Essays & News

  Negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union and the Southern Common Market – known by the Spanish abbreviation Mercosur (Mercado Comun del Sur), the Portuguese Mercosul (Mercado Comum do Sul), or Nemby Nemuha in Guarani – have been ongoing since 1999. Implementation of a draft deal signed in 2019 remains stalled and […]

  Following Mario Draghi’s report on “The Future of European Competitiveness,” the European Union has become more attentive to the challenges posed by the lagging productivity growth that stems from declining innovation. The primary thrust of the report is to establish a new, Brussels-centered industrial policy that includes substantial subsidy programs, policy harmonization and tariffs designed to […]

  A very short appreciation of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) and his opus magnum   No one has a right to compel me to be happy in the peculiar way in which he may think of the well-being of other men; but everyone is entitled to seek his own happiness in the way that seems to […]

The dice are cast. The elections are over. GIS does not usually look back, but in this case it is justified as the presidential vote in the United States signals changes to come, with implications for the future. Illogic dominated right from the beginning. Let us start with the Democrats. It is difficult to understand […]

Public debt levels are rising throughout the developed world, with economies bordering on stagflation as politicians prefer short-term giveaways to long-term fixes. Since the turn of the century, the amount of public debt relative to gross domestic product (GDP) in developed economies has surged to highwater marks not seen since the turmoil of World War […]