Berlusconi’s Flat Tax Fallacy
“A flat tax is for a flat earth”: This was my answer to Grzegorz Kolodko, Poland’s Minister of Finance and First Deputy Premier for the
Europe’s Poor Need More Than Jobs
More EU citizens work than ever recorded. Twelve million moved into work in just the past four years. That is more than the total population
Pension And Health Care Reforms In Post-Crisis Greece
Not long after the onset of the global financial crisis, Greece came into the European spotlight. Heavy public indebtedness became apparent after a revision of
The Next Stage Of Women’s Emancipation?
February 6, 2018, marked the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, which enfranchised (some) women in Britain for the first time – a
Tech Vs. Democracy
Instagram, a photo-sharing platform owned by Facebook, recently caved in to a demand by the Russian government that it remove posts by opposition leader Alexey
Restoring European Solidarity
Strange to say, but between the international debt crisis of the 1980s and the Great Recession of 2008, Europe has shown an overall GDP growth
International Cooperation 2.0
After decades of serving as the backbone of a rules-based global order, the United States, under President Donald Trump, is touting an “America First” agenda
European Productivity’s Time-Out Is Over
Productivity is not everything, but many economic problems can be solved more easily when it grows at a healthy clip. It is the key determinant
Economics For Democratic Societies: Reframing The Free Market Debate
Back in 2006 I tried to start a project titled Economics for Democratic and Open Societies. At that time, I sent proposals to several foundations.
What Happened To Europe’s Left?
Last year was an ‘annus horribilis’ for the European left. In Austria, France, and the Czech Republic, the left lost its governing position, and the
Ten Points About Pay Transparency In Europe’s Companies
Measures to promote gender pay transparency haven’t been delivered yet in half of Europe – making EU level legislative action to speed up implementation an
The Troubling Legal And Political Uncertainty Facing Catalonia
What exactly is happening in Catalonia? The territory is one of the Comunidades Autónomas, a category of Spanish sub-state entities, and amongst all of them,
How To Tackle Populism: Macron Vs Kurz
In the wake of the Brexit shock and the election of Donald Trump, commentators would be forgiven for fearing – perhaps even expecting – a
The Double Threat To Liberal Democracy
The crisis of liberal democracy is roundly decried today. Donald Trump’s presidency, the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom, and the electoral rise of other
Reject Kaczyński’s Attack On The Rule Of Law In Poland
I want to start with some advice from George Orwell. In 1940, during the Dunkirk crisis, as the British elite made one blunder after another,
Uncoordinated Decentralization In Collective Bargaining: Challenges And Effects
Uncoordinated decentralization in collective bargaining can allow companies to reach deals of their own with workers rather than being forced to comply with multi-employer industry-wide
Hungary’s Enfeebled Democracy
Hungarian voters disenchanted with the cronyism, pseudo-populism and creeping authoritarianism of the ruling Fidesz-KDNP government have a bewildering array of opposition parties to choose from.