Intereconomics

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Forum · Issue 2 · 2023
Rethinking Resource Efficiency: Europe’s Transition to a Circular Economy

The war in Ukraine has brought the challenges stemming from Europe’s dependency on natural gas and oil imports into sharp focus. This has also highlighted another dependency – that on raw materials that are critical for the EU’s transition to a low-carbon economy. A strategic approach to raw material management can help negate the risks posed by a dependency on imports of critical raw materials. Improving resource efficiency is also necessary to sustain socio-economic progress in the face of finite natural resources.

Forum · Issue 1 · 2023
Tackling the European Energy Crisis

Having had little time to absorb the economic and social shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU is confronted with yet another crisis – rising energy prices due to Russia’s war in Ukraine coupled with inflation reaching historic levels. Household burdens vary greatly across and within EU member states, requiring different policy responses. In this Forum, contributors consider specific responses from individual EU member states and the EU as a whole to determine best practices and gauge how they may be more effectively applied.

Forum · Issue 6 · 2022
De-Globalisation – A New World Order?

After decades of increasing globalisation in trade, capital and information flows, we are currently experiencing a shift due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine and divisions over the conflict. Disrupted supply chains, US-China trade tensions and the gradual demise of the WTO have altered the geopolitical landscape. Where is globalisation heading? Are we seeing the beginning of a more multipolar world order? Where does the EU fit in this new scheme? This Forum, featuring contributions by the speakers at the 2022 joint Intereconomics/CEPS conference, examines geopolitics and geoeconomics in a changing global order.

Forum · Issue 5 · 2022
The Return of the Eurozone Crisis?

In the past few years and months, a number of subsequent shocks have hit the European economies. A combination of high levels of public debt, stagflation as well as the announcement of a joint return to contractionary monetary and fiscal policy could be a challenge for the EMU given that interest rates on government bonds, in particular in southern Europe, increased substantially in recent weeks. This Forum takes a look at the factors that have contributed to the recent return of interest rate spreads, analyses the new developments in macroeconomic aggregates and considers how the EU should respond to the emerging crisis.

Editorial
Myopic Governance

Governments need to work with networks and across borders to give real meaning to multi-level governance, writes Jan Zielonka. This is the best way to address challenges to democratic governance created by the digital revolution.

Strategic Autonomy
The EU’s Quest for Strategic Raw Materials

With demand for raw materials increasing and geopolitical tensions intensifying, the need for a regulatory framework, particularly for domestic mining and recycling, has become a precondition for the EU to achieve security of supply, write Edoardo Righetti and Vasileios Rizos.

Banks
The Silicon Valley Bank Run: Regulatory and Media Failure

The current situation, with some banks facing runs from uninsured depositors, is not at all comparable to the problems we saw in 2008-09, writes Dean Baker. Media reporting, which has frequently made this comparison, has played a major role in exacerbating the recent crisis.

Circular Economy
Critical Raw Material Supply

André Månberger explains how circular economy policies, including recycling, will relieve some pressure on primary metal extraction by increasing the diversity of the resource base. The article discusses how the circular economy can be leveraged to increase EU strategic autonomy and the potential for conflicting policy goals this may bring.

Energy crisis
The Tale of the German Gas Price Brake

Isabella M. Weber, Thore Beckmann and Jan-Erik Thie show that the gas price brake makes a critical contribution towards providing relief for households and alleviates cost pressure on firms while retaining incentives for consumers and businesses to save gas.

reconstructing Ukraine
What Can Ukraine Learn from Aufbau Ost?

Ulrich Blum uses Aufbau Ost (or reconstruction of the East) of the new German states as a structural model to estimate the possible costs of an Aufbau Ost 2.0 of Ukraine while taking institutional differences into account.

Quote of the Month

"Governance in its essence is about mastering time and space, and the current democratic institutions are poorly suited to meet this challenge because democratic governance is tied to nation-states defending the selfish interests of a given territory."

Jan Zielonka

Myopic Governance

Current Issue

Volume 58
2023
Issue 2

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Figure of the Month

Global value chain participation in selected regions

The degree of integration of global value chains has declined since the global financial crisis. The decline has been much more significant for Germany, Europe’s exporting powerhouse, than for the US and China.

Read the full article

Forum · Issue 2 · 2023 Rethinking Resource Efficiency: Europe’s Transition to a Circular Economy

Forum · Issue 1 · 2023 Tackling the European Energy Crisis

Forum · Issue 6 · 2022 De-Globalisation – A New World Order?

Forum · Issue 5 · 2022 The Return of the Eurozone Crisis?

Editorial Myopic Governance

Strategic Autonomy The EU’s Quest for Strategic Raw Materials

Banks The Silicon Valley Bank Run: Regulatory and Media Failure

Circular Economy Critical Raw Material Supply

Energy crisis The Tale of the German Gas Price Brake

reconstructing Ukraine What Can Ukraine Learn from Aufbau Ost?