growth

September 10, 2020

Labour Regulation in Europe During Covid-19

The regulation of labour and employment lies at the heart of any debate on economic freedom. State intervention into the labour market, and especially so-called ‘hiring and firing laws’, are crucial in shaping the degree to which employment can adjust to changing environments and react to crisis.
August 17, 2020

Maximum Taxation, Minimal Benefits for France

For the fifth consecutive year, France has been the champion of taxation, with the average French citizen paying more than half of their income into the state’s coffers. France’s tax policy remains inefficient and infringes upon the purchasing power of French employees, despite the slight decrease of overall taxation following the yellow vest protests.
July 14, 2020

An Open Letter on the EU Budget

The negotiations on the European Union’s multi-annual financial perspective for 2021-2027 are underway. The European Commission’s recently updated budget proposal with suggested measures regarding the COVID-19 health and economic crisis and the recovery of the EU economy proposes only minor changes to the earlier version despite the extraordinary circumstances related to the pandemic and the increased need to use scarce taxpayers’ money in the most effective way possible.
July 1, 2020

“Next Generation EU” Spending Plan: Towards Strengthening or Weakening the EU in the Long Run?

While the media, right and left-wing parties and the average newspaper reader celebrate in anticipation of “helicopter money” from Brussels, or otherwise the so-called “Next Generation EU”, classical liberals wonder where all this money will come from while worrying about the potential impact on future generations.
June 29, 2020

The End of the Liberal International Order

If there seems to be any consensus among academics it is that the dominant Western liberal international order is coming to an end. With the arrival of Trump and the rise of China we must ask ourselves: which international order comes next?
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.