Profit-driven inflation—the policy implications
It’s time to strengthen labour in the face of inflation, not to continue trying to weaken it.
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.
EU competition policy needs a fundamental rethink
Competition policy has been based on a presumption of market equilibrium. Mushrooming corporate power has passed it by.
Ryanair—on the side of Europe’s citizens?
The low-cost carrier has presented a petition to the European Commission attacking the right to strike.
ECB president Lagarde: has she become unstoppable?
Asserting the need for further interest rate rises, Peter Bofinger writes, is not the same as evidencing them.
Due-diligence directive—key issues for final negotiations
Corporate due diligence is not just about auditing. Key to sustaining people and planet, ambition is required.
New EU fiscal rules: a democratic deficit
The proposed new rules would give member states more role in defining their ‘fiscal paths’—just not parliaments.
Reform of EU fiscal rules—more ambition needed
What the European Commission proposes makes sense as far as it goes. But that is not nearly far enough.
How much work is enough?
Three years of pandemic-related disruptions could herald the most significant labour-market transformation since the dawn of industry.
Rust out: boredom at work can be harmful
Autonomy and intrinsic motivation spur productivity and creativity in workplaces where time is flexible and relationships good.
The economic case for affordable housing
Providing affordable housing is not only doing the right thing. There is an economic spinoff for everyone.
A tale of two countries: Belarus and Lithuania
In 1991, Belarus did not join the Baltic states in striking out independently from the Soviet Union. Now the jury is in.
Quick commerce—not turning a fast buck
The good news is most ‘q-commerce’ workers have employment contracts. The bad news is they still get squeezed.
The discreet (but dubious) charm of tax treaties
Jayati Ghosh writes that, as with much else, bilateral tax treaties binding rich and poor countries are not equal partnerships.
Not so much a shortage of skills as a shortage of pay
Labour shortages following the pandemic have increased most and are most severe in jobs with lower wages and poorer conditions.
Financing the common good
The UN has warned that ‘humanity’s very survival’ is threatened. Radical reform of international finance is required.
A message for May Day: come together, win change
Workers are under tremendous pressure amid the cost-of-living crisis. But trade unions are showing resilience to inspire.
Mayday, mayday: a warning from the labour movement
Having battled one crisis after another, a fresh round of austerity could be the last straw for workers.