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“Conspiracy theories have always been a part of the US culture”0
Today we spoke about conspiracy theories and their influence with Professor Michael Butter (Tübingen University), author of Plots, Designs, and Schemes (Linguae & Litterae) and many other works on conspiracy theories in the US.
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Climate Case: the heat goes on0
- Environment and Energy, Op-ed
- 02/11/2015
Something noteworthy happened in June in the Netherlands, where an activist organization successfully sued the state over its lack of commitment to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. While unprecedented and unparalleled, the Climate Case won’t save the climate but pits government against court.
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Is the European Semester Light fixable?0
- International Relations and Global Affairs, Op-ed
- 26/10/2015
The European Semester Light process was developed to advance reforms of candidate countries’ economic policies before entering the EU. The case of Serbia bluntly shows its shortcomings.
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How Uber contributed to the shift from regulatory state to evaluatory society1
- Op-ed, Social and Economic Policy
- 22/10/2015
Uber bites again. Today, the venture-backed start-up launched its less controversial ride-sharing app UberX in Zagreb, Croatia. This post-socialist country has climbed on the bandwagon of the sharing economy after an already burdensome move to the market economy. The taxi sector’s reaction in Croatia is very indicative of the abhorrence by which vested interests ”welcomed” market liberalisation. More dramatically, the arrival of Uber threatens to exacerbate relations between the state-business nexus and citizens’ demands.
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Michel Foucault on refugees – an interview from 19791
- Human Rights and Migration, Interview
- 20/10/2015
‘The refugee problem is a foreshadowing of the 21st century’s great migration.’
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Talking to my daughter about the economy (Book review)0
- Analysis, Social and Economic Policy
- 12/10/2015
I expected a lot from Varoufakis’s economics for teenagers. I believe that basics of economics and entrepreneurship must be part of the high school curricula (possibly even of the last grades of the elementary school). Citizens who possess basic economic knowledge could more easily understand manipulations performed by politicians (when salaries and pensions are cut to finance party employment in the public sector); they would know that market prices depend on other people’s tastes and ability to pay, and not on the nature of the capitalist who produce them; or they would know that there is no such a thing as free meal – when the government gives you something for free, someone always had to pay for it.
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TPP: Should the key losers – China and Europe – join forces?0
- International Trade, Op-ed
- 09/10/2015
After five years of struggle, a massive trade pact has been signed among the US, Japan and 10 other economies (mostly in Asia but also Latin America): the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
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The myths and truths of the European migration crisis0
- Human Rights and Migration, Op-ed
- 24/09/2015
There is no price tag attached to my hand stretched out to refugees, people threatened by wars, and violent regimes. The humanitarian argument prevails over any cost-benefit analysis. But as a labor economist, I firmly believe it is my obligation to help us better understand the labor market impacts of immigration.
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Rethinking U.S. drug policy0
- International Relations and Global Affairs, Op-ed
- 11/09/2015
A recent study by the UK’s Home Office found no evidence that “drug use in a country is affected by how “tough” or “soft” the government’s response is, showing that the severity of criminal penalties has little effect on drug use”.
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