Karl Polanyi against the ‘free market’ dystopia
Sixty years on from Polanyi’s death and 80 since his classic text appeared, it is time to reassess the Hungarian social scientist’s legacy.
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.
Corporate sustainability due diligence—the time is now
After protracted battles, a directive on corporate sustainability due diligence is finally ready for endorsement.
Progressives must say ‘no’ to austerity
This week MEPs vote on the revised EU economic-governance framework. The stakes could not be higher.
Migrant labour in the ‘gig’ economy: progress or trap?
Platform work is often presented as a stepping-stone for migrant workers. It may not however feel so benign to them.
Will Boeing crash ‘shareholder value’?
Boeing’s self-inflicted woes hold broader lessons for contemporary corporate governance.
Wage inequality in Europe—and why it is falling
Institutional and economic factors supporting workers are offsetting well-adverted global trends affecting wage distribution.
EU trade policy in troubled times
Amid increasing headwinds, EU trade policy should focus less on the ‘invisible hand’, more on the hand of friendship.
The double life of the Indian economy
Narendra Modi aims to return to power, Jayati Ghosh writes, against a backdrop of unprecedented inequality.
Platform work directive—delivering rights for all
Having seen off the platforms’ obstruction, the battle moves to how the directive will be transposed and implemented.
Women at work: doing different jobs, still unequal
Because women have fewer options and their work gets devalued, job segregation accounts for half the gender pay gap in Europe.
ECB: now is the time for normalisation
Europe needs massive investment, Peter Bofinger writes. Yet the ECB’s restrictive monetary stance means it is set to fall this year.
‘Gig’ workers in Europe: the new platform of rights
A presumption of employment and rights on algorithmic management are at the heart of the revived platform-work directive.
When too few employers means too low wages
Collective bargaining can redress the vulnerability of workers who find themselves in a buyers’ labour market.
Algorithmic management—a codetermination challenge
After the debacle of the platform-work directive, will the EU still regulate artificial intelligence in the workplace?
Why cautious monetary policy is a risky business
By sustaining high interest rates, purportedly to slay inflation, central banks are risking an unnecessary recession.
Shock therapy killed Navalny
While Vladimir Putin’s role is all but undeniable, there is a silent accomplice whose part in this tragedy must not be ignored.
Digitalisation and job quality—the evidence
The impact of digitalisation on work is uneven—but more positive where workers are protected by institutional arrangements.