Economists emphasize the benefits from free trade due to international specialization, but typically have a narrow measure of what matters to individuals. Critics of free trade, by contrast, focus on the pattern of consumption in society and the nature of goods being consumed, but often fail to...

Conventional wisdom holds that lack of government commitment deters foreign investment in developing countries. Yet this explanation is not convincing because some econometric studies have found little support for the role of political risk and host governments can offer upfront subsidies that...

Host governments often display two types of behavior toward outside investors. At an initial stage they eagerly compete for production facilities by offering subsidy packages, but often reverse these policies at a later point. In contrast to the literature that explains the behavior as a result...

Die öffentlichen Haushalte befinden sich gegenwärtig in einem guten Zustand, der finanzielle Spielräume eröffnet. Finanzpolitik darf sich jedoch nicht nur an kurzfristig positiven Indikatoren orientieren, sondern muss dauerhaft stabile Finanzen garantieren, insbesondere in einem föderalen...

The geopolitical rivalry between the US and China may spill over to Europe via extraterritorial sanctions. The US-Iran conflict shows that Europe losing access to the US market has been a powerful threat to limit Europe’s trade with Iran. US extraterritorial sanctions, seen as a tool to limit...