Sevi Rodriguez Mora

The gains from economic integration: The EU has still a long way to go Populists in Europe are contesting the perceived benefits of economic integration between countries. This column uses data on trade frictions to estimate the long-run impact of trade frictions on GDP if countries in Europe were to be more or less integrated. Negative between-country impacts, such as from Brexit or an EU collapse, imply a GDP reduction of between 1-3%.

Measuring intergenerational mobility – i.e. knowing how much the economic and social status of the parents determines the status of their children – and understanding its drivers is of paramount importance to remove the obstacles to equal opportunities and assure a level playing field in access to jobs and education.