European Economic Experts Panel

The Clark Center for Global Markets explores economists’ views on vital policy issues via our US and European Economic Experts Panels. We regularly poll over 80 economists on a range of timely and relevant topics. Panelists not only have the opportunity to respond to a poll’s statements, but an opportunity to comment and provide additional resources, if they wish. The Clark Center then shares the results with the public in a straightforward and concise format.

Please note that from September 2022, the language in our polls will use just two modifiers to refer to the size of an effect:

  • ‘Substantial’: when an effect is large enough that it would make a difference that matters for the behavior involved.
  • ‘Measurable’: when the direction of the effect is clear, but perhaps experts would differ as to whether it is substantial.
Europe

Corporate Tax-Rate Harmonization

Question A:

Holding other policies fixed, the average European would be better off if every European country taxed corporate profits at a rate of 20% (based as closely as possible on a common definition of profits).

Responses

© 2025. Kent A. Clark Center for Global Markets.
47%
0%
0%
8%
6%
35%
4%
Source: European Clark Center Economic Experts Panel
Methodology
Question B:

If other policies were held fixed and every European country taxed corporate profits at a common rate of 20%, then reducing that common rate substantially below 20% would make the average European better off.

Responses

© 2025. Kent A. Clark Center for Global Markets.
47%
0%
4%
29%
16%
4%
0%
Source: European Clark Center Economic Experts Panel
Methodology
 
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Business, Management, & Corporate Performance
Europe

Board Quotas for Women

Question A:

All else equal, if corporations throughout Europe set quotas for a minimum number of women board members, the shareholder value of European companies would increase.

Responses

© 2025. Kent A. Clark Center for Global Markets.
18%
2%
2%
12%
41%
24%
0%
Source: European Clark Center Economic Experts Panel
Methodology
Question B:

Taking into account the likely effects on investments in human capital by men and women, setting quotas throughout Europe for a minimum number of women board members would generate substantial net benefits for Europeans.

Responses

© 2025. Kent A. Clark Center for Global Markets.
18%
0%
0%
8%
24%
41%
8%
Source: European Clark Center Economic Experts Panel
Methodology
 
Read More
Business, Management, & Corporate Performance
Europe

Energy Sources

This week's IGM European Economic Experts Panel statements:

A)  Subsidizing renewable energy sources is better than taxing fossil fuels, assuming the subsidy or tax would be set at levels that would reduce carbon emissions by an equivalent amount.

B)  Germany’s solar-energy subsidies to date have produced net social benefits for Germany.

C)  Solar-energy subsidies to date in Germany and other countries have produced net social benefits for the world. 
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Clark Center Economic Experts Panel
Europe

Factors Contributing to the 2008 Global Financial Crisis

Please rate the importance (0=none; 5= highest) of each item below (presented to panelists in randomized order) in contributing to the 2008 global financial crisis. © 2017. Initiative on Global Markets. Source: IGM Economic Experts Panels www.igmchicago.org/igm-economic-experts-panel © 2017. Initiative on Global Markets. Source: IGM Economic Experts Panels www.igmchicago.org/igm-economic-experts-panel The following items were presented to […] 
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Europe

Robots and Artificial Intelligence

This week's IGM European Economic Experts Panel statements:

A)    Holding labor market institutions and job training fixed, rising use of robots and artificial intelligence is likely to increase substantially the number of workers in advanced countries who are unemployed for long periods.

B)    Rising use of robots and artificial intelligence in advanced countries is likely to create benefits large enough that they could be used to compensate those workers who are substantially negatively affected for their lost wages. 
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Clark Center Economic Experts Panel
Europe

Ride Sharing

This week's IGM European Economic Experts Panel statements:

A)   Consumers will be better off, on balance, if European cities treat firms that provide ride-sharing platforms (such as Uber) as substantively different from taxi firms, and thus not necessarily warranting the same regulation.

B)   Assuming that taxi and ride-sharing companies were treated as substantively similar — including requirements that they operate on an equal footing regarding safety, insurance and taxation — letting ride-sharing services compete without restrictions on prices or routes would raise consumer welfare.
 
C)    Regardless of how ride-sharing services are treated, existing regulations for traditional taxi firms in many European cities harm consumers by limiting competition. 
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Clark Center Economic Experts Panel
Europe

France’s Labor Market

This week’s European Economic Experts Panel statements:

A) Revising France’s labor market policies — by reducing employment protection, decentralizing labor negotiations to the firm level, and making training programs more accessible and responsive to labor demands — would, all else equal, increase productivity in France’s economy.

B) Reducing employment protection would reduce the equilibrium unemployment rate in France. 
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Clark Center Economic Experts Panel
Europe

ECB Asset Purchases

This week’s European Economic Experts Panel statements:

A) The ECB's asset purchases over the past two years have reduced the threat of deflation in the euro area as a whole.

B) If the economic outlook in the euro area becomes less favorable, then increasing the ECB's asset purchase program (in size or duration) would substantially increase the euro area's economic growth over the following five years. 
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Clark Center Economic Experts Panel
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Topics

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