Should Comparative Economics Still Exist?
Branko Milanovic asks whether we should continue to teach comparative economic systems to broaden students' horizons, or if the global ubiquity of capitalism renders such historical study obsolete.
Economy
Social Europe is an award-winning digital media publisher driven by the core values of freedom, sustainability, and equality. These principles guide our exploration of society’s most pressing challenges. This archive page curates Social Europe articles focused on economic issues, offering a rich resource for innovative thinking and informed debate.
AI Note-Takers at Work: The Silent Threat to Privacy and Compliance
AI transcription tools promise efficiency but bring legal exposure, surveillance risks, and threats to fundamental rights.
Romania’s Tiger Economy Is Running Out of Fuel
The EU's fastest-growing economy of the past two decades risks stalling unless it dramatically increases its rock-bottom spending on research and education.
Germany’s Middle-Technology Trap: Industrial Policy Blindness and the Path Out
Germany's faith in free markets has left it squeezed between China and America — but a defence-spending loophole offers unexpected hope.
Industrial Policy 2.0: The Service Sector Path to Shared Prosperity
We must address climate change, inequality, and poverty simultaneously, but prevailing economic approaches are failing; solutions lie in an updated, experimental industrial policy focused on green and productive service job
Europe’s Industrial Crisis: Invest Now or Accept Decline
Across 18 sectors, only aerospace and defence remain globally competitive—Europe must abandon naivety and act decisively.
After Landmark EU Court Judgement: The EU Minimum Wages Directive Is Alive and Kicking
The landmark ruling validates the directive's approach to adequate wages and collective bargaining, dealing only minor setbacks to its implementation across Europe.
The Trouble with Abundance
"Abundance" sounds appealing, but institutional competence and economic wisdom matter more than uplifting slogans.
Europe Needs Industrial Policy That Puts Workers First in an Age of Uncertainty
Bold industrial strategy must combine green transformation with social justice to secure Europe's economic future.
Europe Needs A Public Investment Revolution To Secure Its Economic Future
Boosting infrastructure spending would stimulate growth and employment without threatening debt sustainability.
The Real Digital Revolution At Work: Why Platformisation Matters More Than Robots
The digital transformation of work isn't destroying jobs through automation—it's fundamentally reshaping how work is organised, managed and controlled.
The Digital Imperative for European SMEs
Europe's SME digital divide persists despite EU efforts, with financial constraints and skills shortages hindering transformation.
Why Europe Needs an Industrial Policy for Services
Manufacturing can't create jobs anymore. Services must step up—with smart policy to boost productivity.
How to Control the Increase of Income Inequality Due to New Technologies?
New technologies drive inequality by concentrating capital income. Three policy approaches can help spread ownership and moderate disparities.
Europe Needs Active Demand Management, Not Business As Usual
As tariff wars and industrial crises mount, Europe must abandon austerity for investment-driven internal demand.
When Corporate Mergers Hurt Workers, Europe Must Act
Europe's merger watchdogs generally ignore labour market impacts, but there is a possibility for change.