The myth of meritocracy and the populist threat
Social democrats, Lisa Pelling writes, should abandon the idea of meritocracy if they are to reconnect with les classes populaires.
Germany trapped in an unavoidable change
Germany has made significant strides to transcend ordoliberal nostra. But huge obstacles still stand in the way of progress.
Impartiality and public-service media
The media storm in Britain around a television personality speaks volumes about why the UK has become a dysfunctional state.
Corporate greenwashing—misusing ‘net zero’ pledges
Companies are making ‘carbon neutral’ claims based on dubious emissions offsetting and ‘insetting’—rather than actual cuts.
Invisible women—creators, carers and mental health
Estrella Durá Ferrandis and Cristina Lago Godefroid
The European mental-health strategy should recognise the burdens women face—and the role of culture in lightening them.
How to strengthen women’s resilience to disasters
Gender inequality exacerbates the impact of natural disasters, whose consequences compound it.
A conjured-up polarisation endangers democracy
European societies are less polarised than in the United States—and than we are led to believe.
Consultants and the crisis of capitalism
Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington
Growing reliance on big consultancies is stunting state capacity and undermining democratic accountability.
Making the most of the European Year of Skills
Learning to learn must be embedded in working life, Sofia Fernandes writes, if the EU is to meet social and economic goals.
What’s driving the social crisis in France
The huge demonstrations against the pension ‘reform’ stem from accumulating resentment under Emmanuel Macron.
Sustainable competitiveness needs a social dimension
Isabelle Barthès and Patricia Velicu
Glancing across the Atlantic, austerity and deregulation will make Europe neither competitive nor green.
How the banking lobby diluted EU regulation
EU institutions have taken a position weakening international standards and risking bank stability.
When radical zealotry meets the polarising populists
Some activist-scholars, Eszter Kováts writes, have turned social justice into a latter-day religion, with perverse effects.
Workforce strategy the priority in social care
Training the workforce is central to attracting and retaining staff in quality social care.
The only way to end the war
The EU must not only ensure that Ukraine can attain a just and lasting peace but support the embedding of universal norms.