Who’s biased?
by Leonardo Baggiani 17 March 0
The recent paper “Fifty Shades of QE: Conflicts of Interest in Economic Research” by Fabo et al. investigates the possible biases of economic research when analysing QE effectiveness. Part of the research efforts on this subject is led by economists who work at the very central banks that design (...)
When Draghi Came to Town
by Sergio Beraldo 10 March 0
Populism Italian Style and some bizarre ideas about representative democracy came to an end when prime minister Giuseppe Conte resigned and Mario Draghi took his place. Draghi has become a national hero and people have been changing their minds. They no longer trust that bombastic stories could (...)
Working Paper on financial novels as a new genre in Italy
by IREF 3 March 0
In a new IREF Working Paper Stefano Adamo of the University of Banja Luka turns to a young genre of Italian literature. Adamo analyzes four novels that revolve around the financial crises of the year 2008 and the government debt crises of the 2010s. What is special is that the authors of the (...)
FREE TRADE AFTER BREXIT
by Andrew Glencross 24 February 0
A year ago this month, Boris Johnson took to the stage in Greenwich to deliver a paean to free trade. His central message was that, thanks to Brexit, the UK was finally “re-emerging after decades of hibernation as a campaigner for global free trade”. Twelve months on, it is appropriate to reflect (...)
The African Continental Free Trade Area: A possible game-changer in African regional and international trade
by Mohamed Moutii 17 February 0
In 2018, the African heads of state signed an agreement that has eventually brought to life the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). In July 2019, 54 of the 55 African Union states signed the Agreement, with Eritrea the only country staying out. Finally, on January 1st, 2021, the (...)
Reducing global inequality: growth and migration
by Alexander Fink, Fabian Kurz, Translation by Anna-Maria Kohnke 4 February 0
According to a recent survey across 34 countries, more people worry about income inequality than about the current COVID-19 pandemic. Pessimism with regard to inequality appears to be particularly widespread in France, followed by Spain, Greece, and Germany. Global inequality increased until (...)
The EU minimum wage plan will do more harm than good
by Mohamed Moutii 27 January 0
When we see social interactions that seem unfair, people usually demand legislation that would prohibit the behavior they dislike. But this kind of intervention does not come without a price and has unintended consequences. On October 28th, the European Commission initiated a legislative (...)
Should Covid-19 Vaccination be Mandatory?
by Sergio Beraldo 20 January 0
Gallup conducted a panel survey in the very days the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was certified as effective. According to the survey, only 63% of Americans agree to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Things are similar in other Western countries. An article published by Nature Medicine (...)
Far-sighted citizens, short-sighted savers?
by Alexander Fink, Kalle Kappner, Translation by Anna-Maria Kohnke 6 January 0
Young people’s attitudes towards retirement are contradictory: on the one hand, they don’t trust public pay-as-you-go pensions. According to recent surveys, around half of the respondents do not expect significant retirement income from this source. On the other hand, private efforts are (...)
Is Meritocracy all that bad?
by Sergio Beraldo 29 December 2020 0
The term meritocracy describes a social and political context in which merit is the key criterion to evaluate the distribution of rewards. If such distribution reflects individual merit, it is fair. It is unfair in the opposite case. The term was coined in 1958 by British sociologist Michael (...)