Dialogues économiques

An online media outlet dedicated to making economics accessible, bridging the gap between academic knowledge and the general public. Dialogues économiques publishes articles, video interviews, and infographics, twice a month, providing information on a wide range of topics addressed by economic research. Available in both French and English, the content may be reproduced in its entirety, provided the authors and the source Dialogues économiques are credited (CC BY-NC-ND). Readers can subscribe to receive each new publication directly in their inbox.
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Dialogues économiques

Immigrants and Citizens: Equal in Health?
Even if immigrants arriving in Europe are in better health than native-born citizens, residing in their host country affects them much more negatively. According to Marwân-al-Qays Bousmah, Simon Combes, and Mohammad Abu-Zaineh, immigrants’ health deteriorates with the length of residence in the host country. Does discrimination go beyond the realm of social status to even impact health?
MAY 12, 2020
MAY 12, 2020
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Dialogues économiques

Decisions in Periods of Uncertainty, Fear, and Catastrophe
One of the things which led to Covid-19 becoming a catastrophic situation has revealed to be the choices that were made before the pandemic. Regardless of whether these choices were good or not, they were nevertheless made. This therefore leads to the question of how catastrophes influence decision-making in uncertain situations. Theories are able to clearly explain our choices when we have all the elements in hand. However, once exceptional situations occur, such as catastrophes that have disastrous yet very unlikely consequences, these theories reveal to be less pertinent.
APRIL 28, 2020
APRIL 28, 2020
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Dialogues économiques

Migration, an issue beyond borders
Hidden behind the migrant are the shortcomings of a coercive state system that has little respect for Human Rights and individual dignity. Readmission has implications going far beyond the migration realm. Jean-Pierre Cassarino draws a parallel between the increasing regulation of migration policies and the gradual deregulation of the labor market.
APRIL 14, 2020
APRIL 14, 2020
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Dialogues économiques

The glass ceiling in Academia: when women hurt their career success
Why are there so few women at the top of the academic career ladder? Recent research by Clément Bosquet, Pierre-Philippe Combes, and Cecilia García-Peñalosa using data for academic economists in France shows that only 18% of those in the most senior positions are women, and that this is largely due to them not applying for such positions. This is not just a matter of discrimination: women hurt their own careers by not putting themselves forward for promotion.
MARCH 31, 2020
MARCH 31, 2020
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Dialogues économiques

How Can the Spark Between Ecology and Economics be Rekindled?
In a world where climate change is a hot topic, enterprising countries must take initiative in implementing ambitious environmental policies. However, the cost of these policies hinders those that have been straddled with massive public debt since the 2008 financial crisis. So, how can economics and ecology be united? This is the question that is being examined by economists Mouez Fodha, Thomas Seegmuller, and Hiroaki Yamagami.
MARCH 17, 2020
MARCH 17, 2020
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Dialogues économiques

Job creation and cash holdings in private firms: is there a link?

Contrary to popular belief, holding large amounts of cash does not encourage private companies to hire staff. In fact, the effect is quite the opposite. Economists Philippe Bacchetta, Kenza Benhima and Céline Poilly highlight the role of external ‘liquidity shocks’ to explain a surprising link between the two phenomena.
MARCH 3, 2020
MARCH 3, 2020
Dialogues économiques

The drive for expulsion gaining ground in the EU
In Europe, policies aimed at expelling irregular migrants and rejected asylum seekers are gaining momentum. For many years, Jean-Pierre Cassarino has collected more than 640 bilateral readmission agreements concluded by the EU Member States. He sheds light on an expanding expulsion system which is part and parcel of a broader international framework.
FEBRUARY 18, 2020
FEBRUARY 18, 2020
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Dialogues économiques

The thin line between expulsion and voluntary return
The European Union has constructed a new language around the « voluntary return » of irregular migrants and this is making a complex situation more difficult to grasp. Jean-Pierre Cassarino, a political scientist, studies return migration and warns against the abusive use of « return » in the political debate.
FEBRUARY 4, 2020
FEBRUARY 4, 2020
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Dialogues économiques

Petty racism in private housing
The password is “white” in the competitive private rentals market. Finding a flat can be a real challenge for African immigrants. The economists Bruno Decreuse, Pierre Philippes Combes, Benoît Schmutz, and Alain Trannoy study the insidious racism of neighbouring tenants and landlords that lies at the root of current discriminations.
JANUARY 21, 2020
JANUARY 21, 2020
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Dialogues économiques

Entrepreneurial motivations impact business performance

Microcredits help microenterprises get started. They are an innovative way to address financial exclusion and unemployment. But business performance is closely linked to entrepreneurial motivation. Renaud Bourlès and Anastasia Cozarenco show that businesses started by « necessity » are less likely to make profits than those that are the result of « opportunity ». So differentiating between entrepreneurial motivations is a challenge for public policies.
JULY 18, 2019
JULY 18, 2019