The irony of genuinely ‘free trade’ is only regulation enables it. Europe cannot lead the ecological transition without recognising this.
Columns & Interviews
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.
A better world with more democracy at work
For democracy to work well requires democracy in the workplace.
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.
Tax havens: patience is running out
The OECD has proved unable to tackle tax havens, so it is up to the European Union to do so.
OECD tax plans: failure is not an option
The Covid-19 crisis is making progress in the fight for corporate tax justice more difficult, yet more essential.
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.
The transformative impact of tech firms’ technologies
The potential benefits of new technologies for workplace health and safety are being vitiated by a profit-focused approach.
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.
The Global Fund for Social Protection: an idea whose time has come
The pandemic has highlighted the fragility of social protection, especially in the developing world. A new global fund is needed—and it’s affordable.
A proposal to legislate for the rights of platform workers
The platform corporations have just won a battle in California over classifying their workers as ‘contractors’. An EU directive is required to take the opposite tack.
The rise of right-wing nationalism: from Poland to Polanyi
Karin Pettersson argues that far from history ‘ending’ in 1989 it has returned, with a vengeance, due to the very deregulation its trumpeters embraced.
The lost cause of the Trumpocracy
Like the southerners who never could get over their loss in the American civil war, Trump has nothing left but his own mythology.
The smart city—a social city
For decades urban development has followed the impulses of capital. The right to a home and the right to the city must be won by the citizens.
Can Next Generation EU guarantee fair, inclusive recovery?
Adequate indicators are needed to identify country-specific needs and ensure tailor-made intervention which takes inequalities seriously.
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.
Blogs
How can the EU achieve a fair distribution of the tax burden?
Falling corporate taxation has been matched by a rising contribution from labour. But there are ways to redress the balance between citizens and companies.
Work for all
An EU-wide job guarantee would be a counter-cyclical measure to tackle the health, employment and ecological crises together.
Europe’s labour markets cushioned against the coronavirus
Short-time work has prevented a drastic slump in employment in Europe. The United States has not been so lucky.
Consumer policy after Covid-19—fostering social cohesion
The pandemic has highlighted the need for a new EU consumer policy, fit for a more digitalised and sustainable world.
