France employment policy puts pressure on the budget
by Jean Pisani-Ferry on 01 August 2010
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Category: OPINION PIECES AND COLUMNS
Topics: European and global governance, Labour, migration and ageing
France is one of the countries that invests the most on employment policy. But with the public deficits crisis, there is a risk to indiscriminately cut on spending. In this article, Bruegel Director Jean Pisani-Ferry argues that a better solution would be to devote funds to where they are needed the most and to undertake structural reforms at the same time.
The opening up of eastern Europe at 20-jobs, skills, and ‘reverse maquiladoras’ in Austria and Germany
by Dalia Marin on 12 July 2010
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Category: WORKING PAPERS
Topics: Labour, migration and ageing, New Member States, Enlargement and Neighbourhood
Many people in the European Union fear that eastern enlargement has led to major job losses in 'old' member states, particularly in Austria and Germany, as the two most important neighbours of the countries that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007. Are these fears justified?
To address these questions, this paper makes use of new survey data of 660 German and Austrian firms with 2,200 investment projects in eastern Europe during the period 1990-2001. The new survey data represent 100 percent of Austrian and 80 percent of German direct investment in eastern Europe.
Memos to the new Commission- Europe's economic priorities 2010-2015
by Zsolt Darvas, Jürgen von Hagen, Jean Pisani-Ferry, Bruno van Pottelsberghe , Lars-Hendrik Röller, Indhira Santos, André Sapir, Reinhilde Veugelers, Nicolas Véron, Jakob von Weizsäcker on 27 August 2009
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Category: BOOKS
Topics: Budgetary and monetary policies, Climate change and energy, Competition and single market, Currencies and International finance, Emerging economies and development, Financial markets and regulation, European and global governance, Labour, migration and ageing, Research, innovation and growth, Trade, investment and competitiveness, New Member States, Enlargement and Neighbourhood
These Memos, addressed to the next Commission President and to the new European commissioners, are written by Bruegel Scholars and edited by Senior Research Fellow André Sapir and focus on key economic aspects of EU policy-making.
The new Commission will enter office at a challenging time for Europe, the EU and the Commission itself. The crisis has clearly exposed weaknesses in EU governance which need to be addressed and the memos make a number of concrete recommendations of relevance for major economic fields, as well as for the EU and Commission as a whole.
Addressing the next Commission President, André Sapir and Jean Pisani-Ferry propose that effective leadership will be necessary to give strategic direction to the Commission, ’you [the president] should therefore be ready to fight for ideas and take risks" (JPF-AS). The Memos suggest that the EU will need to assert a position on commonly agreed rules, propose new solutions and, importantly, has an opportunity now to redefine the European narrative in the global arena.
Focusing on the most important economic questions at EU level, the Bruegel memos are intended to be strategic, outlining the state of affairs that will be met by the new Commission and the key challenges and priorities they will need to consider over the next five years.
Cyclical dimensions of labour mobility after EU Enlargement
by Alan Ahearne, Herbert Brücker, Zsolt Darvas, Jakob von Weizsäcker on 31 May 2009
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Category: WORKING PAPERS
Topics: Labour, migration and ageing, New Member States, Enlargement and Neighbourhood
At a time of symmetric global slowdown, migration cannot contribute as much to absorbing economic shocks as it could if the shock were asymmetric. Early evidence suggests that the crisis has led to a drop in immigration and even net return migration from some countries. This has helped the adjustment of former EU15 host countries and has exacerbated adjustment in former source countries in the new member states.
In the short run, the authors believe that the stock of new member-state migrants in the EU15 will fall owing to diminished job opportunities for migrants. In the longer run, the crisis is set to increase migration from the new member states compared to what would have been the case without the crisis.
The battle for talent: globalisation and the rise of executive pay
by Dalia Marin on 09 February 2009
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Category: WORKING PAPERS
Topics: Labour, migration and ageing, Trade, investment and competitiveness
This paper explores the role of globalisation in the rise of executive pay in Austria and Germany. According to Dalia Marin, firms more exposed to international competition engage in talent fairs to search and attract skilled workers. She also finds that seniority related pay varies for different levels of foreign competition suggesting that firms increase CEO pay when faced with the threat of losing their senior executives, while seniority in office itself does not lead to higher pay. These findings support the idea of a ‘war for talent‘ that is triggered by international trade.