The apogee of capitalism and our political malaise
At the heart of the crisis of trust in politics lies the corrosion of public service by the ethos of private gain.
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.
European recovery: we need both joint debt and taxes
Carlo D’Ippoliti adds to the Social Europe debate on a European recovery, contending that the proposals by Varoufakis and Piketty each have merits and should be synthesised.
Green money without inflation
Funding an ecological transition in Europe via 'green money' bonds would be economically justifiable.
Could Europe face the next recession?
The eurozone lacks the scaffolding to withstand the symmetrical shock of the next recession, which could imperil the euro itself.
‘Imaginable utopias’: financing a European recovery
Julio López G adds to the debate, initiated by Thomas Piketty and colleagues, on how to spur a European recovery and green transition.
Chief executives’ pay: reversing the race to the top
Eye-watering remuneration for chief executives is economically wasteful as well as socially divisive. Non-profits should pioneer compressed wage hierarchies.
Capitalism and democracy: what if we have it backwards?
It has become fashionable on the left to suggest that capitalism and democracy are now incompatible. In her latest column, Sheri Berman reviews the contrary case.
Could the dollar be in default?
The US has been able to run growing budget deficits by issuing more dollars as the reserve currency. If a polycentric world ends its indulgence, the shock to America could be great.
European Parliament elections: new responses in dangerous times
The European Parliament elections could see the emergence of a large populist bloc thwarting progress for the next five years. A big mobilisation is needed to prevent that.
Time for a red shift from Germany’s ‘black zero’
For a decade there has been cross-party support in Germany for the balanced-budget rule. But in the first of a series of Social Europe columns on German economic debates, Peter Bofinger explains why the social democrats should abandon the ‘black zero’.
Where the ‘Piketty plan’ is mistaken
Stuart Holland argues that what Europe needs urgently is not new institutions, as recommended by Thomas Piketty and others, but a Green New Deal.
Financing the Green New Deal in Europe
Should investment in a New Deal for Europe come from taxation or borrowing? Only the latter makes economic and political sense, argues James K Galbraith.
The great tax debate—the world is turning
When intellectual and moral arguments align, the global climate can change quickly. That’s what’s happening with the US tax debate.
European citizens back unemployment reinsurance
An unemployment reinsurance scheme benefiting countries hit by asymmetric shocks attracts what to some will be surprising support across the EU.
Can Italy survive its self-inflicted wounds?
Italy’s populist government has been keen to blame Brussels for its fiscal-policy constraint. But its own choice of crowd-pleasing spending over public investment and reform should be scrutinised.
Addressing poverty and inequality in Europe
Official EU statistics mask the alarming extent of poverty and inequality in Europe. Despite slight recent easing, its dangerous scale threatens Europe’s social and political cohesion.
Beyond GDP
GDP figures are often in the public eye but they are insufficient measures for well-being. Economics Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz explains why we need to look beyond GDP.