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The latest news, debates, proposals and developments on new economic thinking at a glance.
The Post-Neoliberal Consensus Is Here – Commentary (Paywall)
Dani Rodrik, Project Syndicate, 16.12.2025
The best that can be said of Trump’s approach to the economy is that it is an experimental phase in the post-neoliberal transition. The good news is that future policymakers will not have to look far for new guiding principles.
Don’t be fooled — everything has changed for the global economy – Opinion (Paywall)
Gita Gopinath, Financial Times, 07.01.2026
Damage caused by US tariffs has so far been muted but that won’t last.
Sven Beckert’s Chronicle of Capitalism’s Long Rise – Article
Nelson Lichtenstein, Jacobin, 12.04.2025
Capitalism is a global economic system, so a proper chronicle of its rise to dominance has to examine the entire world, as historian Sven Beckert does in his massive new book, Capitalism: A Global History.
Saving democracy depends on restructuring the economy – Interview (Paywall)
Interview by Matthias Ubl, Surplus Magazine, January 6, 2026
Ricarda Lang and Steffen Mau talk in an interview about urgent economic measures, the policies of the CDU/CSU and SPD coalition, and saving democracy.
Trust means relinquishing control – Article (Paywall)
Armin Nassehi, DIE ZEIT, 06.01.2026
The AfD could be successful in 2026. As a protest party? That would be far too rational a way of thinking. Those who vote for them want to provoke. The antidote: trust.
Why we should know what we don’t know – Opinion (Paywall)
Gillian Tett, Financial Times, 02.01.2026
Cognitive blind spots are undermining our ability to see the world as it is, rather than as we would like it to be.
Global minimum tax is coming – but not for US corporations – Article
Manager Magazine, 06.01.2026
145 countries have agreed on a change to the global minimum tax agreement. This gives US corporations special privileges. US Treasury Secretary Bessent calls it a “historic victory.” Now resistance is stirring.
A shift no country can ignore’: where global emissions stand, 10 years after the Paris climate agreement – Article
Fiona Harvey, The Guardian, 13.12.2025
The watershed summit in 2015 was far from perfect, but its impact so far has been significant and measurable.
Economists sharply criticise the retreat from the internal combustion engine phase-out– Article
SPIEGEL, 15.12.2025
The chair of Germany’s Council of Economic Experts warns against the dilution of EU CO₂ rules for new cars: according to Monika Schnitzer, abandoning the phase-out of combustion engines solves none of the auto industry’s problems — and sends contradictory signals to the sector.
How China racked up a $1tn trade surplus – Article (Paywall)
Thomas Hale and Haohsiang Ko, Financial Times, 11.12.2025
Beijing shakes off damage caused by Trump’s trade war.
The state of the future is not leaner, but more capable – Article
Michael Soder, Makronom, 11.12.2025
The socio-ecological transformation highlights how central robust state capacity is to political success. A reform of the state should therefore focus on the strategic management of disruption and extreme events.
The Swabian housewife is rethinking – Article
Claus Hulverscheidt, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 11.12.2025
For decades, Germans were seen as advocates of strict fiscal discipline. A new study now shows: global chaos has prompted the public to rethink.
Stop billionaires like Musk and Zuckerberg – Article
Alexander Hagelüken, Süddeutsche Zeitung
Growing global inequality threatens democracy and wrecks the climate. Politics must no longer passively tolerate unabashed enrichment.
A single electricity price for all – Article
Bernward Janzig, taz
Should Germany introduce multiple electricity price zones? No, says the economics ministry, brushing aside the recommendations of experts.
Core qualification: surname – Article (Paywall)
David Böcking, DER SPIEGEL, 11.12.2025
Inheritance brings obligations, but does it also enable people to run a business? Economists doubt this – and put forward arguments for tax reform.
Just 0.001% hold three times the wealth of poorest half of humanity, report finds – Article
Jon Henley, The Guardian, 10.10.2025
Data from World Inequality Report also showed top 10% of income-earners earn more than the other 90%.
Why Americans are feeling poorer even though they’re not – Article (Paywall)
John Burn-Murdoch, Financial Times, 06.12.2025
Essential services cost more because people are better off.
Americans and Europeans look at each other with pity—I fear they are both right – Interview (Paywall)
SPIEGEL interview, 28.11.2025
Economist Dan Wang has written a provocative book. He argues that the West must learn from China’s engineering state in order to save democracy. He considers Europe to be complacent.
A New Progressive Paradigm – Book Review
Christoph B. Rosenberg, F&D Magazine, December 2025
The pillars of global economic thinking are wobbling. Voters around the world are no longer buying into the well-worn paradigms of the past 80 years, whether the free market Washington Consensus, the government-led Keynesian welfare state, or the rules-based liberal international order. Dani Rodrik’s “Shared Prosperity in a Fractured World” seeks to fill this void.
Three Cheers for the London Consensus – Article (Paywall)
Anne-Marie Slaughter, Project Syndicate, 03.12.2025
While the old Washington Consensus forced developing countries into an austerity straitjacket that inflicted enormous pain on ordinary people, a new set of principles from a multinational roster of economists organized by the London School of Economics offers a long-needed alternative. This time, politics isn’t assumed away.
What Can Economists Agree on These Days? – Article
John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 01.12.2025
A new book, “The London Consensus,” offers a framework for rethinking economic policy in a fractured age of inequality, populism, and political crisis.
Making Sense of Inflation – Article
Sam Stark, The Nation, 01.12.2025
The economic force is often seen as a barometer for a nation’s mood and health. But have we misunderstood it all along?
There’s a black hole where central banks’ theory of inflation should be – Opinion (Paywall)
Gillian Tett, Financial Times, 05.12.2025
Old assumptions about expectations and targets can no longer be relied upon.
Is inheritance fair? – Article (Paywall)
Roman Pletter, DIE ZEIT, 07.12.2025
Many people are outraged by inheritance tax. This is because it raises the question of who deserves property and wealth.
We must finally tax the super-rich more heavily – Column
Marcel Fratzscher, DIE ZEIT, 05.12.2025
The richest one percent of the world is massively increasing its wealth, while millions continue to slip further down the ladder. This poses a risk to democracy – including in Germany.
Harvard professor: China’s dominance on the world market calls for a response – Article
Dani Rodrik, Surplus Magazin, 30.11.2025
China is exporting more and more, causing upheaval in the rest of the world. Competing countries should set themselves three goals.
What infrastructure really costs – Article (paywall)
Claus Hulverscheidt and Vivien Timmler, Süddeutsche Zeitung, November 23, 2025
Germany is investing heavily in railways, roads, and bridges. And yet there is still a shortfall of billions of euros. How this gap could be closed and why it is worth taking a look at controversial proposals.
IMF pushes for new pension formula for Germany – Article
David Böcking, SPIEGEL, November 26, 2025
The International Monetary Fund expects only a mini-upswing for Germany and proposes reforms to the pension system, among other things. Experts show little sympathy for the federal government’s tax breaks for the restaurant industry.
“I think that’s nonsense” – Debate (paywall)
Johannes Pennekamp and Manfred Schäfers, FAZ, November 21, 2025
500 billion euros in special funds, a 200 billion euro pension package – is Germany squandering its future? Monika Schnitzer, chair of the German Council of Economic Experts, in a debate with Jens Südekum, advisor to the finance minister.
Economic expert: Economists’ call for pension reform is irresponsible – Column
Achim Truger, Surplus Magazine, November 25, 2025
Twenty-two economists are joining forces with the Junge Union and calling for the government’s pension package to be stopped. This is irresponsible in the current situation.
The normalization of the AfD in economic circles is highly dangerous – Commentary (paywall)
Meike Schreiber, Süddeutsche Zeitung, November 24, 2025
The Association of Family Entrepreneurs invites AfD representatives, thereby normalizing a party that is considered extreme even internationally. The lobbyists are thus undermining democratic principles.
Germany’s problems are worse than you think – Opinion (Paywall)
Martin Sandbu, Financial Times, 20.11.2025
It’s not as simple as blaming the unravelling of the global trading system.
Affordability is Trump’s problem now – Opinion (Paywall)
Like every president, he will have to own the political consequences of rising prices.
Rana Foroohar, Financial Times, 24.11.2025
OUR MAIN TOPICS
New Paradigm
NEW PARADIGM
After decades of overly naive market belief, we urgently need new answers to the great challenges of our time. More so, we need a whole new paradigm to guide us. We collect everything about the people and the community who are dealing with the question of a new paradigm and who analyze the historical and present impact of paradigms and narratives – whether in new contributions, performances, books and events.
Redefining
the role of
the state
REDEFINING
THE ROLE OF
THE STATE
For decades, there was a consensus that reducing the role of the state and cutting public debt would generate wealth. This contributed to a chronic underinvestment in education and public infrastructure. New research focuses on establishing when and how governments need to intervene to better contribute to long-term prosperity and to stabilize rather than aggravate economic fluctuations.
Remaking
finance
REMAKING
FINANCE
More than a decade after the financial crisis there still seems to be something seriously wrong with the financial system. Financial markets still tend to periodically misprice risk and contribute to boom and bust cycles. A better financial system needs to discourage short-termism and speculative activity, curtail systemic risk and distribute wealth more broadly.
Greening
prosperity
GREENING
PROSPERITY
During the high point of market orthodoxy, economists argued that the most 'efficient' way to combat climate change was to simply let markets determine the price of carbon emissions. Today, there is a growing consensus that prices need to be regulated and that a carbon price on its own might not be enough.
Reducing
inequality
REDUCING
INEQUALITY
The rising gap between rich and poor has become a threat to social cohesion in most rich countries. To reverse this trend it will be crucial to better understand the importance of different drivers of income and wealth inequality.
Innovation Lab
INNOVATION LAB
Do we need a whole new understanding of economic growth? What would be a real alternative? How viable are alternatives to GDP when it comes to measuring prosperity? These and other more fundamental challenges are what this section is about.
Globalization
for all
GLOBALIZATION
FOR ALL
After three decades of poorly managed integration, globalization is threatened by social discontent and the rise of populist forces. A new paradigm will need better ways not only to compensate the groups that have lost, but to distribute the gains more broadly from the start.
Europe
beyond markets
EUROPE
BEYOND MARKETS
The euro was planned during a period in which economic policy making was driven by a deep belief in market liberalism and the near impossibility of systemic financial crises. This belief has been brought into question since the euro crisis, which showed that panics do happen. New thinking needs to focus on developing mechanisms to protect eurozone countries from such panics and to foster economic convergence between members.