“Central Banks’ Varied Approaches to the Financial Risks of Climate Change” By Gordon Kerr, Cavin O’Driscoll, and Enrico Colombatto, courtesy of IREF As the momentum has built behind calls for policy responses towards climate change, the ECB and the Bank of England have not been the quickest central banks to act. Back in […]
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UK council finances are unsustainable, new model urgently needed
TPA responds to IFS report on council tax By Harry Fone, courtesy of Taxpayers’ Alliance A new report released by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has analysed funding for local authorities and made a series of recommendations. Few would challenge the IFS’ argument that the present funding model is unsustainable and alternative […]
EU transfers fuel corruption, white collar crime
“There is a case for reforming the long-term EU budget” Courtesy of Open Europe On October 21th 2019, Open Europe’s Pieter Cleppe gave evidence to the Committee on EU Affairs of Germany’s Parliament in Berlin, discussing the long term EU budget 2021-2027, which is currently being negotiated. A briefing provided by Pieter Cleppe detailing how […]
Traffic pollution affects academic performance
“How traffic pollution affects children’s academic performance: Lower test scores, more behavioral incidents, and more absences” Courtesy of IZA Over 6.4 million children in the U.S. attend public school within 250 meters of a major roadway. Despite a growing body of research on air pollution, academic achievement, and human capital formation, little is known […]
UK foreign aid exports nanny state around the world
IEA publishes “Nanny State on Tour” Courtesy of IEA The amount of UK foreign aid spent on nanny state interventions has skyrocketed, according to a new report from the Institute of Economic Affairs. Foreign aid has been instrumental in controlling and eradicating infectious conditions abroad, but British public health organisations have increasingly used the […]
V4 countries diverge on European defense initiatives, but still have a lot to offer
“The V4 and the European Defence Initiatives” By Gergely Varga, courtesy of Europeum With the new EU commission set to take its place sometime in the next few months, Europeans are in a stand-by mode with respect to how the EU will deliver on European defence in light of the ambitious rhetoric surrounding […]
Why does Switzerland have sugar subsidies? Why does anyone?
“Sweet temptation” By Dr. Patrick Dümmler, courtesy of Avenir Suisse Something consumed by lots of people every day should never be in short supply, even in a crisis — or so the thinking goes. The Swiss Confederation therefore requires selected sectors to engage in stockpiling, in order to be able to ensure continued […]
And who shall watch the sheep? No one, apparently
“New Policy Banning H‑2A Sheepherders Shows Need for Congress to Act” By David Bier, courtesy of the Cato Institute Yesterday, the Trump administration announced it would end a decades-old practice of allowing sheep and goat herders to enter the United States as guest workers under the H-2A program. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services […]
The debate over industrial policy ended… 35 years ago
By Erik Sass, TES Editor-in-Chief The rise of populism has brought with it the return of statism in the economic sphere, especially regarding international trade, where previous moves towards freer trade have been roundly rejected in favor of old-fashioned mercantilism and bilateral brinksmanship. Another aspect of the economic déjà vu is […]
“This is a mess”: QE isn’t working – and neither is government
By Erik Sass, TES Editor-in-Chief Collectively and individually the countries of Europe face economic problems that they are either unwilling or unable to confront due to a lack of political courage, despite the availability of effective remedies. That was the bleak takeaway from a panel discussion of economic and political experts at the […]