of Social Rights could lead to a profound shift in the enjoyment of human rights in the EU.

EU credibility as a people’s union rests on the social pillar

EU credibility as a people’s union rests on the social pillar

24th February 2021 By Liina Carr

Buffeted by the pandemic and by populism, the EU needs the European Pillar of Social Rights to become a solid anchor of security for all.

Vaccine nationalism won’t defeat the pandemic

Vaccine nationalism won’t defeat the pandemic

23rd February 2021 By Sharan Burrow

International co-operation is vital to make vaccination, as a public good, available to all.

Ecology

Leaving behind the EU’s deadly addiction to deregulation

Leaving behind the EU’s deadly addiction to deregulation

3rd March 2021 By Patrick ten Brink

Better regulation is benevolent and participatory, cognisant of complexity and future-oriented. Deregulation it is not.

Managing the unavoidable impact of climate change

Managing the unavoidable impact of climate change

22nd February 2021 By Ludovic Voet

While doing all it can to arrest climate change, the EU must place workers and their concerns at the heart of its adaptation strategy.

Can we change the climate on climate change?

Can we change the climate on climate change?

22nd February 2021 By Karin Pettersson

Karin Pettersson is impressed by a fictional account of the existential challenge humanity faces.

Ursula von der Leyen’s mission ‘to the moon’

Ursula von der Leyen’s mission ‘to the moon’

16th February 2021 By Michael Davies-Venn

The European Green Deal rests on the commitment of the 27 member states. The fate of the renewable-energy directive shows the scale of that challenge.

Eurofound advertisement

Industrial relations: developments 2015-2019

Eurofound has monitored and analysed developments in industrial relations systems at EU level and in EU member states for over 40 years. This new flagship report provides an overview of developments in industrial relations and social dialogue in the years immediately prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. Findings are placed in the context of the key developments in EU policy affecting employment, working conditions and social policy, and linked to the work done by social partners—as well as public authorities—at European and national levels.


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Foundation for European Progressive Studies Advertisement

FEPS Progressive Yearbook

Twenty-twenty has been an extraordinary year. The Covid-19 pandemic and the multidimensional crisis that it triggered have boosted existing trends and put forward new challenges. But they have also created unexpected opportunities to set a new course of action for the European Union and—hopefully—make a remarkable leap forward in European integration.

The second edition of the Progressive Yearbook, the yearly publication of the Foundation for European Progressive studies, revolves around the exceptional events of 2020 and looks at the social, economic and political impact they will have in 2021. It is a unique publication, which aims to be an instrument for the progressive family to reflect on the recent past and look ahead to our next future.


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Social Europe Publishing book

With a pandemic raging, for those countries most affected by Brexit the end of the transition could not come at a worse time. Yet, might the UK's withdrawal be a blessing in disguise? With its biggest veto player gone, might the European Pillar of Social Rights take centre stage? This book brings together leading experts in European politics and policy to examine social citizenship rights across the European continent in the wake of Brexit. Will member states see an enhanced social Europe or a race to the bottom?

'This book correctly emphasises the need to place the future of social rights in Europe front and centre in the post-Brexit debate, to move on from the economistic bias that has obscured our vision of a progressive social Europe.' Michael D Higgins, president of Ireland


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Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

Renewing labour relations in the German meat industry: an end to 'organised irresponsibility'?

Over the course of 2020, repeated outbreaks of Covid-19 in a number of large German meat-processing plants led to renewed public concern about the longstanding labour abuses in this industry. New legislation providing for enhanced inspection on health and safety, together with a ban on contract work and limitations on the use of temporary agency employees, holds out the prospect of a profound change in employment practices and labour relations in the meat industry. Changes in the law are not sufficient, on their own, to ensure decent working conditions, however. There is also a need to re-establish the previously high level of collective-bargaining coverage in the industry, underpinned by an industry-wide collective agreement extended by law to cover the entire sector.


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ETUI advertisement

ETUI/ETUC (online) conference Towards a new socio-ecological contract 3-5 February 2021

The need to effectively tackle global warming puts under pressure the existing industrial relations models in Europe. A viable world of labour requires a new sustainability paradigm: economic, social and environmental.

The required paradigm shift implies large-scale economic and societal change and serious deliberation. All workers need to be actively involved and nobody should be left behind. Massive societal coalitions will have to be built for a shared vision to emerge and for a just transition, with fairly distributed costs, to be supported. But this is also an opportunity to redefine our societal goals and how they relate to the current focus on (green) growth.


REPLAY ALL SESSIONS

To access the videos, click on the chosen day then click on the ‘video’ button of your chosen session (plenary or panel). It will bring you immediately to the corresponding video. To access the available presentations, click on the chosen day then click on the ‘information’ button. Check the links to the available presentations.

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