Essays & News

  Already during the Covid-19 crisis – and even more so now, amid war, protectionism and sanctions – the issue of economic supply has become obvious. Domestic sources in Europe, particularly for raw materials, were neither developed nor used. The (failed) guiding principle seemed to be: let others do the dirty work; we are good and […]

We are pleased to announce a new collaboration between the Institute for Research in Economic and Fiscal Issues (IREF) and the European Center for Austrian Economics Foundation (ECAEF), focused on publishing a series of articles on economic and fiscal topics. It emphasizes our commitment to independent thought, academic freedom, and critical inquiry.   Introduction Governments […]

  Over the past several years, much has been said and written about the state of the financial markets and the ongoing bull run, particularly in United States equities, which seems even more striking when compared to data from the real economy. The decoupling between stock markets and the broader economy, which has been underway […]

We are pleased to announce a new collaboration between the Institute for Research in Economic and Fiscal Issues (IREF) and the European Center for Austrian Economics Foundation (ECAEF), focused on publishing a series of articles on economic and fiscal topics. It emphasizes our commitment to independent thought, academic freedom, and critical inquiry.   On July […]

  Over the past 80 years, policymakers have recognized the benefits of free-trade principles. They gradually agreed to restrain their discretionary power and abstain from regulating trade to raise cash (tariffs) or create privileged positions for selected producers (non-tariff barriers). International agencies were established to ensure that an increasing number of countries reduced their trade […]