As the Eurozone is amid secular stagnation, its old fiscal, monetary and banking challenges are escalating, along with new threats, including the Brexit, demise of Schengen, anti-EU opposition and geopolitical friction. According to Dan Steinbock, Brussels can no longer avoid hard political decisions for or against an integrated Europe, with or without the euro.
Financial Oligarchy vs. Feudal Aristocracy
By Ismael Hossein-zadeh and Anthony A. Gabb
In this article the authors explore how modern capitalism mirrors the feudal system of centuries ago where today, the banks are the feudal lords, and the general public play the part of peasants.
Ancient Amazons: Warrior Women in Myth and History
By Adrienne Mayor
In Greek myth, Amazons were fierce women of exotic lands who gloried in hunting and war. The greatest Greek heroes, Heracles and Achilles, proved their valor by killing Amazon queens. But were Amazons mere fantasy? Thanks to archaeology, we now know they were modeled on real steppe nomads of Eurasia.
Paris Climate Summit: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
In the aftermath of the December 2015 Paris climate summit, it’s worth reviewing the final agreement. The text serves as a Rorschach Test: there are wildly varying takes on its contours. Professor Steve Breyman provides his view of the inkblot.
From Hyper-Finance to Secular Stagnation & Mass Unemployment
By Michel-Henry Bouchet and Robert Isaak
In this article, the authors advocate policies to counter the decoupling of finance from the real economy of productive job-creation resulting from short-term global hyperfinance and misguided government regulations: eg. future bank bailouts should be conditioned upon including ratios of new lending to start-ups and small firms with the greatest scaling up potential for employment.
Should Economists Care About Ethics?
Whether conscious of it or not, economists rely on ethical norms and principles to carry out research and to inform policy choices. Economic efficiency, for example, is a powerful ethical concept, yet can be misapplied, as Jonathan Wight explores in this article. Understanding the institutional and ethical frameworks for policymaking is key to using economic tools correctly.
We Will Not Stop Talking about Racism
By Lawrence Ware and Rebecca Martinez
Many white people want to stop talking about racism. Consciousness implies action, and that kind of talking about race, ethnicity, and racism produces thinkers who challenge the status quo. White people think that this made people of color dangerous. Americans are doing all they can to appear as if they are wrestling with race without admitting historical fault or committing to change. This will not do.
How to Defeat Western Neo-Colonialism
The West managed to build its wealth, including the social nets, on plunder, deception, slavery and countless holocausts on all continents of the world. Its citizens are ignorant about these facts. Their standards of living are outrageously high, but they demand more. There is no “Left” in the West, anymore, because true left means internationalism and solidarity.
Luxury Taxation, Good for Economic Development?
By Patrick Imam
Developing countries are struggling to mobilise resources to finance social and infrastructural development. The author argues that one avenue is to tax luxury goods more heavily, which could simultaneously tackle inequality and spur development with minimal distortionary effect, as was practiced by many successful East Asian countries in the past.
Through the Ceiling and Over the Cliff? Catch-22 for Women Executives
This program for women executives combines business acumen with leadership development and career reflection. It’s an approach designed to strengthen the key skills needed for navigating the road ahead.
EDITOR'S PICK OF THE WEEK
The Performance and Transformation Orchestrator: The CFO’s New Mandate in the Age of AI
By Terence Tse
CFOs are evolving into AI-driven transformation orchestrators, balancing finance, technology, and strategy while upskilling teams, managing risks, and driving measurable business value.
A key insight from this year’s AI for CFOs event, organized...
