As a general principle, state aid to firms and sector-specific support schemes should be used only when there are market failures; that is, when there are good reasons to believe that the market would not deliver efficient and/or equitable outcomes.

The coronavirus pandemic led to substantial revisions of 2020 GDP growth projections. We analyse whether and to what extent the quality of government policies in handling the health aspects of the crisis influence cross-country differences in the economic impact of the pandemic as projected by...

The spread of the coronavirus has made economic conditions difficult in many economic areas and has led to skyrocketing youth unemployment in most European countries. On the basis of simple model calculations, we estimate the consequences of the COVID-19 shutdown on youth unemployment in the...

This paper highlights some peculiar characteristics of the economic crisis induced by the spread of COVID-19. It suggests two intertwined policy measures in order to tackle the emergency phase of the crisis and to support the economy in the subsequent recovery phase. The proposed short-term...

The growing inequality of market income has attracted considerable attention; less so the redistribution of income. This article analyses key trends and drivers of income redistribution in the EU and the world. It shows that in the EU increasing redistribution has largely stabilised the...

The Great Recession presented the US with economic and political challenges that had not been experienced since the time of the Great Depression. This article provides a retrospective on the government’s response to the crisis ten years after the enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act, as the country...

This article aims to provide new insight on how Brexit will affect foreign direct investment (FDI) into the UK. By estimating an augmented gravity equation which accounts for the depth of free trade agreements (FTAs) as well as for EU and euro area membership, the article gauges the potential...