Clark Center Forum

 

 

This week's IGM Economic Experts Panel statement:

Britain’s Labour party recently proposed giving the Bank of England a target of 3% annual labor productivity growth. Consider the following statement:
Central banks cannot significantly increase productivity growth over a ten year horizon, except perhaps by promoting macroeconomic stability. 

This week's IGM Economic Experts Panel statement:

The European Union often uses its antitrust powers to protect EU-based firms from international competition, rather than to promote greater competition in European markets. 

This week’s IGM European Economic Experts Panel statements:The European Commission has proposed new rules to ensure that “digital business activities are taxed in a fair and growth-friendly way in the EU”. Consider two statements regarding this proposal: An EU-wide 3% tax on revenue from digital activities would, on balance, be a good idea.

If the EU decides to tax digital service providers, it would be better — given the difficulties of measuring and verifying digital activity — to tax them on the revenue, rather than the profits, that they generate locally. 

This week's IGM Economic Experts Panel Statement:

All things considered, US society will be better off if sports betting becomes legal in more US states (beyond Nevada). 

This week's IGM European Economic Experts Panel Statement:

The European Union often uses its antitrust powers to protect EU-based firms from international competition, rather than to promote greater competition in European markets. 

This week's IGM Economic Experts Panel statement:

Over the next decade, autonomous cars will raise average welfare in the US by at least as much as smartphones have over the past decade. 

This week's IGM Economic Experts Panel Statement:

Restricting eligibility for senior government economic-policy posts by requiring a graduate degree in economics would reduce the chances for good public policy outcomes. 

This week's IGM European Economic Experts Panel Statements:

A) Trade with China makes most Europeans better off because, among other advantages, they can buy goods that are made or assembled more cheaply in China.

B) Some Europeans who work in the production of competing goods, such as clothing and furniture, are made worse off by trade with China.

C) If the EU followed the new US steel tariffs by imposing similar EU tariffs on steel from China, it would improve Europeans’ welfare.