Blog

June 25, 2020

Do Low Emissions Zones Really Work?

At the moment, the general sense of alarm caused by the supposed consequences of climate change is something that is shared by all Western societies. In order to tackle these consequences, various measures have been taken, amongst them the restriction of traffic.
June 23, 2020

The Issue at Stake Was Not to Choose Between Lives and the Economy

We often hear that managing a crisis like coronavirus depends on societal choices. The choice would be to save lives or economies. Health and economic data show that reality is much more complex than this simplification of the dilemma. Some countries have managed to accommodate both. Others, like France, have registered both a high mortality rate and a significant economic setback.
June 19, 2020

The Fake American Stimulation: an Economic Analysis of Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (Cares) Act

We almost pity American federal and state elected officials for having to deal with the situation caused by COVID-19. Overnight, social media users have become self-proclaimed epidemiologists, but it remains difficult to judge whether the measures taken by states and the federal government are too little too late or the right response to a health crisis. In some ways, it is tempting to favour the federal responses to the economic crisis as the circumstances are unlike those of previous crises.
June 17, 2020

Vaccine: We Must Change Our Absurd Rules Instead of Castigating Sanofi

Excessively high taxes on production, exceedingly slow authorizations for market launch, and an overbearing bureaucracy. France is ensuring that innovation, especially regarding pharmaceuticals, happens outside of its borders. Opinion piece by Cécile Philippe, president of the Economic Institute Molinari, published in Les Echos.
June 11, 2020

Can ‘Profiteering’ Ever Be Justified?

Given that even ‘profit’ now seems to be dirty word, it is no surprise that being accused of ‘profiteering’ during a crisis is about as bad as it can get. But there are some circumstances when an increase in prices in response to exceptional demand can actually be a good thing.
June 3, 2020

No Relocation Without Tax and Regulatory Relief

French inadequacies in the face of the COVID-19 crisis are giving rise to a fully fledged attack on globalisation. We are observing an increase in speeches aimed at regaining sovereignty, particularly in the field of health. But the challenge for France is, above all, to address its internal weaknesses.
May 28, 2020

Now Is Not the Time to Go Soft on Globalisation (Part 1)

The progress that free trade and globalisation have achieved are coming under severe threat from the Covid-19 pandemic. There are siren calls for increased state interference in economic life favoured by the political left, while right-wing populists are calling for increased protectionism or “de-globalization”.