
The Trouble with Abundance
“Abundance” sounds appealing, but institutional competence and economic wisdom matter more than uplifting slogans.
Analysis and debate on the European economy: growth and investment, fiscal and monetary policy, trade, industry and inequality.

“Abundance” sounds appealing, but institutional competence and economic wisdom matter more than uplifting slogans.

Susanne Wixforth and Michael Soder
Bold industrial strategy must combine green transformation with social justice to secure Europe’s economic future.

Philipp Heimberger and Cara Dabrowski
Boosting infrastructure spending would stimulate growth and employment without threatening debt sustainability.

Enrique Fernández-Macías and Laura Nurski
The digital transformation of work isn’t destroying jobs through automation—it’s fundamentally reshaping how work is organised, managed and controlled.

Europe’s SME digital divide persists despite EU efforts, with financial constraints and skills shortages hindering transformation.

Manufacturing can’t create jobs anymore. Services must step up—with smart policy to boost productivity.

New technologies drive inequality by concentrating capital income. Three policy approaches can help spread ownership and moderate disparities.

Judith Kirton-Darling and Isabelle Barthès
As tariff wars and industrial crises mount, Europe must abandon austerity for investment-driven internal demand.

Europe’s merger watchdogs generally ignore labour market impacts, but there is a possibility for change.

Gaston Bronstering and David Barmes
Integrating sustainable finance standards into central bank operations would align market incentives and strengthen the eurozone’s climate resilience.

Europe’s fragmented approach to industrial strategy undermines its ability to compete with China and the United States.

Innovation agencies in the EU are no longer fit for purpose. A major overhaul of both the concept of innovation and of institutional structures is urgent.

Europe’s twin transformation needs social conditionalities to prevent corporate capture and build democratic legitimacy.

Lagging investment in clean technologies poses a greater risk to European jobs than the green transition itself.

Bernhard Tröster, Simela Papatheophilou and Karin Küblböck
The EU’s industrial ambitions hinge on transforming extractive relationships into sustainable partnerships with resource-rich nations.

Christian Reiner and Roman Stöllinger
The European Union must pursue robust industrial policies to counter technological dependencies and safeguard its future prosperity and stability.