The most frightening thing is not the UK government’s end-game strategy, Paul Mason writes. It’s that there isn’t one.
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Joe Biden should not miss the Bretton Woods moment
Peter Bofinger argues the incoming president must abjure the mercantilist language of his predecessor in favour of a progressive response to globalisation.
The ‘circular economy’—neither safe nor sustainable
The circular economy holds out the hope of living within the planet’s resources. Turning aspiration into action is another matter.
Seven ‘surprising’ facts about the Italian economy
Why would affluent northern-European taxpayers want to pour money into an Italian economy that is a basket-case? Except it isn’t.
Capitalism’s triple crisis
After the 2008 financial crisis, we learned the hard way what happens when governments flood the economy with unconditional liquidity, rather than laying the foundation for a sustainable and inclusive recovery.
The corona crisis will define our era
Karin Pettersson writes that the pandemic has highlighted the frailties of a short-sighted and hyper-individualistic social system.
Politics
The rule of law: a simple phrase with exacting demands
If the finger is to be pointed—rightly—at Hungary and Poland, then the EU must insist on compliance by all with universal norms.
Care, capitalism and politics
The coronavirus crisis has highlighted how the welfare state of the future must be built on an ethic of care rather than self-interest.
Barrelling towards the ‘Brexit’ cliff edge
The most frightening thing is not the UK government’s end-game strategy, Paul Mason writes. It’s that there isn’t one.
Europe must stand up to Hungary and Poland
The European Union cannot afford to compromise on the rule-of-law provisions it applies to the funds it allocates to member states.
‘Work, family, fatherland’: populist social policies in central and eastern Europe
The new east-west divide in Europe is not just about authoritarian regimes defying the rule of law. It is also down to smartly crafted economic appeals.
Economy
Gig-life balance?
Impossible hours carved out by apps have often been presented as if self-determined ‘flexibility’ on the part of workers.
An international governance system for digital labour platforms
Cross-border social dialogue could pave the way to international regulation of a key feature of the 21st-century world of work.
Light in the tunnel or oncoming train?
Adam Tooze argues that the frail eurozone recovery hinges entirely on its guarantee by the European Central Bank.
Breaking the impasse on corporate taxation
As Europe’s exchequers go deep into the red due to the pandemic, a co-ordinated approach to corporate taxation is ever-more urgent.
The platform economy—time for decent ‘digiwork’
Unless the platform economy becomes embedded in social norms about decent work, it threatens to rewrite society in its own image.
Society
Not part of Europe anyway?
The language of the Brexit stand-off is of a ‘level playing-field’ versus ‘sovereignty’. But beneath that, it’s about divergent social models.
Care, capitalism and politics
The coronavirus crisis has highlighted how the welfare state of the future must be built on an ethic of care rather than self-interest.
Greater equality: our guide through Covid-19 to sustainable wellbeing
The pandemic has reinforced the case for egalitarianism to define the ethos of the welfare state.
How good journalism can drive out bad
With a Digital Services Act in the offing, regulation of platforms can make public-interest journalism sustainable again.
Ecology
Legal hurdles facing a green and just transition
The irony of genuinely ‘free trade’ is only regulation enables it. Europe cannot lead the ecological transition without recognising this.
How public development banks can help nature
Public development banks will be critical to global efforts to ‘build back better’. They should complement their climate investments with nature-based goals.
Trade unions and climate change: the jobs-versus-environment dilemma
Unions can be torn between mitigating climate change tomorrow and saving jobs today. A significant Just Transition Fund could ease that dilemma.
Supporting the transition to post-pandemic sustainability
Executive remuneration packages not only drive a race to the top but do not account for companies’ environmental ‘externalities’. This needs to change.
