Europeans still want climate action, but don’t trust governments to deliver
Election results in 2024 have been interpreted as European voters turning against climate and environment policies. In the European Parliament elections, for example, the vote
Gender diversity and economic growth
Most macroeconomic and growth accounting models assume that male and female workers are perfectly substitutable in the aggregate production function. Whether this assumption is valid
Paternalistic preferences in the United States
Individuals sometimes make choices that harm their welfare due to incomplete or misleading information. This column presents findings from a large-scale experiment in the US
Trade shocks and relative consumption: Why the European middle class is turning to the far-right
The literature on the economic origins of political radicalism revolves largely around the ‘China shock’. Yet, trade not only causes shifts in the labour market
Monetary policy transmission in the euro area: Why this time it’s different
The unprecedented surge in prices since 2021 led the ECB to embark on the fastest tightening cycle in the euro area’s history. This column analyses
AI-powered research generation: Promise and perils for academic finance
Artificial intelligence is transforming academic research, raising both opportunities and concerns. This column shows how large language models can generate entire research papers, integrating empirical
Over-optimism and consumer credit regulation
Some consumers are over-optimistic about their future income and underestimate the probability of experiencing negative income shocks, while others have more accurate (‘rational’) beliefs. This
Europe’s productivity weakness: Firm-level roots and remedies
Europe’s labour productivity gap with the US has widened since the mid-1990s and again since the Covid pandemic. This column uses comprehensive cross-country firm-level and
Rethinking unemployment insurance: New evidence on hidden costs
As governments worldwide grapple with labour shortages and systemic budget shortfalls, the question arises of how unemployment insurance policies potentially contribute to this imbalance by
Buy now, pay (less) later: How the data are reshaping consumer banking
Though ‘buy now, pay later’ loans are increasingly popular, critics argue that they encourage high costs and unsound borrowing. This column examines how such services
