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121. Bridging the Gap between the Gig Economy and Migration Policy

Author:
Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh and Meghan Benton
Publication Date:
07-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Migration Policy Institute (MPI)
Abstract:
The gig economy—that is, work or services mediated through digital platforms and generally performed by independent contractors or freelancers—has been a growing fixture of the global economy for more than a decade, expanding considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though data and research are uneven, a growing body of evidence indicates that immigrants are at the heart of this growing sector in many economies worldwide. As governments have grappled with the meteoric rise of the gig economy, however, migration and migrants have been somewhat of an afterthought. Many governments have focused on how to classify workers, while others have sought to expand eligibility for minimum wages and holiday or sick pay to gig workers. But even where policymakers have sought to think creatively, they have largely overlooked key considerations in the migration policy space. This policy brief examines government responses around the globe to the rise of the gig economy and migrant employment within it, and how gig economy labor policies and migration policies could be adjusted to benefit migrants, receiving communities, and labor markets. The brief starts with an introduction to the gig economy, who works in it, and some common challenges faced by gig workers of all origins. It then considers key questions at the intersection of gig work and immigration and integration policy, offering recommendations for ongoing policy conversations and future research.
Topic:
Economy, COVID-19, Gig Economy, and Migration Policy
Political Geography:
Global Focus

122. The Greek Economy a Decade Later – Constantinos Michalopoulos

Author:
Constantine Michalopoulos
Publication Date:
05-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
Abstract:
The Greek economy has made a remarkable comeback from a decade ago, to the point that the Economist rated it to have performed the best in the OECD in 2023. This paper reviews Greek economic performance over the last ten years and identifies a number of major challenges that remain, despite the progress made. The last part presents an action plan for the next decade in four priority areas: the labor market, social services, migration and savings-investment. In these areas, reforms are urgently needed, if Greece is to achieve sustainable and equitable growth. The analysis concludes that, because of the continued debt burden, successful reforms will require the Greek government to maintain a delicate and difficult balance between fiscal sustainability and taking the necessary measures to support green and inclusive growth.
Topic:
Reform, Economy, Fiscal Policy, Labor Market, and Economic Crisis
Political Geography:
Europe and Greece

123. The CAP between a rock and a hard place: its new challenges and uncertain prospects

Author:
Tassos Haniotis
Publication Date:
10-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
Abstract:
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is currently at a crossroads of a changing world environment which impacts demand (food inflation), supply (energy and input costs) and agri-food trade (geostrategic tensions). EU policies have to address the conundrum of having to simultaneously contribute to mitigating climate change and contributing to food security by accepting that both are global problems and require global solutions. CAP ongoing policy orientation aims at increasing its environmental performance while retaining its economic and social achievements, but excessive targets set by the Farm to Fork Strategy and the impact of changing market conditions brought tensions in the debate between on food security and climate action with respect to priorities on primary agriculture. Higher food costs increasing income inequalities put households in the developed world at a risk of changes in consumer behaviour that are driven by forces exogenous to their tastes and preferences. Addressing misperceptions about the role of productivity, science and trade will impact on how the EU assesses, in a more balanced way and addresses its strengths and weaknesses in the field of agriculture. Despite clear progress of Greek agriculture in recent years three persistent weaknesses of Greek agriculture relate to an uneven and untargeted distribution of direct payments the underestimation of the role of extensive livestock or the absence of a functioning Farm Advisory System.
Topic:
Agriculture, European Union, Food Security, Economy, and Trade
Political Geography:
Europe and Greece

124. The Letta and Draghi Reports: The Only Way to Go, Despite the Hurdles

Author:
Alekos Kritikos
Publication Date:
11-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
Abstract:
The Letta and Draghi reports begin with the same realisation, though they formulate it differently: that the international geopolitical environment has changed dramatically and that the EU must take immediate action as a result. The Letta report’s take-home message is that the Single Market must be transformed into something “much more than just a market”. Thus, research, innovation and education need to be integrated into its core, as a “fifth freedom”, and the Single Market extended to include the telecommunications, energy, financial services and defence sectors. There is fear at the heart of the Draghi report, fear of the “existential challenge” confronting the EU, which will require an extra €800 billion a year in investment. The report’s proposals are articulated around five major horizontal policies: closing the innovation gap, decarbonising the economy and making it more competitive, strengthening security and the defence sector and reducing dependencies in this area, financing investment, and strengthening EU governance. The Letta and Draghi reports agree on both the fields where intervention is required and the form such intervention should take. And while they differ in terms of the competition—and, still more, cohesion—policy they prescribe, they do so constructively while their proposals complement one another. In relation to Greece, the proposals made in both reports with respect to the defence industry, to reducing energy costs, and to the provision of generous funding for additional investment through —inter alia—joint borrowing, are of the utmost importance. No serious disagreement has been voiced with respect to the proposals made in the Letta and Draghi reports, apart from the predictable German reaction to additional funding and new joint borrowing, coupled with unfounded criticism of the proposals as ‘unfeasible’. The “New European Agreement on Competitiveness” adopted in Budapest on 8 November is a critical development, given that it adopts the bulk of the key approaches contained in the Letta and Draghi reports, and sets specific milestones for some, as well. The two reports stress that, even if certain recent developments around the world cannot be considered favourable for the EU (political crisis in Germany, economic problems in France, Trump’s election in the US), Europe still has the “weapons” it needs to reverse the situation. And while the Budapest summit decision may not have gone as far as the situation demands, it still adopted the bulk of the proposals made in the two reports, making it crystal clear that the European Union has taken the need to regain the initiative fully on board.
Topic:
Markets, European Union, Economy, Regional Integration, and Regional Economy
Political Geography:
Europe and Greece

125. Closing the Global North-South Gap in the Second Space Age

Author:
Chaitanya Giri and Kyle Hiebert
Publication Date:
08-2024
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
Abstract:
When the world entered the First Space Age in the 1950s, only a few developed economies pursued access to space for their geostrategic goals. Over time, the global space apparatus began providing space applications to developing economies, helping them raise their socio-political indicators. Today, many nations of the Global South have recognized the significance of access to space and are investing efforts towards pursuing it. However, there is a stark divide between current and developing space powers, with the current powers creating astropolitical blocs based on the geostrategic space race that has waxed and waned but never diminished. This bloc formation burdens the developing space-capable countries with the geostrategic aspirations of the bloc leaders. In light of the fast-paced changes that space commercialization is bringing about worldwide, a new set of outer space regulations are needed under the auspices of the United Nations to narrow this Global North-South divide and ensure that access to space is equitable and benefits the inherent needs of human development and Earth’s well-being.
Topic:
International Cooperation, Economy, Competition, and Space Governance
Political Geography:
Space

126. Circular Economy in the Industrial Goods Sector: A Framework for Understanding Private Sector Progress and Innovation

Author:
Chris Albin-Lackey
Publication Date:
05-2024
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
Abstract:
A circular economy is an economic system “fundamentally based on closing the loops around systems of extraction, production, and consumption.”1 Individual participants in a circular economy reduce, reuse, and recycle. They strive to consume less. They minimize waste, especially by producing and using longer-lasting goods that do not need to be replaced often. And as much as possible, they recycle goods that can no longer be used back into the production loop, minimizing the need to extract new resources and materials from the natural world.2 Some definitions of a circular economy also emphasize the idea of minimizing harm to the natural environment and taking meaningful actions to restore it.3 Since the idea of a circular economy describes an entire economic system, it is not primarily framed around the specific, near-term behavior of individual companies within the existing economy. No complex business can attain perfect circularity within the context of our emphatically non-circular global economy. Systemic progress towards a circular economy would require strong and coherent government action in the form of regulation, support and incentives. State action would ultimately need to shape the behavior of actors across the entire breadth of the economy. The literature details more comprehensive and detailed visions of circularity and the synergies between circular economy, climate and environmental goals. Generally speaking, that literature describes the larger system and not the immediate steps companies should take to align with and support progress towards a more circular economy.4 However, individual companies can take meaningful steps forward, both alone and in collaboration with others. This paper contributes to a wider understanding of what such efforts look like in practice by studying the circular economy goals, efforts and claims of about 50 companies across the industrial goods sector. It breaks down essential elements of circular economy innovation and good practice into five distinct categories of company action–outlined below–and describes practical examples of each based on companies’ publicly-articulated claims.
Topic:
Economy, Business, Manufacturing, Innovation, and Industry
Political Geography:
Global Focus

127. How DiDi Chuxing Adapts to Latin America’s Era of Digital Platforms

Author:
Omar Manky and Natalia Mogollón
Publication Date:
07-2024
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Abstract:
The Chinese ride-hailing app has acclimated remarkably well to local conditions, challenging simplistic narratives about the entry of Chinese companies into the region.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Economy, and Digital Platforms
Political Geography:
China and Latin America

128. Tunisia’s Economy in the Eye of the Storm

Author:
Ishac Diwan, Hachemi Alaya, and Hamza Meddeb
Publication Date:
10-2024
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Abstract:
Tunisia’s vulnerability to financial crisis is clear from its economic performance in 2023. How can the country pull itself back from the edge?
Topic:
Financial Crisis, Elections, Economy, and Domestic Politics
Political Geography:
North Africa and Tunisia

129. The Multiplication of Autonomies in Latin America

Author:
Raúl Zibechi
Publication Date:
11-2024
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA)
Abstract:
From food production to health and community justice, practices and experiments in autonomy across Latin America cultivate a thirdway alternative to electoral reform and revolutionary struggle.
Topic:
Reform, Food Security, Economy, Justice, and Autonomy
Political Geography:
Latin America

130. Theory of developmental dictatorship

Author:
Hyungmin Park
Publication Date:
06-2024
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Nottingham Interdisciplinary Centre for Economic and Political Research (NICEP)
Abstract:
This article studies the developmental motives of a dictator under the modernisation hypothesis. He faces a trade-off between pursuing higher future gains with growing threats from the rise of the middle class and accepting lower gains for a more stable regime. I show that his optimal strategy is to invest in an underdeveloped economy for higher future returns. As the economy matures, investment declines as the focus shifts toward maintaining the regime. Without this threat, the economy regresses or fully develops depending on the profitability of investment and regime stability. My framework helps explain empirical puzzles about why some underdeveloped autocracies achieve faster economic growth. I also analyse how steady state varies by the length of future horizon under consideration. Contrary to Olson (1993)’s traditional theory that longer horizon concern makes high development, I find that a farsighted decision-making leads to a lower steady state.
Topic:
Economy, Dictatorship, Modernization, Decision-Making, and Regime Durability
Political Geography:
Global Focus