The Sound of Economics
Episodes
War in Ukraine: What is the effect on Central and Eastern Europe?
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Sound of Economics Live, Bruegel Director Guntram Wolff hosted Beata Javorcik, Chief Economist of the EBRD, to discuss how the ...
War in Ukraine: sanctions on Russia two months in
22 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues, Giuseppe Porcaro is joined by Nicolas Véron and Elina Ribakova to take look at the list of sanctions imposed ...
Making remote work, work
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For people who want to go back to the old way of work, the train has left the station. COVID-19 has given a huge impetus to working from home for thos...
War in Ukraine: The EU’s ban on Russian coal
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On 5 April 2022, the EU announced that it will ban coal imports from Russia. The move — aimed squarely at energy imports for the first time — come...
What to expect from China's innovation drive?
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
China is investing heavily in science and technology: from 2011 to 2021, internal R&D spending jumped from 869 billion to 2.79 trillion Yuan. What...
War in Ukraine: How to make Europe independent from Russian fossil fuels?
31 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The EU has proposed a plan to make Europe independent from Russian fossil fuels before 2030, as well as responding to rising energy prices. In this ep...
Online labour: Can we all just move to Tahiti?
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The internet is changing the way we work. In this episode, Giuseppe Porcaro is joined by Laura Nurski and Fabian Stephany to discuss the utilisation o...
War in Ukraine: reflections on the economic consequences for Russia
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Sound of Economics Live Maria Demertzis and Guntram Wolff host Russian economist Sergei Guriev, to discuss how the war in Ukrai...
War in Ukraine: A conversation with Oleg Ustenko
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Sound of Economics Live Guntram Wolff hosts Oleg Ustenko, Economic Advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. They disc...
War in Ukraine: China-Russia relations
03 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While most of the world condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, China abstained, but did not go as far as vetoing the UN resolution. How do Sino-Ru...
War in Ukraine: Macroeconomic implications for the EU
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU adopted a number of sanctions in an attempt to immobilize the war effort. These sanctions will have a...
War in Ukraine: implications for the global financial system and central banks
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The G7 and EU sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are having major impact on the Russian economy and also have broader implications for...
The Kremlin's gas wars
28 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The European Union and other major economies have imposed swift, broad and devastating sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But gi...
Europe's recovery budget
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bruegel’s Director Guntram Wolff is joined by MEP Johan Van Overtveldt, Chair of Committee on Budgets in the European Parliament to discuss the curr...
Europe’s energy crisis
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Since late 2021, European households’ gas and electricity bills have climbed to unprecedented levels. However, given the uncertainty of future Russi...
China's human capital problem
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
China is a highly unequal country. There are many reasons for this, ranging from a lack of social services to a lack of social mobility. Today Giuse...
Maastricht at 30
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On 7 February 1992, twelve states signed the Maastricht Treaty, the foundation treaty of the European Union. As the treaty enters its 30s, what has it...
Turkey’s economic struggles
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Turkey’s annual inflation rate hit 36.1% in 2021, the highest in President Erdogan’s 19 years in power. In the meantime, the Lira has lost more th...
Make AI boring again
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
AI is fundamentally changing the economy, it has the power to improve workers’ experience if AI uptake is done well, or it can create new inequaliti...
Understanding Japan’s economic relations with China
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Japan and China. As the world’s third largest economy, Japan ca...
The European economy in 2022
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Happy New Year and welcome back to The Sound of Economics! In this first episode of 2022, Guntram Wolff is joined by Irene Tinagli MEP, Chair of the C...
Last but not the least
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Following Bruegel’s end-of-year tradition, Giuseppe Porcaro invites Maria Demertzis, André Sapir and Guntram Wolff to review 2021 in economic polic...
The Age of Unpeace: How connectivity causes conflict
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Economic orthodoxy argues that the more connected two countries are, the less likely it is for conflict to arise. However, economic theory is starting...
What to watch in 2022: China's economic outlook
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is part of the ZhōngHuá Mundus series of The Sound of Economics. ZhōngHuá Mundus is a newsletter by Bruegel, bringing you monthly ...
A new consensus for economic resilience
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Washington Consensus, first devised in 1989, is an economic paradigm that was reflected in the prevailing economic thinking as well as policy reco...
COP26: global stocktake and what’s next
25 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Sound of Economics Live, Bruegel’s own Simone Tagliapietra is joined by Li Shuo, Diederik Samsom and Laurence Tubiana to cont...
Technology: a product of unequal power?
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Is technology change neutral? This question is essential in the discussion under the scope of the future of work. In this episode, Bruegel’s own Giu...
Pandemonium
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Sound of Economics, political theorist and historian Luuk van Middelaar joins us to talk about his latest book 'Pandemonium'. H...
Why is China cracking down on big tech?
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is part of the ZhōngHuá Mundus series of The Sound of Economics. ZhōngHuá Mundus is a newsletter by Bruegel, bringing you monthly ...
The state of trade: the EU's trade policy
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Bruegel Director Guntram Wolff and Senior fellow Alicia García-Herrero welcome Bernd Lange MEP, Chair of the European Parliament's committee on Inter...
Can COP26 save the planet?
28 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With COP26 around the corner, Bruegel Director Guntram Wolff hosts Italy's Minister for Ecological Transition Roberto Cingolani. In this live episode ...
Rethinking fiscal policy
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The pandemic and subsequent downturn have seen EU countries deploy unprecedented fiscal support, while the EU as a whole complemented this with an arc...
Will ‘common prosperity’ address China’s inequality?
13 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is part of the ZhōngHuá Mundus series of The Sound of Economics. ZhōngHuá Mundus is a newsletter by Bruegel, bringing you monthly ...
Is tech redefining the workplace for women?
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today, work is often segregated by gender -- with great ramifications for women across the world. Will increased use of technology decrease or increas...
A green fiscal pact
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Past crises and consolidation episodes have resulted in major public investment cuts. However, in order to meet the European Union’s climate goals, ...
Exploding energy prices
23 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Wholesale gas prices have reached record highs in the past months, leaving EU governments scrambling for emergency aid to help households cope with th...
Unboxing the State of the Union 2021
15 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On 15 September Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, delivered the State of the Union address before the European Parliament. S...
A Late Bloomer: where is China’s climate plan?
08 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is part of the ZhōngHuá Mundus series of The Sound of Economics. ZhōngHuá Mundus is a newsletter by Bruegel, bringing you monthly ...
The EU recovery fund - state of play and outlook
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The recovery plan gives Europe a chance to emerge stronger from the pandemic, transform the economy and create opportunities and jobs. It is important...
Environmental, societal and governance criteria: hit or miss?
26 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sustainable investing is gaining in popularity as socially conscious clients consider environmental, societal and governance (ESG) criteria when decid...
Are robots taking our jobs?
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the future, what forces will cause the economy to grow and stagnate? What impact will AI and automation have on the economy? Is capitalism a sustai...
A fitting plan for the European Green Deal?
15 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On 14 July, the European Commission finally announced a large package of measures that will make the EU the first mover in the race limit global warmi...
What should public spending look like?
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Here's what's clear: public spending is on the rise. Public expenditure ratios have quadrupled since 1870, and increased even more in the recent COVID...
CCP's 100th Anniversary: Reflecting and looking forward
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is part of the ZhōngHuá Mundus series of The Sound of Economics. ZhōngHuá Mundus is a newsletter by Bruegel, bringing you monthly ...
Restarting the economy?
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When COVID-19 struck last spring, European governments rapidly implemented measures to keep businesses afloat. Did those policies support productive f...
The skills of the future
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
‘Technological change is revolutionising the workplace’, ‘the future is automated’ and ‘a robot will be doing my work before long’ are phr...
Avoiding a requiem for the WTO
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the only global international organisation dealing with the rules of trade between nations, the World Trade Organisation should be the place where ...
A transatlantic climate alliance
11 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
President Biden is visiting Brussels for the first time since his inauguration on 14 June, with great expectations by European commentators to forge a...
Challenges and growth of China's private sector
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is part of the ZhōngHuá Mundus series of The Sound of Economics. ZhōngHuá Mundus is a newsletter by Bruegel, bringing you monthly ...
Belarus: a test for Europe’s foreign policy?
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The recent forced landing of an internal EU flight to arrest opposition activist Roman Protasevich is the latest escalation by a President who is cons...
Towards a global corporate tax?
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The idea of a global corporate tax has been floating around for decades, but a US proposal for a 15% of a global minimum tax rate means the proposal i...
A stronger euro comes with more responsibility
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
European strategic autonomy is probably the single most used watchword in European circles, if only because of lack of consensus about what it entails...
New kid in the playground: China's antitrust push
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is part of the ZhōngHuá Mundus series of The Sound of Economics. ZhōngHuá Mundus is a newsletter by Bruegel, bringing you monthly ...
The Sound of Gita Gopinath
06 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath joins Bruegel Director Guntram Wolff for this Live recorded session. They were able to discuss the uneven recovery f...
Money, money, money!
30 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is a central bank digital currency (CBDC)? How is it different from the money in a private bank account, or from cryptocurrencies? What do consum...
Africa's battle with COVID-19
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Before the pandemic, Africa was experiencing unprecedented economic growth and poverty reduction. While many economies have faced disruption around th...
The idea of Europe: more than a feeling?
16 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In a recent set of two Bruegel publications Giuseppe Porcaro, Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol, Enrico Bergamini and Francesco Papadia set out to understand exa...
A digital yuan?
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is part of the ZhōngHuá Mundus series of The Sound of Economics. ZhōngHuá Mundus is a newsletter by Bruegel, bringing you monthly ...
The future of CAI
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Recent sanctions and counter-sanctions between the EU and China have put the future of the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) in doubt. Where...
To infinity and beyond: the European space sector and industrial policy
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This is a very special moment for space exploration. The beginning of April will see the maiden flight of the first helicopter to another planet. The ...
Gender gap in financial literacy: a lack of knowledge or confidence?
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Women are less financially literate than men. But does this gap reflect a lack of knowledge or a lack of confidence? To find out Maria Demertzis, depu...
Keeping momentum on good governance
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Pandemic aside, the past year has seen renewed discussions in Europe on transparency and good governance as the EU takes an unprecedented role in heal...
Low interest rates: a transatlantic phenomenon
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Maria Demertzis and Nicola Vegi join Giuseppe Porcaro to talk about their recent research on low interest rates, declining productivity growth and ho...
Macroeconomic outlook: are we back on track?
05 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast episode is part of Bruegel’s macroeconomic outlook series of The Sound of Economics, in which we bring you regular analysis of all thin...
Will China fall into the middle/high income trap?
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is part of the ZhōngHuá Mundus series of The Sound of Economics. ZhōngHuá Mundus is a new newsletter by Bruegel, bringing you mont...
Can central banks save the planet?
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Central bankers now seem keen to take on responsibility for policy objectives they have previously shied away from – in particular, tackling climate...
So long credit support?
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
COVID-19 has caused unprecedented disruption to business. Since the first lockdowns, governments have used credit support programmes as the main instr...
From support to recovery: national fiscal policy in the wake of COVID-19
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Across the Atlantic, EU member states have been discussing a recovery plan since last spring, striking an agreement over the summer to create a €750...
The geopolitical repercussions of the European Green Deal
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The European Green Deal is a plan to decarbonise the EU economy by 2050, revolutionise the EU’s energy system, profoundly transform the economy and ...
A rushed deal or a rush to judgement?
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On 30 November 2020 after over 7 years of talks, the European Union and China concluded negotiations for a Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI ...
Where did the vaccine strategy go wrong?
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One year since the pandemic began, widespread vaccination has finally started. It would be a mistake however to say the end is in sight. Senior fellow...
Green transformation: a Polish perspective
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Poland is sometimes characterised as the black sheep of EU climate policy: in 2019, more than 70 percent of the country’s electricity was generated ...
The year that tested us all
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the year draws to a close, Giuseppe Porcaro invites Maria Demertzis, André Sapir and Guntram Wolff to review this eventful year in economic policy...
The new EU digital regulations: Explained
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Sound of Economics, Giuseppe Porcaro is joined by Maria Demertzis, J. Scott Marcus, Georgios Petroupolos, and Mario Mariniello,...
The geopolitics of money
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Sound of Economics, Paola Subacchi, Professor of international economics and chair of the advisory board of the Global Policy I...
The political economy of climate transition
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Climate transition is hotly debated in EU circles as it impacts all areas of policy: from the ambitious climate targets set by the President of the Eu...
Steering the boat towards an unknown destination
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The economy of the euro area is forecast to contract by 8.7% in 2020 but grow by 6.1% in 2021. The drop in GDP in 2009, the worst year of the financia...
Sizing up the world's largest trade deal
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On November 15 2020, the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea signed...
The big brother is back?
13 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Following Biden's victory in the US presidential election, what will the transatlantic relationship look like? Would it be a big relief, or nothing mu...
A European common tax space
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Taxation is one of the few areas of financial policy which the general public has great interest in, as it affects their everyday life directly. But w...
A tale of two presidencies
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Born and bred in the United States, Bruegel scholars Rebecca Christie and J. Scott Marcus are joined by director Guntram Wolff, on a special edition o...
Demography and globalisation: reversing trends
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Sound of Economics, we invite Charles Goodhart and Manoj Pradhan to talk about their most recent book: 'The Great Demographic R...
The future of EU-UK relations (again!)
13 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On 15-16 October the European Council will take stock of the implementation of the withdrawal agreement and review the state of the negotiations on th...
Without good governance EU recovery could fail
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The European Union recovery fund could greatly increase the stability of the bloc and its monetary union. But the fund needs clearer objectives, susta...
The Future of Globalisation
30 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we propose a full lecture about the future of globalisation by Dani Rodrik, Professor of International Political Economy, at the John...
Global Energy Fundamentals
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As we move away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy solutions, the complexity of the global energy system has increased. With his new book publi...
The State of the Union going forward
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On 16 September 2020 Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, delivered her first State of the Union address before the European Pa...
For a better, more sovereign Europe
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is part of a special feature of the Sound of Economics reporting highlights from Bruegel Annual Meetings, which happened between 1 and 3 Septembe...
REOPENING EUROPE - Reopening Future?
19 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is the last episode of the summer feature of the Sound of Economics recorded as part of the Reopening Europe project. Between the 12th and the...
REOPENING EUROPE - Reopening Common Good?
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On the fourth episode of this summer series of The Sound of Economics, recorded on the road as part of the Reopening Europe project, we talk with Antj...
REOPENING EUROPE - Reopening Tourism?
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The OECD has estimated that COVID-19 will cause a 60% decline in international tourism in 2020. This could rise to 80% if recovery is delayed until De...
REOPENING EUROPE - Reopening Borders?
29 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In June 2020, as Europe reopened after lockdown, we crossed ten national borders. We listened to diverse citizens, from passers-by to politicians, bus...
REOPENING EUROPE - Reopening Governance?
23 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a summer feature of the Sound of Economics in cooperation with the Reopening Europe project. In June 2020, as Europe exited the COVID-19 Loc...
The benefits of the single market - the case of last enlargement
15 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the Brexit negotiations are entering their final straight line, the question of trade agreements is heating up. Economists talk about the “cost o...
S6: Apps without borders? How COVID-19 apps show the limits of the EU digital single market
09 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In their toolkit against a pandemic that knows no borders, several EU countries have bet on new technology from our era of globalisation: digital cont...
S6: Financial fragility after #COVID19
02 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we discuss financial fragility in European households in the time of COVID-19. Before the pandemic hit, a substantial share of ho...
S6: Redefining Europe’s role after the Covid-19 Pandemic
25 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In a special live edition podcast of an event we organised recently with EU3D, we discuss how the current situation brought upon by the pandemic could...
S6: One rule to ring them all? Europe's financial markets after Brexit
19 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The response to COVID crisis necessitates a lot of cash. So will the upcoming green transition. But with Brexit, Europe lost its easy and practic...
S6: Reopening: Europe
11 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Since the end of May and throughout the month of June, many European Countries have lifted or loosened the lockdown measures set in place to fight the...
S6: Will COVID-19 boost the euro as a global currency?
05 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The euro is, by definition an international currency. However, since being established in the late 90s the single currency has always been somewhat le...