In their quest for competitiveness many countries are fixated on cutting the cost of labor, in particular by reducing social-insurance contributions. But it that the right solution?

The budgetary discipline which paid for social spending in Antonio Costa’s first term is now hurting Portugal’s growth.

The undoing of decades of UK-EU integration will mean huge economic disruption on both sides. The exit from the single market could mean a rise in tariffs of 4 to 5 per cent for the goods sold in Britain, and a drop of 7 per cent of British exports.

Locked for years in digital alienation, the EU has set a new standard on data protection and privacy, wrestling back some control from Silicon Valley. But with the coming of age of AI-based applications, Chinese firms strive in turn for a piece of the colony. 

Thomas Piketty’s new book, Capital and Ideology, contains more than 160 graphs and about 10 tables which together tell a new story about inequality over the last two and a half centuries. We have selected some of the most interesting data.

The Global Innovation Index by WIPO is the most comprehensive benchmark concerning innovation policies. Data relative to Europe highlight stark differences in the performance of states both across and within geographical areas. 

A report by the NGO Transport and Environment promises a six-fold increase in Europe’s electric-car production by 2025. But Chinese producers continue to dominate the sector.

The international outlook for this autumn does not seem rosy. Will Europe be able to act in response to the warning signs? That will largely depend on the German government’s willingness to (finally) let go of the dogmas imposed on the eurozone for the last decade.