Subnational governments are crucial actors in delivering public services and addressing structural challenges but are often overlooked in fiscal policy debates. This column analyses the macroeconomic pressures faced by subnational governments and their respective bond markets. It shows that persistent inflation and tight monetary conditions continue to weigh on growth and public finances in many […]
Artificial intelligence may reduce the need for physically demanding tasks, but it could also erode job satisfaction, intensify cognitive load, and amplify anxiety. This column reports research on survey data from Germany, which finds no evidence that AI exposure has harmed workers’ mental health or subjective wellbeing. But looking at self-reported use of AI tools […]
In the grand sweep of history over the last millennium, political divergence between Europe and contemporaneous world civilisations preceded economic divergence. This column describes how the development of the institutional frameworks of medieval constitutionalism – characterised by representative assemblies, rule of law, and substantial fiscal and spending capacity – in European towns and cities paved […]
The EU is determined to clamp down on organised crime’s infiltration of legitimate businesses and banking. This column shows that dismantling Mafia connections leads to more bank credit to legitimate businesses, raising local output and productivity. It also leads to a modest increase in borrowing costs, driven by foreign and non-local banks, as they update […]
Policy proposals like the four-day workweek have gained momentum in the aftermath of the Covid recession, raising the question of how many hours people would choose to work. This column uses survey data to establish people’s willingness to pay for additional leisure time in terms of forgone earnings, and vice versa. The findings suggest that […]
Climate risk is at ‘code red’ level for the entire of humanity, prompting investors and policymakers to focus not only on the risks but also on the opportunities related to the green transition and on strategies to enhance countries’ resilience to climate change. This column presents new climate risk scores for more than 170 countries, […]
Boosting the EU single market needs stronger rule enforcement and targeted harmonisation, especially in services and regulated professions. The single market is the European Union’s most powerful economic asset, yet persistent barriers continue to undermine its potential. We argue that realising that potential requires a dual strategy: strengthening compliance with existing rules and advancing targeted […]
Candidate countries remain far from European Union averages in terms of GDP per capita and their demographic and labour market characteristics. In this analysis, we examine selected income, demographic and labour market indicators for nine actual and potential candidates for European Union membership. Our country group includes the six Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, […]
A contracting economy and low oil prices are signs of potential constraint on Russia’s ability to maintain its military capabilities. At the St. Petersburg Economic Forum in early June – once a prestigious Russian annual gathering for global investors, now a more insular event1 – a panel featuring Russia’s finance minister, economy minister and central bank […]
African Investments has released its Q2 2025 Deal Book to its global investor network, highlighting 65 high-quality investment opportunities spanning the African continent. First launched in 2023 in partnership with AFSIC – Investing in Africa, the Deal Book series was developed to consolidate top opportunities showcased on the African Investments Dashboard into an accessible format for […]
