Over the last ten years the European unification project seemed to rely overwhelmingly on progress in economic terms. The most prominent achievements – the Single Market, the harmonisation of market regulation, the euro – were all driven by an economic rationale. However, attempts to rescue...

In the traditional model of international trade, labour market reforms in one country are often viewed as beggar-thy-neighbour policies, because they negatively affect the competitiveness and employment levels of the country’s trading partners. Empirical evidence, however, suggests that this...

The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has a long history of intellectual independence. This article details how Western countries tried to marginalise the organisation and its work – which is often critical of Western powers – during the 2012 UNCTAD conference. While developing...

Natural rate theory has dominated interpretations of economic trends and policy prescriptions over many decades, as economists contrasted high unemployment and lower inequality in Europe with the great American job machine. This paper discusses the relationship between skill structure and wage...

The goals of the Digital Agenda for Europe are far from being achieved, and the measures taken so far have not proven to be suffi ciently effective in order to attain European infrastructure and investment targets in a timely manner. Without adequate investment in telecommunications...

Increasing global capital flows are principally beneficial for the improved international allocation of capital, credit and risks, but this process is not without risks for global financial stability. Expanded global monitoring of international capital flows should deepen our knowledge of the...

The euro area crisis is the main external factor threatening the Swiss economy. In 2010 and 2011, the Swiss franc was rapidly appreciating against the euro, causing a drop in exports, losses for the tourism business and a rise in unemployment. This paper gives an overview of developments in the...

Under the EU-wide Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), CO2 allowances have thus far been allocated largely free of charge. This paper presents a didactic synthesis on the impact of the ETS and argues that such a cost-free allocation will lead to an increase in electricity prices even when strong...