Publications

Measuring Tax Expenditures in Developing Countries: What is the Role of the G20?

| 26 May 2017
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Inequality, Tax Competition, Tax Expenditures
For many countries in the developing world, tax exemptions are considered a crucial instrument for stimulating private local investment and, mainly, attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows. According to the point of view that promotes tax expenditures as a convenient tool for achieving these goals, ... continue reading

Why Monetary Policy Should Go Green

| 19 May 2017
Monetary, Blog | Tags: Climate Change, Collateral Frameworks, Green Finance, QE
Guest Post, FT Alphaville. Monetary policy is rarely a topic in debates on green finance. It should. The €60bn that the European Central Bank is currently injecting into financial markets on a monthly basis are a case in point. Its intervention amounts to nearly three ... continue reading

Intellectual Property Boxes and the Paradox of Price Discrimination

| 15 May 2017
Fiscal, Research Papers | Tags: Corporate Taxes, Innovation, Patent Boxes, Tax Competition, Tax Expenditures
This paper considers the methods by which some existing laws and proposals offer different tax rates to different types of capital, a scheme variously known as a patent box, innovation box, or intellectual property box (IP box). It presents a model of international tax competition—what ... continue reading

Monetary Policy, Macroprudential Regulation and Inequality

| 12 April 2017
Monetary, Discussion Notes | Tags: Inequality, Interest Rates, Macroprudential Policy
The 2008 global financial crisis profoundly changed the role of central banks in the economy. First, central banks engaged in strong expansionary monetary policy, using new unconventional tools to boost economic activity. Second, they were key to containing financial instability, which led them to implement ... continue reading

The Effects of Exporting on Labour Productivity: Evidence from German Firms

| 24 March 2017
Trade, Research Papers | Tags: Employment, Productivity, Services Trade
We revisit the "self-selection vs. learning-by-exporting (LBE)" debate with new evidence on a large panel of German firms of all economic sectors up to the 3-digit NACE level, between 1993-2014, and shed new light on the channels that foster export-induced productivity gains. ... continue reading

Trade and Jobs in Europe: The Role of Mode 5 Services Exports

, and | 16 March 2017
Trade, Blog | Tags: Employment, Services Trade
From 1995 to 2011, the EU employment supported by exports of goods and services to the rest of the world grew by 67%, reaching a total of 31 million jobs. In a recent research piece we set out to bring to light some key insights ... continue reading

Before We Reform Tax Policy, We Need to Know What Is Working

| 9 March 2017
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Tax Expenditures
Congress and President Trump are embarking on what is likely to be a major rewrite of the federal income tax code. Yet, neither they nor anyone else knows whether the hundreds of tax preferences embedded in the law accomplish their stated purposes. ... continue reading

Inheritance Taxation, Corporate Succession and Sustainability

| 6 March 2017
Fiscal, Discussion Notes | Tags: Inheritance Tax, SMEs, Tax Expenditures
Inheritance and estate tax rates are highly heterogeneous across countries. Indeed, the lack of a broadly accepted model of optimal inheritance taxation is reflected in statutory tax rates ranging from 0% in several countries including Australia, Canada and Sweden to 55% in Japan. ... continue reading

Inequality Should Matter for Central Banks

and | 16 February 2017
Monetary, Blog | Tags: Central Banks, Inequality, Quantitative Easing
Central bankers have long been discreet about the links between monetary policy and inequality. They justify this reserve by the fact that their mandates do not charge them with addressing inequality and they generally argue that by providing price stability, central banks maintain the existing ... continue reading

CGE Models vs Educated Guesswork: The Case of the EU-Korea FTA

| 17 January 2017
Trade, Blog | Tags: CETA, TPP, TTIP
A September 2016 research note by the European Commission on the effects of the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement has recently been picked up in social media by various commentators. Amid rising skepticism around trade agreements and a tendency to question established wisdom, its 2-fold message is balm for the ... continue reading