Policy Briefs and Testimonies

Tax Incentives and Corporate Taxation

| 11 July 2022
Fiscal, Testimonies | Tags: Corporate Taxes, Tax Expenditures
Tax expenditures are benefits granted to specific sectors, activities or groups of taxpayers through preferential tax treatment; including exemptions, deductions, and lower tax rates. ... continue reading

G7 Countries Must Urgently Phase Out Fossil Fuel Subsidies

, and | 8 April 2022
Fiscal, Policy Briefs | Tags: Climate Change, Fossil Fuel Subsidies
The world’s governments have pledged to fight climate change, yet many still subsidize fossil fuels, the combustion of which increases GHG emissions. Phasing out these subsidies is thus vital to combating climate change. What this Policy Brief proposes is that G7 Governments reaffirm their commitment ... continue reading

A Dashboard for Biodiversity Risk Metrics

, and | 24 March 2022
Monetary, Policy Briefs | Tags: Biodiversity Risk, Central Banks
This policy brief calls on central banks and financial supervisors to build and use a dashboard of biodiversity metrics to assess biodiversity risks in terms of both dependencies and impacts. In order for these metrics to become fully operational, they should cover risks for firms ... continue reading

Monetary Policy Operations and Biodiversity Loss

| 24 March 2022
Monetary, Policy Briefs | Tags: Biodiversity Risk, Central Banks, Climate Change
Biodiversity is declining at unprecedented rates in human history, with growing evidence that this could have significant economic and financial implications. In this regard, biodiversity loss is very similar to climate change: both entail physical risks that could translate into substantial economic and financial losses, ... continue reading

The EU Digital Market Regulations: Rule-Maker or Deal-Breaker?

, and | 3 February 2022
Trade, Policy Briefs | Tags: Digitalization, Services Trade
The digital transformation of the economy and society gives rise to a need for updated regulations and rules of the game for the digitised market. Within the EU, this need has been reflected in a number of legislative initiatives, most recently the Digital Markets Act (DMA), ... continue reading

Aligning Central Bank Refinancing Operations with the G20 Agenda

and | 6 October 2021
Monetary, Policy Briefs | Tags: Central Banks, Climate Risk, G20, Targeted Refinancing Lines
Since the Pittsburgh Summit in 2009, G20 leaders have repeatedly highlighted inclusive growth and environmental protection as core objectives in their joint declarations. With the widening of economic inequalities and the acceleration of climate change and biodiversity loss, their calls for action have gained further ... continue reading

Digital Trade: Top Trade Negotiation Priorities for Cross-Border Data Flows and Online Trade in Services

, , , , and | 16 September 2021
Trade, Policy Briefs | Tags: Digitalization, Services Trade, WTO
This policy brief sets out recommendations to achieve a new multilateral framework of trade rules in the digital arena, thereby facilitating continued digital transformation of services and growth in cross-border flows of data. The present moment is critical. Successful conclusion of World Trade Organization (WTO) ... continue reading

Systemic Risk Buffers – The Missing Piece in the Prudential Response to Climate Risks

| 1 June 2021
Monetary, Policy Briefs | Tags: Climate Risk, European Systemic Risk Board, Macroprudential Regulation, Systemic Risks
Climate-related financial risks can potentially destabilize the financial sector. This fact is acknowledged by the major international financial bodies – the Financial Stability Board (FSB), the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – as well as by the Central Banks and ... continue reading

“If Something Cannot Go on Forever, It Will Stop“

| 1 April 2021
Fiscal, Monetary, Policy Briefs | Tags: Covid-19, Debt, Democracy, Environment, Financial Stability, Health Systems, Inequality, International Cooperation, Resilience
“If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.” This famous observation was made by Herb Stein, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. It became famous largely because it was just that, obvious. Yet, what is no less obvious is that public policy is ... continue reading

Services Trade Governance in the Digital Economy

| 26 March 2021
Trade, Policy Briefs | Tags: Digitalization, Services Trade, Trade Policy
Services are at the frontier of the transformation to a digital economy. R&D as well as information and communication technology drive the transformation and make services more tradable across borders. The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) governing global services trade was designed in ... continue reading