• Less employment protection, more jobs?

    Less employment protection, more jobs?0

    Following the financial crisis of 2007-2008 and the subsequent great recession, many of the OECD countries implemented structural reforms on employment protection legislation, aiming to enhance the flexibility of the labor market. This was believed to have a positive influence in preventing the reduction of existing jobs and promoting the creation of new ones. But do flexibility-enhancing reforms actually contribute to boosting employment?

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  • Pokémon GO: To regulate or not to regulate?

    Pokémon GO: To regulate or not to regulate?18

    Pokémons are running amok in the digital world and children and adults alike are running amok in the real world trying to catch them: since its release in July 2016, the augmented-reality mobile game Pokémon GO has taken the world by storm. The unprecedented popularity of the game and player experiences have raised safety and privacy concerns however, leading many to question whether or not policymakers should now regulate augmented-reality games such as Pokémon GO.

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  • Ivory trade: Back on the market?

    Ivory trade: Back on the market?2

    Recently, ivory trade has caused a great deal of furore between the EU, the public and conservation organisations. However, despite a legal misinterpretation leaving the EU misjudged, the resulting message that consumer demand for ivory is lawful, that killing these mythical creatures is acceptable and that they are a resource to be exploited, remains untouched.

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  • It is time for innovation in the EU’s agriculture!

    It is time for innovation in the EU’s agriculture!1

    The agricultural sector encounters undoubtedly a form of crisis in Europe. In France, hundreds of farmers continue to unleash a torrent of almost daily protests against the collapse of milk and pork prices. In Italy, the situation is alarming too. Last year, Coldiretti, Europe’s largest agricultural professional organisation, rang an alarm bell: agriculture may disappear in thirty-two years in Italy.

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  • The future of traffic: (de)regulation of driverless vehicles

    The future of traffic: (de)regulation of driverless vehicles1

    At the beginning of July 2016, a Tesla vehicle that has a built-in Autopilot system crashed with a tractor trailer on a Florida highway, killing the driver. Neither the driver (who allegedly was watching Harry Potter while letting the Autopilot do the driving), neither the Tesla hit the brakes when the trailer appeared in front of the Tesla. Pending investigation by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the radar of the vehicle “tunes out what looks like an overhead road sign to avoid false braking events.” Just days following that incident, another driver was reported to escape a fatal incident thanks in part to the Autopilot.

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  • Goodbye Brexit dream, hello lessons learnt

    Goodbye Brexit dream, hello lessons learnt0

    On the 23rd of June 2016 the United Kingdom, one of the three pillars of the EU alongside France and Germany, and the biggest champion of its enlargement, votes to leave the Union. Whether this historic date will be remembered as Europe’s doomsday or the beginning of its resurrection now weights entirely on the EU shoulders.

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