Francesco Ramella, Author at IREF Europe https://en.irefeurope.org/author/francesco-ramella/ Independent research and policy analysis on fiscal, monetary, and regulatory issues in Europe Tue, 24 Feb 2026 06:22:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://en.irefeurope.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/04/IREF-LinkedIn-Profile-DarkBlue-scaled.png Francesco Ramella, Author at IREF Europe https://en.irefeurope.org/author/francesco-ramella/ 32 32 Who pays and who should pay for travel? https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/who-pays-and-who-should-pay-for-travel/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=who-pays-and-who-should-pay-for-travel https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/who-pays-and-who-should-pay-for-travel/#respond Tue, 24 Feb 2026 06:22:13 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=36250 As the story goes, there are no free rides. The costs of each journey must necessarily be borne by someone. They can be broken down into three categories: the monetary…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/who-pays-and-who-should-pay-for-travel/feed/ 0 The ban of the ban on new thermal cars: a cure worse than the disease? https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-ban-of-the-ban-on-new-thermal-cars-a-cure-worse-than-the-disease/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-ban-of-the-ban-on-new-thermal-cars-a-cure-worse-than-the-disease https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-ban-of-the-ban-on-new-thermal-cars-a-cure-worse-than-the-disease/#respond Wed, 07 Jan 2026 05:42:01 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=36187 The widely circulated news that the EU is backtracking on the ban on selling cars with internal combustion engines in 2035 is greatly exaggerated. Rather than a U-turn, it’s more…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-ban-of-the-ban-on-new-thermal-cars-a-cure-worse-than-the-disease/feed/ 0 Put their money where your mouth is https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/put-their-money-where-your-mouth-is/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=put-their-money-where-your-mouth-is https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/put-their-money-where-your-mouth-is/#respond Wed, 03 Dec 2025 21:59:01 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=36136 George Bush, then a presidential candidate, famously said at the 1988 Republican National Convention in New Orleans: “read my lips: no new taxes”. The pledge not to tax the American…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/put-their-money-where-your-mouth-is/feed/ 0 Land consumption in the EU: too much or too little? https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/land-consumption-in-the-eu-too-much-or-too-little/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=land-consumption-in-the-eu-too-much-or-too-little https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/land-consumption-in-the-eu-too-much-or-too-little/#respond Wed, 12 Nov 2025 16:35:35 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=36105 The long run is a misleading guide to current affairs. ‘In the long run we are all dead,’ wrote John Maynard Keynes in 1923. The statement seems well-suited to the…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/land-consumption-in-the-eu-too-much-or-too-little/feed/ 0 The sad story of a private railway company in Italy https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-sad-story-of-a-private-railway-company-in-italy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-sad-story-of-a-private-railway-company-in-italy https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-sad-story-of-a-private-railway-company-in-italy/#respond Wed, 08 Oct 2025 03:21:21 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=36045 In 1825,  the first public railway line from Stockton and Darlington in the UK was opened to traffic. For more than half a century, there was a vigorous development of…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-sad-story-of-a-private-railway-company-in-italy/feed/ 0 The double standard of information on climate change https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-double-standard-of-information-on-climate-change/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-double-standard-of-information-on-climate-change https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-double-standard-of-information-on-climate-change/#respond Wed, 09 Jul 2025 03:19:02 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=35959 Among the many endangered species, there is one in particular: natural disasters not caused by climate change. The massive landslide triggered by the collapse of the Birch Glacier, which almost…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-double-standard-of-information-on-climate-change/feed/ 0 Cost-benefit analysis in practice https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/cost-benefit-analysis-in-practice/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cost-benefit-analysis-in-practice https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/cost-benefit-analysis-in-practice/#respond Wed, 26 Feb 2025 13:04:37 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=35780 CBA is rarely used to evaluate public investments or policies. Environmental regulation is usually implemented by imposing limits and bans in the absence of evaluation. This is the case, for…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/cost-benefit-analysis-in-practice/feed/ 0 Cost-benefit analysis in theory https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/cost-benefit-analysis-in-theory/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cost-benefit-analysis-in-theory https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/cost-benefit-analysis-in-theory/#respond Wed, 19 Feb 2025 04:29:52 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=35772 As is well known, in Western countries public spending represents today a high percentage of the gross domestic product. In Europe, it stands at around 50%. Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) has…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/cost-benefit-analysis-in-theory/feed/ 0 What would happen if taxpayers no longer paid for public transportation? https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/what-would-happen-if-taxpayers-no-longer-paid-for-public-transportation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-would-happen-if-taxpayers-no-longer-paid-for-public-transportation https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/what-would-happen-if-taxpayers-no-longer-paid-for-public-transportation/#respond Wed, 15 Jan 2025 06:19:10 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=35752 Rail and public transports are usually deemed essential features for a well-functioning mobility system. How could we get around in our cities without buses, trams and metros? Wouldn’t there be…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/what-would-happen-if-taxpayers-no-longer-paid-for-public-transportation/feed/ 0 Gigaliners: a threat or an opportunity for Europe? https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/gigaliners-a-threat-or-an-opportunity-for-europe/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gigaliners-a-threat-or-an-opportunity-for-europe https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/gigaliners-a-threat-or-an-opportunity-for-europe/#respond Wed, 13 Nov 2024 04:39:44 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=35698   The European debate Last March, the European Parliament approved new rules on the weight and size of trucks: the total weight of single vehicles is now 44 tons (it…

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