Asked to imagine that they were employees, shareholders or customers of a firm that continued to operate in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, a large fraction of respondents to a June 2022 survey of a representative sample of Americans said that they would be willing to show their disapproval. That is among the findings […]
The list of sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine has left the country too many supply alternatives, according to researchers at the Growth Lab at Harvard Kennedy School. Ricardo Hausmann, Ulrich Schetter and Muhammed Yildirim believe that a more coordinated approach could increase the cost to Russia by about 60% without any measurable […]
The Bundesbank currently has a claim of 1.3 trillion euros vis-à-vis the rest of the national central banks of the Eurosystem – a situation that continues to cause concern among economic policy-makers in Germany, though not so much elsewhere. A new study by Robert Perotti concludes that the German criticism of the Target system is […]
The new trading arrangements between the UK and the EU that came into effect at the start of 2021 have had contrasting effects on UK exports and imports, according to new research by Michael Gasiorek and Nicolo Tamberi. Their study finds that after a sharp drop of around 40% in January 2021, aggregate UK exports […]
The cognitive and socio-emotional development of many children has been seriously impeded by school closures during the pandemic. What’s more, children from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with low initial achievement have been much more severely affected. These are among the conclusions of new research by Katharina Werner and Ludger Woessmann, which surveyed parents in Germany […]
Harsh enforcement threats usually work in making people pay their tax arrears. But according to a recent experimental research collaboration between the Swedish tax agency and researchers at Uppsala and Gothenburg universities, milder ‘nudge’ methods – such as including a cover letter with standard reminders and alluding to social norms – can be almost as […]
When the Central Bank of Turkey began cutting interest rates in the face of rising inflation in the autumn of 2021, it resulted not only in a sharply depreciated lira and skyrocketing inflation, but also to higher longer-term interest rates for government bonds, consumer loans and other market rates. That is the central finding of […]
Local authorities typically spend money they receive as natural resource revenues or as transfers from national or supranational institutions. But a new study of two mountainous regions in Switzerland that receive substantial hydropower royalties finds that the municipalities forward most of the income to their citizens by lowering taxes. The research by Patrick Leisibach, Simon […]
New research finds that Chinese state-owned banks are muscular, commercially savvy lenders that use contracts to position themselves as ‘preferred creditors’, seeking repayment ahead of other commercial and official lenders. They often do so by asking borrowers for an informal source of collateral – bank accounts with minimum cash balance requirements that lenders can seize […]
The question of whether banning Islamic veils in schools or public spaces cuts Muslim women off from a normal life or promotes their social integration has divided public opinion in Europe for 30 years. New research by Éric Maurin and Nicolás Navarrete Hernandez shows that the veil ban in French schools coincided with both an improvement […]
