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Avatar photoRonald Janssen

Ronald Janssen is senior economic adviser to the Trade Union Advisory Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. He was formerly chief economist at the European Trade Union Confederation.

Why cautious monetary policy is a risky business

Ronald Janssen

By sustaining high interest rates, purportedly to slay inflation, central banks are risking an unnecessary recession.

The OECD and the Great Monetary Restriction

Ronald Janssen

Stubborn attachment to monetary tightening as the cure for inflation will needlessly sacrifice economic activity and jobs.

Profit-driven inflation—the policy implications

Ronald Janssen

It’s time to strengthen labour in the face of inflation, not to continue trying to weaken it.

Decentralised Collective Bargaining: Oversold

Ronald Janssen

Many international economic institutions share the idea that collective bargaining should take place at the level of individual companies. For example, the OECD, as far

OECD Meets Piketty: An Alternative Economic Narrative

Ronald Janssen

Today’s profits are not tomorrow’s investments A picture can say more than a thousand words. This is certainly true for the set of graphs (see

How The OECD Wants To Make Globalisation Work For All

Ronald Janssen

Worried by the populist backlash against globalisation, a big crowd of ministers, politicians and economists participated last June in the annual OECD week in Paris

Has The OECD Joined The Campaign For Higher Wages?

Ronald Janssen

Weak wages produce a weak recovery Trade unions tend to see wages not as a factor of competitiveness but as an engine that drives demand,

The OECD And Job Protection: New Findings But Old Policy Recipes On ‘Your Wage Or Your Job’

Ronald Janssen

One of the key findings from the 2016 Employment Outlook just released by the OECD is that easier firing does not create jobs. Moreover, the

Central Banks Warm To Collective Bargaining

Ronald Janssen

Something peculiar is happening. Up until recently, many central bankers were looking at robust collective bargaining and wage formation systems as a possible source for

Break The Vicious Circle Of Falling Prices And Wages

Ronald Janssen

The IMF has recently released its latest World Economic Outlook (WEO) Update pointing to persistently weak growth and another downward revision of its projected growth

How Germany Gains From The Euro While Others Pay

Ronald Janssen

The ‘non-paper’ which Wolfgang Schäuble presented to his fellow finance ministers at a recent ECOFIN council in Luxemburg (leaked by the Handelsblatt newspaper) represents something

The German Minimum Wage Is Not A Job Killer

Ronald Janssen

Mainstream economists excel in scaremongering about the dismal effects any policy that tries to correct market forces may have on economic performance. By arguing that

Democracy And Monetary Union: How Not To Do It

Ronald Janssen

With the showdown between the “institutions” and Greece catching the headlines of policy discussions across Europe, the publication of the report on completing Economic and

Labour Market Deregulation and Productivity: IMF Finds No Link

Ronald Janssen

New research by IMF staff has found there is no evidence that reforms that deregulate labour markets have any positive impact on increasing the economy’s

European Economic Governance And Flawed Analysis

Ronald Janssen

Getting Stupid Capital Flows Off The Hook The analytical note on the next steps for better economic governance that was published mid- February during the

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Progressive Post Issues

The Autumn-Winter issue of The Progressive Post is out!”

Among this issue’s highlights, we debate war and defence, underlining the urgent necessity of peace. We look at the European Commission's budget proposal, particularly the fate of the cohesion funds, and at the EU's international partnerships and ask whether the EU can pursue its strategic interests while simultaneously promoting its partners' genuine development. Finally, we address COP30 and the issue of fossil fuels, which was intentionally ignored during the negotiations held in Brazil.

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WSI Report

WSI Minimum Wage Report 2025

The trend towards significant nominal minimum wage increases is continuing this year. In view of falling inflation rates, this translates into a sizeable increase in purchasing power for minimum wage earners in most European countries. Most EU countries are now following the reference values for adequate minimum wages enshrined in the European Minimum Wage Directive, which are 60% of the median wage or 50% of the average wage.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

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Cohesion Policy

S&D Position Paper on Cohesion Policy post-2027: a resilient future for European territorial equity

Cohesion Policy seeks to foster balanced development and reduce economic, social, and territorial disparities, focusing on rural areas, regions in industrial transition, and those with severe or permanent natural or demographic disadvantages, including outermost, sparsely populated, island, cross-border, and mountain regions.

READ THE PAPER HERE

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Health

🇪🇺 Building a Resilient, Equitable EU Health Union: The S&D Blueprint


From securing pharmaceutical autonomy and guaranteeing universal access to care (the European Health Guarantee) to combatting non-communicable diseases and closing the Gender Health Gap. Read the S&D Group in the European Parliament Position Paper demanding that health becomes a priority across all EU policies.

READ THE POSITION PAPER

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HESA Magazine Cover

Revisiting worker representation on boards

Board-level employee representation (BLER) has repeatedly resurfaced in times of crisis — from the 2008 financial crash to the Covid-19 pandemic — as a response to mismanagement and democratic erosion. Yet codetermination remains unevenly spread across the EU and underdeveloped within EU industrial relations. This ETUI volume revisits worker representation on company boards by shifting the focus beyond the usual German-centred lens and exploring debates, practices and social partners’ positions in ten often-overlooked EU Member States, to assess the prospects for such an institution to thrive in national social policy.

READ HERE

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Mental Health
Eurofound Talks: Europe's productivity paradox

This episode of the Eurofound Talks podcast looks at why Europe has experienced a more profound slowdown in growth compared to other developed regions, and why greater labour input and higher human capital has not translated into higher output per worker. Mary McCaughey and John Hurley also discuss whether Europe can, and should, look to compete with countries such as the United States and China in the race to harness artificial intelligence.
LISTEN HERE

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