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

In Europe everything is shared, even risk

Following the Covid-19 epidemic, the European economy has once more been shaken by the arrival of war in Ukraine. How can these ‘asymmetric’ shocks, affecting member states in different ways, be managed? Economists Gilles Dufrénot, Jean-Baptiste Gossé et Caroline Clerc argue the case for financial integration. Financial markets can reduce the adverse effects of financial crises by sharing the risk across European economies.

FEBRUARY 14, 2023

Photo par PiotrPhotography sur Adobe Stock

Dialogues économiques

Pension policy, a lever for ecology?

While the reform of pensions and the reform of the ecological transition are being approached by the French government as two distinct issues, they could be more linked than it might seem. Economists Armel Ngami and Thomas Seegmuller look at the effect of a pay-as-you-go pension system, taking into account the evolution of capital and pollution, as well as the effectiveness of health and environmental policies.

JANUARY 31, 2023

Dialogues économiques

Are Artesian Aquifers an Endless Source of Water?

What do the Sahara Desert and Paris’ 16th arrondissement have in common? Both are located above a somewhat unusual water table: when you dig a hole in it, the water gushes out all on its own! The economists Hubert Stahn and Agnes Tomini examine this astonishing geological phenomenon in which the number of open wells does not impact the quantity of water in the water table, but rather the pressure that compresses its volume.

JANUARY 3, 2023

Dialogues économiques

Knowledge: Another Way to Protect Nature

To what point does visiting a natural habitat modify the importance we give it? Does the value we give a place increase if, with each visit, we have a better academic and personal understanding of it? To respond to these questions, the researchers M. Maki Sy, H. Rey-Valette, C. Figuières, M. Simier, and R. de Wit examined the Palavas lagoons complex near Montpellier, France. The result of their study is undeniable: in most cases, an individual’s familiarity with a habitat changes his preferences. Scientific understanding also changes an individual’s preferences, but in a different way. Let’s discover how!

DECEMBER 13, 2022

Dialogues économiques

Embedding the economy into society

Social norms and interactions lie at the heart of our existence as humans, impacting all aspects of our lives. This makes made them a factor to be considered in many sciences. Yet, many economic models , trivialise them or even neglect them, in contrast to how the real world works. Therefore, three economists, Marc Fleurbaey, Ravi Kanbur, and Dennis Snower, are trying to change this perspective and bring the economy into a wider social game.

NOVEMBER 29, 2022

Dialogues économiques

Security: Who Benefits from the Fight Against Crime?

In the fight against crime, private and public actors in security and protection work hand in hand. What good would a security camera do if it were not connected to a local police station? Are the police more useful to people who have cameras? The researchers Tanguy van Ypersele, Steeve Mongrain, Joanne Roberts, and Ross Hickey came up with a model that analyzes the link between public and private security.

OCTOBER 30, 2022

Photographie par Tom Goosens sur Unsplash

Dialogues économiques

Marriage, War, Money? How Inheritance Impacted the Creation of the Modern State

Why did medieval inheritance rules prioritize men over women? Èric Roca Fernández uses a mathematical simulation to demonstrate how the systematic preference for men in inheritance rules helped European feudal fiefdoms transform into modern states.

OCTOBER 17, 2022

Dialogues économiques

Exchange Rate Targeting in Sub-Saharan Africa: Real, Nominal, or Mixed?

With little diversification, a great amount of debt, and a high level of dependence, the economies of Sub-Saharan Africa are confronted with many challenges and left vulnerable against external shocks. What exchange rate regimes do central banks choose to protect these countries and help them reach seemingly incompatible macroeconomic aims?

JUNE 14, 2022

Photographie par Gorodenkoff sur Adobe Stock

Dialogues économiques

Evaluating Education Systems Through Inequalities Between Families

Is the French education system a rather average performer? According to the PISA ranking, this seems to be the case. But this ranking, which ranks education systems based on the average scores of their 15-year-old pupils, has its limitations. The economists Nicolas Gravel, Edward Levavasseur, and Patrick Moyes have therefore taken a new look at the PISA ranking by accounting for inequalities in family background.

OCTOBER 9, 2022

Dialogues économiques

Cesarean Section Epidemic: The Algerian Case

Is the world experiencing a caesarean section epidemic? The use of this practice is increasing in parallel to the establishment of private actors in the health sector. Using the example of Algeria, economists Ahcène Zehnati, Marwân-al-Qays Bousmah and Mohammad Abu-Zaineh reveal the differences in practice between the private and public health sectors.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2022