What's Wrong With Archives - IREF Europe https://en.irefeurope.org/tag/whats-wrong-with/ Independent research and policy analysis on fiscal, monetary, and regulatory issues in Europe Sat, 18 Apr 2026 18:04:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 https://en.irefeurope.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/04/IREF-LinkedIn-Profile-DarkBlue-scaled.png What's Wrong With Archives - IREF Europe https://en.irefeurope.org/tag/whats-wrong-with/ 32 32 European Central Bank’s Gaslighting Defies EU Energy Shortage https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/european-central-banks-gaslighting-defies-eu-energy-shortage/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=european-central-banks-gaslighting-defies-eu-energy-shortage https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/european-central-banks-gaslighting-defies-eu-energy-shortage/#comments Wed, 03 Aug 2022 07:31:33 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=34581 This article analyses the disparity between the substance of what was announced and the language put around it by the ECB, mainly in the press release on its Monetary Policy…

The post European Central Bank’s Gaslighting Defies EU Energy Shortage appeared first on IREF Europe.

]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/european-central-banks-gaslighting-defies-eu-energy-shortage/feed/ 1 Free-market excuses for not so free-market-oriented central bankers https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/free-market-excuses-for-not-so-free-market-oriented-central-bankers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=free-market-excuses-for-not-so-free-market-oriented-central-bankers https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/free-market-excuses-for-not-so-free-market-oriented-central-bankers/#respond Wed, 04 Dec 2019 10:02:35 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article-free-market-excuses-for-not-so-free-market-oriented-central-bankers/ In a recent speech, the Vice Chair for Supervision at the Federal Reserve R.K. Quarles extensively cited F.A. von Hayek. Quarles highlighted Hayek’s argument on freely determined prices as crucial to convey knowledge across operators and enhance a functional economic order. By contrast, he argued, distorted prices harm economic performance. Rather surprisingly, however, Quarles concluded by endorsing another cut of the Fed Funds rates (this line of thinking also applies – mutatis mutandis – to the European context too). Indeed, interest rates are “prices”, and manipulated interest rates are also “biased prices”. So, what should we make of Quarles’ speech?

The post Free-market excuses for not so free-market-oriented central bankers appeared first on IREF Europe.

]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/free-market-excuses-for-not-so-free-market-oriented-central-bankers/feed/ 0 Mafia and the market https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/mafia-and-the-market/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mafia-and-the-market https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/mafia-and-the-market/#respond Wed, 06 Nov 2019 10:01:04 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article-mafia-and-the-market/ Many people share the opinion that Mafia is a typical Italian phenomenon, something about which only Italians should worry. This opinion is wrong. Data recently released by Europol show that thousands of criminal organizations active in Europe can be labelled as of mafia-type, with about 70% of them operating in more than one country.

In many European regions there is indeed evidence of a medium-to-high share of organized crime investments over the total.

The post Mafia and the market appeared first on IREF Europe.

]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/mafia-and-the-market/feed/ 0 Why do central bankers tend to get it wrong? https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/why-do-central-bankers-tend-to-get-it-wrong/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-do-central-bankers-tend-to-get-it-wrong https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/why-do-central-bankers-tend-to-get-it-wrong/#respond Wed, 11 Sep 2019 08:52:36 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article-why-do-central-bankers-tend-to-get-it-wrong/ Central banks play a prominent role in regulating modern economies. They enjoy a high reputation for their technical competence, and provide analyses and forecasts that influence the behavior of markets and the policymakers’ decisions, with emphasis on monetary policy. What if their forecasts are systematically biased?

The post Why do central bankers tend to get it wrong? appeared first on IREF Europe.

]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/why-do-central-bankers-tend-to-get-it-wrong/feed/ 0 To Follow Or Not To Follow The Herd? Transparency And Social Norm Nudges https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/working-paper-series/article/to-follow-or-not-to-follow-the-herd-transparency-and-social-norm-nudges/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=to-follow-or-not-to-follow-the-herd-transparency-and-social-norm-nudges https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/working-paper-series/article/to-follow-or-not-to-follow-the-herd-transparency-and-social-norm-nudges/#respond Fri, 26 Apr 2019 16:32:22 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/working-paper-series/article-to-follow-or-not-to-follow-the-herd-transparency-and-social-norm-nudges/ WP 2019-04.

The post To Follow Or Not To Follow The Herd? Transparency And Social Norm Nudges appeared first on IREF Europe.

]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/working-paper-series/article/to-follow-or-not-to-follow-the-herd-transparency-and-social-norm-nudges/feed/ 0 Representation in Democracies: Unequal and Unfair? https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/representation-in-democracies-unequal-and-unfair/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=representation-in-democracies-unequal-and-unfair https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/representation-in-democracies-unequal-and-unfair/#respond Wed, 27 Mar 2019 16:22:23 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article-representation-in-democracies-unequal-and-unfair/ In light of increasing income inequality and wealth inequality in many Western democracies, some social scientists believe that democracy is in jeopardy. Do the rich have a disproportionally high influence…

The post Representation in Democracies: Unequal and Unfair? appeared first on IREF Europe.

]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/representation-in-democracies-unequal-and-unfair/feed/ 0 Synthetic Control and Extended Critics https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/synthetic-control-and-extended-critics/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=synthetic-control-and-extended-critics https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/synthetic-control-and-extended-critics/#respond Wed, 20 Mar 2019 14:33:50 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article-synthetic-control-and-extended-critics/ The recent paper “20 Years of the Euro: Winners and Losers” by Gasparotti & Kullas estimates that the introduction of the euro increased the pro-capita income in Germany and the…

The post Synthetic Control and Extended Critics appeared first on IREF Europe.

]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/synthetic-control-and-extended-critics/feed/ 0 The Solitude of Neoliberalism https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-solitude-of-neoliberalism/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-solitude-of-neoliberalism https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-solitude-of-neoliberalism/#respond Wed, 06 Feb 2019 15:16:55 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article-the-solitude-of-neoliberalism/ So-called “neoliberalism” is nowadays more often than ever the scapegoat of anything wrong happening in contemporary democracies: from economic crisis to increase inequality, from the rise of populism to environmental…

The post The Solitude of Neoliberalism appeared first on IREF Europe.

]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-solitude-of-neoliberalism/feed/ 0 Mandatory Year of Service: Coerced Community? https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/mandatory-year-of-service-coerced-community/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mandatory-year-of-service-coerced-community https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/mandatory-year-of-service-coerced-community/#respond Wed, 23 Jan 2019 14:22:29 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article-mandatory-year-of-service-coerced-community/ “This state is not for free,” said the recently-elected leader of the Christian Democratic Union, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, promoting a mandatory year of service in the military or in the social…

The post Mandatory Year of Service: Coerced Community? appeared first on IREF Europe.

]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/mandatory-year-of-service-coerced-community/feed/ 0 The Economics of Donald Trump’s Twitter Account https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-economics-of-donald-trump-s-twitter-account/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-economics-of-donald-trump-s-twitter-account https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-economics-of-donald-trump-s-twitter-account/#respond Wed, 28 Nov 2018 05:30:22 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article-the-economics-of-donald-trump-s-twitter-account/ US President Donald Trump’s (in)famous tweet-storms have been used as anecdotal evidence of his volatility, anger, etc., but they are also an important source of policy information. After all, it…

The post The Economics of Donald Trump’s Twitter Account appeared first on IREF Europe.

]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-economics-of-donald-trump-s-twitter-account/feed/ 0