EconPol Forum

EconPol Forum (formerly CESifo Forum) is a bi-monthly English-language journal to bring economic analysis on topics of worldwide interest along with policy advice to a broad range of policymakers and the public.

In September 2022 the CESifo Forum was restructured into four sections under the new EconPol brand. The first, Policy Debate of the Hour, recognizes the constantly evolving nature of policy challenges, focusing on the most pressing issues of the times. Leading researchers are invited to share their insights and policy conclusions. The Economic Policy and its Impact section assesses economic policies and develops robust evidence for their optimal design and implementation. In the Institutions Across the World section, contributors focus on the key role that institutional design plays in shaping socio-economic outcomes, often by comparing institutions across economic and political systems. Finally, Big Data-Based Economic Insights presents articles that glean economic policy advice from the exploitation of large, complex datasets.

Overregulation in the EU? How to Boost Competitiveness with Smarter Legal Frameworks

Béatrice Dumont, Jan Blockx, Bertin Martens, Fredrik Erixon and Oscar Guinea, Gabriel Felbermayr and Klaus Friesenbichler, Thomas Weck, Oliver Falck, Yuchen Mo Guo and Christian Pfaffl

In recent years, the EU has significantly shaped framework conditions in areas such as data protection, consumer health and safety, environmental protection, the supply chain, and antitrust law. However, the EU’s overregulation in some areas is seen not as beneficial, but as a detrimental factor limiting innovation, competition and growth. The EU now needs better, evidence-based regulation ensuring that its legislation is drafted in a transparent and inclusive manner and is as simple and targeted as possible to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy burdens and costs.

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The Slow End of the ICE Age in Germany: Insights from Job Postings on the Automotive Industry’s Trajectory

BIG-DATA-BASED ECONOMIC INSIGHTS

Thomas A. Fackler, Oliver Falck, Moritz Goldbeck, Fabian Hans and Annina T. Hering

Against the backdrop of the current debate about phasing out the internal combustion engine (ICE) in Germany and in order to observe where the industry is heading, job advertisements are analyzed that provide insights into the ongoing strategic shifts in the automotive sector.

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Ukrainian Refugees’ Return Intentions and Integration in the Course of Time

ECONOMIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACT

Joop Adema, Cevat Giray Aksoy, Yvonne Giesing and Panu Poutvaara

Anaylses on the return intentions of Ukrainian refugees based on survey data show that most of them still plan to return, but that the proportion of those who want to settle outside their country has risen steadily over time.

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International Collaboration in Digital Knowledge Work: A Production-Side Assessment of Europe’s Digital Single Market

BIG-DATA-BASED ECONOMIC INSIGHTS

Lena Abou El-Komboz and Moritz Goldbeck

Low market integration is a key barrier to European competitiveness in the digital economy. International collaboration of knowledge workers could help realize market size advantage. European digital single market policymaking should address production-side barriers.

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