Press releases

The May/June issue of Intereconomics is dedicated to the search for a new economic paradigm following the failures of the old model. In a special extended Forum, leading economists explore new approaches to topics including financial markets, inequality, fiscal policy, global trade and environmental regulation. Elsewhere in the journal, articles assess the ECB’s monetary policy from multiple perspectives, and the impact of low interest rates on investment behaviour is analysed. The authors of this issue’s Letter from America advocate a federal job guarantee to eliminate unemployment in the US.

The January/February issue of Intereconomics features a Forum on the impact of behavioural economics on public policy. Inspired by Richard Thaler’s Nobel prize last autumn, the Forum examines the policy opportunities presented by nudging and similar behavioural methods, as well as the challenges and potential downsides. One highlight is an article by Cass Sunstein, Thaler’s frequent co-author, and Lucia Reisch, who look into people’s acceptance of government nudges – do they resent being manipulated? Or do they find nudges more acceptable than outright bans and policy prescriptions? This issue’s Editorial, by Pierre Moscovici, and Letter from America, by Barry Eichengreen, both look at renewed EU optimism and assess whether it is warranted. Finally, the issue also features interesting articles on helicopter money, the winners of trade wars, the sustainability of eurozone debt and European fiscal coordination.

The September/October Intereconomics issue features a special Forum of papers on the integration of migrants into European labour markets. Research on this topic has grown over decades of migration waves, and our authors use this history to inform their studies on the current state of affairs. Our Editorial discusses the chill that Brexit has cast on the freedom of movement throughout the European Union, perhaps the key issue that led to the UK's vote to leave. Elsewhere, this issue's diverse articles cover the possibility of euro area sovereign-backed securities, a theoretical discussion on the political limits of economic integration and the explanations for why the adjustment programmes failed to truly help Greece out of the crisis. Finally, this issue's Letter from America looks at the economic crisis of the beleaguered island of Puerto Rico.

The May/June Intereconomics issue features a Forum based on presentations at our recent conference, 'A Fiscal Stabilisation Function for the Eurozone'. While debate over such a function has ebbed and flowed for decades, our authors roundly agree that the time has come for it to become a reality in some form. Our Editorial analyses recent statements from the European Commission that seem to legitimise the idea of a multispeed Europe, where subgroups of member states are allowed to further integrate without the consent of the entire EU. Elsewhere, this issue's diverse range of articles cover gender inequality, autonomous driving and even the effect of macroeconomic performance on happiness. Finally, our Letter from America looks at the rights of the American worker in the age of Trump.