Dialogues économiques | AMSE | Aix-Marseille School of Economics

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.

Dialogues économiques

Could applying the original Monopoly® rules help promote financial solidarity?

Could rising property prices help create a fairer society? Following in a long tradition of economic thinking, Alain Trannoy and Etienne Wasmer suggest restructuring French taxation around property: land value assets, rather than capital or labour.

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

Dialogues économiques

Inequality: a question of measurement?

Tools often used around the world to measure inequality, such as the Gini index, can act in unexpected ways in certain situations. This is highlighted by economists F. A. Cowell and E. Flachaire.

NOVEMBER 12, 2024

Dialogues économiques

Sovereign Wealth Funds Still Operating Behind a Smokescreen

What do the purchase of PSG by Qatar, Beijing's influence on New York real estate, and Norway's stakes in Total have in common? These investments are from sovereign wealth funds - investment funds owned by states. Economists Jeanne Amar and Christelle Lecourt have examined the reasons why these funds might seek to have, or continue without, stricter governance.

OCTOBER 28, 2024

Dialogues économiques

Who takes care of the children when their mothers are working?

Is it possible to combine work and family obligations without compromising either? Childcare is an essential factor in the equation. Research by economists Mathieu Lefebvre, Laurène Thil, and Laté A. Lawson reveals how childcare practices vary from country to country, and depend on the mother's socio-economic status.

OCTOBER 28, 2024

Dialogues économiques

Is money in politics good for business?

Economic interests often lie behind the funding of political parties. In the United States, private donations are said to represent a privileged channel through which companies seek favours from the federal government in obtaining public contracts. This is the hypothesis of a team of economic researchers who have looked into the risk of favouritism associated with campaign donations.

OCTOBER 28, 2024

Dialogues économiques

At what cost? Calculating the impact of climate change – today and tomorrow

Mostly unknown outside academic circles, the social discount rate (SDR) is vital for understanding the value of infrastructure investments far into the future. But if that’s especially relevant in a world threatened by climate change, governments and economists have long argued exactly what discount rate to use, or if a fixed rate is even necessary. Economists Christian Gollier, Frederick van der Ploeg and Jiakun Zheng recently developed a major survey to gauge opinion on the SDR across their profession. Between the theoretical importance of project-specific discount rates, and a reluctance to tweak rates in practice, their findings are worth exploring – especially once you consider the need to expand the debate beyond economics.

JUNE 18, 2024

Dialogues économiques

Building your identity on a minefield

Can mining influence the way in which we identify ourselves? According to economists Nicolas Berman, Mathieu Couttenier and Victoire Girard, mining in Africa may intensify feelings of ethnic belonging, by generating feelings of deprivation among the local population. Mining could therefore help explain ethnic fragmentation and certain conflicts observed in Sub-Saharan Africa.

JUNE 4, 2024

Dialogues économiques

How can we assess the impact of deliberation on people's votes?

Consensus conferences, citizens' assemblies, neighbourhood councils, etc. Since the 1980s, deliberation has emerged as a response to the crisis of democracy. But how do you measure its value and impact? For the first time, a team of researchers has studied the role of the tools used to gather participants' opinions.

MAY 21, 2024

Dialogues économiques

How can technology help limit climate change?

At a time when "carbon neutrality" is the central theme of international climate conferences, a team of economists is studying ways that could make this goal a reality.

MAY 6, 2024

Illustration par Lerbank-bbk22 sur Adobe Stock

Dialogues économiques

Gender inequality: pay gaps also exist between companies

In Europe, the pay gap between men and women has halved since the end of the 1990s. However, over the last few years this trend has not continued. A team of researchers in economics has shown that pay differences between companies largely explain these inequalities.

APRIL 23, 2024