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US

Breaking Up Large Tech Companies

Question A:

Forcing Amazon to divest Whole Foods now would be in the public interest.

Responses

Source: Clark Center Economic Experts Panel
Methodology
Question B:

Acquisitions by large tech platforms where there are risks of anti-competitive effects like those posed by Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods should not be permitted.

Responses

Source: Clark Center Economic Experts Panel
Methodology
Question C:

Large tech platforms, such as Amazon Marketplace and Google Search, should be designated as ‘platform utilities' and broken apart from any participant on that platform.

Responses

Source: Clark Center Economic Experts Panel
Methodology
 
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Business, Management, & Corporate Performance
Europe

Public Spending on the Arts

Question A:

Overall, public spending on the arts in Europe creates benefits that exceed the deadweight loss caused by taxation to fund it.

Responses

Source: European Clark Center Economic Experts Panel
Methodology
Question B:

Additional public spending on the arts in Europe would create incremental benefits that exceed the deadweight loss caused by taxation to fund it.

Responses

Source: European Clark Center Economic Experts Panel
Methodology
 
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Clark Center Economic Experts Panel
US

Modern Monetary Theory

‘Modern monetary theory’ (MMT) – the idea that a country that is able to borrow in its own currency need not worry about government deficits and debt – has been all over the economics and finance media in recent weeks. This approach to macroeconomics, which has been used to underpin calls for new public spending programs, has been debated widely in newspaper columns, blog posts and tweets – often in quite vitriolic ways.

 
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Clark Center Economic Experts Panel
Europe

European Champions

This week's IGM European Economic Experts Panel Statements:

A) The average European is better off if Europe’s competition authorities let firms merge into European champions in their sectors, even it weakens competition.

B) If China and other countries use policies that create giant international firms, then the average European is better off if Europe's competition authorities let firms merge into European champions in their sectors, even it weakens competition. 
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Business, Management, & Corporate Performance
US

Subsidies to Attract Businesses

This week’s IGM Economic Experts Panel statements:

A) When local governments compete by offering subsidies to a firm that is willing to relocate, and shopping across multiple alternative areas, the firm typically captures most of value that is created via the relocation.

B) A federal prohibition against states and municipalities offering tax subsidies to attract specific businesses that are shopping across multiple areas to relocate would be welfare improving for the average taxpayer. 
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Clark Center Economic Experts Panel
Europe

Quarterly Earnings

This week's IGM European Economic Experts Panel statements:

A) Letting publicly traded European firms report earnings annually rather than quarterly would lead their executives to place more weight on long-term issues in their investments and other decisions.

B) A switch from quarterly to annual earnings reports would, on net, benefit shareholders of European firms. 
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Business, Management, & Corporate Performance
Europe

Social Responsibility

This week's IGM European Economic Experts Panel Statement(s):

A) To the extent that public corporations pursue social and environmental initiatives, they tend to achieve higher risk-adjusted (private) returns than otherwise similar corporations that pursue such initiatives less.

B) To the extent that Norway’s global government pension fund makes investments for social and environmental objectives — apart from investments that would bring the highest expected risk-adjusted returns — it improves the welfare of Norwegians. 
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Business, Management, & Corporate Performance