Why Haven’t Full-Time Workers Cut Hours Since the 1980s?
Full-time workers in Europe still clock the same hours as in the 1980s.
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.
The High-Stakes Gamble of Doing Nothing: Why Business Must Act Now
In a world teetering on the edge of chaos, disengagement is a dangerous delusion. Here's why smart leaders know that stepping up.
Labour shortages – an opportunity to rebalance bargaining power?
Labour shortages have become one of the most pressing issues in the labour market across Europe.
Germany’s Minimum Wage Controversy: Will the EU Directive Be Enforced?
The EU pushes for a 60 per cent median wage standard—yet Germany resists. What’s at stake for fair wages?
Can the EU’s Tariffs on Chinese EVs Save Its Auto Industry?
EU imposes tariffs on Chinese EVs—but can this safeguard jobs and competitiveness, or must Europe rethink its clean tech strategy?
Why social investment holds the key to delivering on the Draghi report
A vast untapped potential for improving economic progress and social well-being across the EU needs to be unlocked through social investment.
Nobel Prize in Economics: Do Democracy and Prosperity Really Go Hand in Hand?
This year’s Nobel laureates link democracy to economic success, but their theory ignores autocratic growth and rehashes old ideas.
Industrial relations, work and climate change
Addressing the contradiction between economic growth and green transitions requires rethinking industrial relations.
How to fight inflation without subsidizing bankers at taxpayer’s expense
Central banks are paying billions in interest to commercial banks through remunerated reserves.
An analysis of the new European fiscal rules
EU member states submit fiscal plans, influencing economic stability and public debt for years to come.
Is Europe losing the innovation race?
Europe faces the challenge of fostering an innovation-driven economy to compete globally and lead in technological advancements.
Amazon’s office mandate: The hidden power play behind workplace control
Amazon’s office mandate exposes workplace power dynamics and the need to rethink employer control.
Why the Draghi Report on EU markets matters
Can Europe overcome its capital market flaws and catch up to the US? The Draghi Report sounds a critical alarm for the EU’s future.
Draghi on ‘competitiveness’: new wine in an old bottle
The Draghi report contains some useful proposals but fails to match up to the challenges the European Union is facing.
Draghi, Putin and economic warfare in Europe
It has yet to dawn on Europe’s leaders, Paul Mason writes, that the whole continent is implicated in Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Ireland, the EU and the Apple tax case
Ireland led the ‘race to the bottom’ on corporate taxation. The tide is beginning to turn.
After the Laffer curve: taxing the rich, at last
It’s time finally to jettison the convenient claim that taxing the rich more would only reduce tax revenue.