Creating Jobs Through a Business Plan Competition: Does it matter how entrepreneurs are selected and how much funding they are given?

Of the estimated 244 million firms in Africa, 232 million (95%) are own-account businesses consisting of only the owner, and a further 7.7 million (3.1%) have

Debt service and fiscal sustainability

Debt sustainability analysis typically focuses on debt stocks and the interest rate-growth rate differential, but these are not perfect predictors of fiscal stress. This column

Technology adoption and labour shortages: Evidence from Britain’s Industrial Revolution

As populations in rich countries age and fewer youngsters enter the labour force, employers and politicians bemoan labour ‘shortages’. This column turns to historical evidence

After the fire: How Ukrainian strikes disrupt local economies around Russian refineries

Measuring the local economic effects of Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries is difficult because reliable local data are scarce and both information and

Don’t drain the swamp! Populism, bureaucracy, and economic performance

Populist leaders increasingly cast public sector experts, oversight bodies, and career civil servants as illegitimate ‘elites’ standing in the way of the popular will. But

Why Europe’s banks stay home: Regulatory fragmentation and the cost of an incomplete banking union

Despite major institutional reforms, the European Banking Union remains incomplete. Banking markets remain fragmented along national lines, which constrains Europe’s growth potential. This column uses

International carbon trading: a strategic lever to boost global decarbonisation

International carbon credits can support the EU’s 2040 target if buyers’ club rules and leverage ensure real mitigation gains abroad. Article 6 of the Paris

Resilience is a network property: Europe’s integration test for 2050

Europe is converging on a definition of economic security as reduced dependence – de-risking, reshoring, buying European. This column argues that the definition is mistaken.

Lifelong learning is becoming increasingly important in response to labour market transformations

As digital, environmental, and demographic transformations reshape labour markets, skills influence who benefits from these changes and who falls behind. This column presents the findings

Achieving a European Banking Union without increasing risks

European banking remains fragmented, leaving billions of euros inefficiently allocated. Reforms to establish a European deposit insurance system have been proposed to allow cross-border banking