woensdag 14 juli 2010
Fiscal Fibs and Follies
Across the globe, the debate over fiscal consolidation has the distinct sound of two sides talking past one another. Whereas severely distressed southern European states may well benefit from cutting their budget deficits, those arguing for fiscal consolidation in the major G-20 economies are playing a dangerous game. Read Barry Eichengreen's column on Project Syndicate here.
On the consequences of an EU patent for inventors and patent offices
For more than 40 years, many governments and professional associations have acted, voted, or lobbied against the implementation of the EU patent. This column argues that the EU patent would drastically reduce patenting costs for applicants and generate more income for both the European Patent Office as well as most national offices, all the while saving €120 million in legal fees. Read the column of Jérôme Danguy and Bruno van Pottelsberghe de la Potterie on VOX here.
A cure that could do more harm than good
Pursuit of regulatory perfection will transfer risks from banks to customer, writes Masayuki Oku, chairman of the Japanese Bankers Association. Read the article in FT here.
Federale plannen schaden Vlaamse wetenschappers
Lees het opiniestuk van de Vlaamse rectoren in De Standaard hier.
dinsdag 13 juli 2010
How Inequality Fueled the Crisis
"Technological progress in the US requires the labor force to have ever greater skills. A high school diploma was sufficient for office workers 40 years ago, whereas an undergraduate degree is barely sufficient today. But the education system has been unable to provide enough of the labor force with the necessary education. The reasons range from indifferent nutrition, socialization, and early-childhood learning to dysfunctional primary and secondary schools that leave too many Americans unprepared for college. The everyday consequence for the middle class is a stagnant paycheck and growing job insecurity. Politicians feel their constituents’ pain, but it is hard to improve the quality of education, for improvement requires real and effective policy change in an area where too many vested interests favor the status quo."
Read Rajan's article on Project Syndicate here.
Read Rajan's article on Project Syndicate here.
Waalse groei haalt Vlaamse bijna in
De Vlaamse economie zal de komende jaren trager groeien dan in het verleden, de Waalse sneller. Het verschil wordt klein. Lees het volledige artikel in De Standaard hier.
Crisis weegt op migratie
Door de crisis zijn migranten minder welkom in de rijke landen. En zij die er al zijn, worden zwaarder getroffen door de recessie. De Oeso trekt aan de alarmbel. Lees het volledige artikel in De Standaard hier.
Inscriptions : trois recours rejetés par le Conseil d’Etat
Lisez l'article complet dans Le Soir ici.
maandag 12 juli 2010
Canadian health care: Follow the leader
The provinces crack down on prescription-drug spending. AS AMERICA debated health-care reform last year, many advocates of universal coverage looked approvingly at Canada, which spends less per head on medical care than the United States does and has a longer life expectancy. Yet this pillar of Canada’s national identity is now creaking under the burden of cost. Health spending, which is administered by the provinces, has increased from nearly 35% of their budgets in 1999 to 46% today. In Ontario, the most populous province, it is set to reach 80% by 2030, leaving pennies for everything else the government does, not counting tax increases or new federal transfers. The biggest culprit is prescription drugs, which have seen their share of public-health spending triple since 1980. Cash-strapped provincial premiers are starting to focus on medicine costs—prompting fierce resistance from the drugs industry. Read the complete article in The Economist here.
The Feckless Fed
Ben Bernanke knows the dangers of deflation. So why isn’t the Fed using its tools to head it off? Read Krugman's column in the NYTimes here.
vrijdag 9 juli 2010
Europe's future: Can anything perk up Europe?
"Europe seems a diminished force in the world. In Asia and America it has become fashionable to look upon these failings with disdain. Europe’s time is past, it is said. Its ageing, inward-looking citizens no longer have the resolve to overcome adversity. And yet an ailing Europe benefits nobody."
Yes: the European Union will thrive if its leaders seize the moment in the same way they did 20 years ago. Read the complete article in The Economist here.
Are stimulus skeptics logically incoherent?
Read Greg Mankiw's objection on Krugman's proposition for U.S. government to borrow some of the cash corporations aren’t spending here.
Grote schuldeisers van banken moeten risico lopen
Drie tips voor het overheidsbudget
Lees het volledige opiniestuk van Wim Moesen (KULeuven) in De Standaard hier.
donderdag 8 juli 2010
EU launches public debate on the future of pensions
The European Commission has on July 7, 2010 launched a Europe-wide public debate on how to ensure adequate, sustainable and safe pensions and how the EU can best support the national efforts. Read the press release and the green paper here.
woensdag 7 juli 2010
Merkel's Government Agrees to Mini-Health Care Reform
Facing a projected shortfall of 11 billion euros for Germany's health care system in 2011, Chancellor Angela Merkel's government agreed on Tuesday to increase contributions. But the plan is a far cry from radical reform, leading to calls for the country's health minister to resign. Read the complete article in Der Spiegel International here.
In a World of Throwaways, Making a Dent in Medical Waste
Read the complete article in the NYTimes here.
Alleen een loonstop kan de Belgische concurrentiepositie redden
Een loonstop is de enige echte mogelijkheid om de Belgische loonkostenhandicap weg te werken. De laatste nieuwsbrief van het Planbureau laat er weinig twijfel over bestaan: de voorbije vijftien jaar is de Belgische loonkostenhandicap opgelopen tot 3,94 procent.
Lees het volledige opiniestuk in Trends hier.
Lees het volledige opiniestuk in Trends hier.
Bank stress testing : “Wasserdruck !!”
One of the scarce hilarious moments in the motion picture “Das Boot” concerns the “usual” exercise of emergency diving after an enemy alert. When the U-boot goes beneath 250 m, the infrastructure crumbles and shakes with bolts flying around. The chief engineer smiles to the propaganda representative aboard – having cold sweat and laughing green – merely saying “Wasserdruck”, winking an eye to those familiar with the exercise. Todays’ exercise on European banks and stress testing shows some similarities with the above scene : it involves shaky fundamentals and could possibly involve misleading propaganda. Read the complete post on the Econoshock blog here.
dinsdag 6 juli 2010
Le Cercle des économistes prône un grand emprunt européen
Lisez l'article complet dans Le Monde ici.
A Little Economic Realism
Proponents of a second stimulus need to beware of reckless new debt, but we must also guard against severe austerity. Read David Brooks' column in the NYTimes here.
maandag 5 juli 2010
Studiecommissie voor de vergrijzing: jaarlijks verslag 2010
Lees één van de belangrijkste overheidsrapporten van het jaar hier.
Leaving Germany for Turkey
High-quality immigrants are leaving
Déficit : “une dépense publique raisonnable, des impôts pour la financer”
Lisez la très intéressante analyse du Monde ici.
US claims of higher drug costs under fire
Claims by the US drugs industry that the US disproportionately funds research and development of new drugs by paying higher prices than Europe for its medicines have been undermined by a new study to be published soon. Panos Kanavos and Sotiri Vandoros at the London School of Economics argue in their report that a rigorous like-for-like comparison shows that transatlantic differences in patented medicine prices are modest and declining over time. Read the complete article in the Financial Times here.
A New Problem for Insurance Markets
The Feasibility to Regionalise Corporate Income Taxation
Read Professor Haelterman's Vives (KULeuven) discussion paper here.
donderdag 1 juli 2010
Geen stoffige academici
Smit ging in haar eigen doctoraatsthesis op zoek naar de zin van doctoreren voor de bedrijfswereld. Samen met haar promotor Rossette S'Jegers onderzocht ze welke meerwaarde doctoren bieden voor bedrijven uit de kenniseconomie en in hoeverre het HR-management die meerwaarde ook juist inschat. Lees de Standaardanalyse hier.
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