Importing energy-intensive goods would be more efficient for EU clean industry goals than importing clean energy itself. Clean industrialisation is a political and economic priority for the European Union. For it to work, affordable clean energy is needed. However, producing this energy in Europe is constrained by limited renewable energy endowments (sunshine and wind) and […]
Nearly 20 years have passed since the EU and India started negotiations on a bilateral trade and investment agreement. After seven years of intense negotiations, the process stalled in 2014, primarily because of the failure of the respective political leaders to make difficult choices. Talks restarted in 2022 and now offer a reasonable chance of […]
The global space sector is evolving rapidly. No longer limited to scientific missions and Cold War rivalries, it has become a critical arena for commercial innovation, military strategy and geopolitical influence. Satellite launch costs have tumbled, significantly expanding the scope for new space-related applications. This Blueprint assesses the state of Europe’s space sector, the challenges […]
Faced with declining fertility rates and persistent gender gaps, governments have expanded policies to support working families. But sudden increases in allowable parental leave can impose wage costs on firms and negatively affect firm survival. This column examines how Austrian firms responded to a parental leave reform for which they could plan. Whether mothers could […]
This week ten years ago, Greece was on the brink of exiting the euro. The integrity of the currency union was again in jeopardy after the crisis of 2010-12. This column reflects on how political responsibility (including the determination of the Greek people to remain in the euro area), institutional determination, and behind-the-scenes arm-twisting eventually […]
Governments are increasingly employing industrial subsidies, raising questions about their market implications. This column undertakes a thorough econometric testing of the causal impacts of subsidies on several firm performance indicators for large manufacturing companies. The authors find that subsidies increase firms’ market shares but have either no impact, or a negative impact on investment and […]
Investment funds are important players in global financial markets. This column examines their behaviour and interaction with other investors during stress periods on European sovereign bond markets. It shows that investment funds are the only investor group that exhibits a distinctly procyclical behaviour by persistently selling euro periphery sovereign debt in response to euro disaster […]
The transition from sail to steam power for cargo and passenger shipping to Australia lagged behind the North Atlantic by nearly two decades. This column explores how Brunel’s iconic ship, the SS Great Britain, succeeded where others failed, thanks to its size and innovative design that combined sail and steam power. The Great Britain made […]
Population ageing makes it harder for governments to finance programmes like public pensions and long-term care. But policy responses, such as tightening programme eligibility and benefit levels or raising taxes on current workers, often prove unpopular. This column presents findings from the latest wave of the OECD’s Risks that Matter survey, which takes stock of […]
As geopolitical uncertainty rises – due to events ranging from Brexit and the increasing rivalry between major economies to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – firms are increasingly factoring political alignment into their investment decisions. This column uses detailed global data on greenfield projects, mergers and acquisitions, and affiliate stocks, and four measures of political alignment, […]
