Strengthening democracy at work
The European Commission has just initiated consultation on more effective European Works Councils legislation.
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 failure of Credit Suisse—not just a one-off
The bank was mismanaged but its collapse, Peter Bofinger writes, reveals a system of regulation with as many holes as a Swiss cheese.
Stress at work: countering Europe’s new pandemic
Occupational stress has become endemic. It damages workers, their families, businesses and economies.
Where is the global south’s rescue brigade?
Many around the world have been left to deal with the effects of the US Federal Reserve’s interest-rate hikes on their own.
Corporate sustainability needs a gender lens
The draft EU directive on corporate sustainability remains gender-blind.
Beyond industrial policy
To tackle 21st-century challenges and ensure a sustainable future, we need a policy framework that recognises the value of human connection.
The IRA and European industrial policy
With the US turning interventionist, the EU will look foolish still backing ‘free markets’. Time for an enterprise policy.
The shakeup the World Bank needs
If Ajay Banga is confirmed as World Bank president he will have to meet the demands of a global south eager for change.
Separate and unequal: gender segregation at work
Gender segregation in sectors, occupations and roles still sees women persistently losing out.
Will tech layoffs silence or galvanise tech workers?
Mass layoffs have hit large technology companies. Previously well-paid workers suddenly became the target of brutal firings.
Sustainable competitiveness needs a social dimension
Glancing across the Atlantic, austerity and deregulation will make Europe neither competitive nor green.
How the banking lobby diluted EU regulation
EU institutions have taken a position weakening international standards and risking bank stability.
Platforms and their presumptions of power
Whether the presumption of employment would mean an end to self-employment for platform workers is a false debate.
The role of public debt in the ‘new normal’
A Schumpeterian perspective provides new insights for fiscal policy in Europe, Peter Bofinger writes.
Social dialogue in central and eastern Europe
Union recognition can be a tough battle in EU member states in central and eastern Europe.
Military secrets and the World Trade Organization
A world at peace depends on making knowledge which could be of military as well as commercial value a public good.