Reports of Professor Enrico Colombatto
See all →
Will the EU change its focus and reshape its budget?
Despite a disappointing economic track record, the European Union still has significant support among voters. However, this popularity is mostly due to a lack of trust in national politics. To live up to the public’s expectations, the EU will need to make significant adjustments to its spending patterns to tackle ...
Opinion: The mysterious case of CEOs turning green
It is unusual when CEOs purport to define their companies’ overarching objectives – that’s the shareholders’ job. Things become even curiouser when top managers team up with an international bureaucracy to call for the imposition of tighter environmental standards on business. Look for mundane motives, like sending out a profit warning ...
Focus Germany: Foreign trade – clouds on the horizon
German trade statistics are sagging. Most commentators attribute this phenomenon to the global business cycle. More likely, today’s figures are the outcome of earlier decisions made by German companies to move resources outside of Europe, and they are now developing their products elsewhere. If true, German foreign trade flows will ...
China: what’s next? Unemployment
China is facing rising labor costs, relatively low productivity growth and competition from other developing countries. While the trade dispute with the U.S. provides Beijing with a scapegoat, the true causes of the dilemma lie in the past policy. If Chinese consumers lose confidence in their economy, a crisis could ...
U.S. economy awaits the next moves by Powell and Trump
U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell worries that the Trump administration’s trade dispute with China is hamstringing the American economy. President Donald Trump believes a more aggressive monetary policy is necessary. Both men want to burnish their image and consolidate their power. To do so, they may make moves that ...
Dim prospects for developing countries
Developing countries are facing some favorable global conditions, with cheap financing, rising commodity prices, and foreign investors looking for opportunity. But three roadblocks will prevent improved growth in Africa and other developing economies: government involvement in the market, an outsize bureaucracy, and an undereducated labor force. The solutions now being ...
The EU’s next challenge: Emerging markets
For the global economy, the road ahead is unusually clear – it is headed for a gentle slowdown. But that is no reason for complacency. The next wave of trouble is already visible in the developing countries, which are highly vulnerable to rising interest rates. The EU could do much ...
After the Great Fear: The EU’s Sibiu agenda
EU leaders heaved a sigh of relief after May’s European Parliament elections when the much-feared populist wave failed to rock the boat. Yet at most, they have gained a little time. Judging by the tone of the informal summit held in Sibiu, Romania, the EU’s new leadership will favor old ...
