Tax havens: patience is running out
The OECD has proved unable to tackle tax havens, so it is up to the European Union to do so.
Economy
Analysis and debate on the European economy: growth and investment, fiscal and monetary policy, trade, industry and inequality.
The transformative impact of tech firms’ technologies
The potential benefits of new technologies for workplace health and safety are being vitiated by a profit-focused approach.
A proposal to legislate for the rights of platform workers
The platform corporations have just won a battle in California over classifying their workers as ‘contractors’. An EU directive is required to take the opposite tack.
How can the EU achieve a fair distribution of the tax burden?
Falling corporate taxation has been matched by a rising contribution from labour. But there are ways to redress the balance between citizens and companies.
Joe Biden should not miss the Bretton Woods moment
Peter Bofinger argues the incoming president must abjure the mercantilist language of his predecessor in favour of a progressive response to globalisation.
The financial-transactions tax we need in the age of coronavirus
Five decades on, a ‘Tobin tax’ is no longer fit for purpose. Now what should be taxed, progressively, is all financial flows.
An effective corporation-tax system for the EU
Tax wars have so far denied the EU the unanimity required to stop the race to the bottom on corporation tax.
Consumer policy after Covid-19—fostering social cohesion
The pandemic has highlighted the need for a new EU consumer policy, fit for a more digitalised and sustainable world.
‘Veggie burger’ ban: bad for consumers and climate
The meat industry wants terms such as ‘veggie burger’ banned. This is less about confusion, more about competition.
The ‘circular economy’—neither safe nor sustainable
The circular economy holds out the hope of living within the planet’s resources. Turning aspiration into action is another matter.
The public’s business
‘Stakeholder capitalism’ has been promoted to balance the market and society but ultimately the only solution is to make firms more democratic.
Avoiding a climate lockdown
The world is approaching a tipping point on climate change, when protecting the future of civilisation will require dramatic interventions.
The EU must overhaul its farming policy to save the Green Deal
European decision-makers are entering the final sprint of reform of the CAP. Their choices will make or break the European Green Deal.
The ‘bazooka’: Modern Monetary Theory in action
Peter Bofinger argues that large-scale injections of money to bring economies out of the coronavirus coma have vindicated Modern Monetary Theory.
Corona versus culture
The pandemic closed theatres, concerts and exhibitions, imperilling many freelances. How will the creative industry re-emerge?
Assar Lindbeck: an appreciation
The Swedish economist’s life of rich activity straddled theory and policy—and painting.