The development of renewable electricity is essential for the electrification of uses and for achieving French green transition objectives. The sharp decline in generation costs in recent years has strengthened their competitiveness, though without eliminating the need for government support. This paper compares current support policies and forecasts a decline in the unit cost of government suppor... Lire la suite
Competition, often associated with consumer protection, is a vehicle for business growth and innovation since it drives balanced trade relations and the selection of efficient firms. Yet, too much competition can curb investment capacities, if not the incentive to innovate. In line with the Draghi Report, the EU is upgrading its merger controls in a move that could facilitate mergers that generate... Lire la suite
Air pollution is a major public health issue. But recent economic research has also highlighted its effects on economic activity, in addition to its well-documented health impacts. It reduces workers’ physical and cognitive abilities, thereby lowering productivity. It also risks undermining future productivity by impairing academic performance and innovation. This paper gives an overview of this m... Lire la suite
Switzerland is roughly 60% more expensive than its neighbouring countries. Consumer prices – particularly for services – are more affected by this than investment prices. This high-price island reveals a two-sided economy: very productive exporting sectors with high wages, and a domestic sector forced to bring itself up to the level of the former, raising prices in the long term. This model contin... Lire la suite
This paper gives a breakdown of the financial assets of French households based on their end use in the economy. Some of these financial assets directly finances businesses, whilst others are invested through financial intermediaries to be used to finance the economy (loans, shares, bonds). For each €10 in financial assets, €4 is allocated to equities in businesses, €3 to bonds and €2 to loans gra... Lire la suite
The academic results of students in France are deteriorating over time and compared with other countries, and are strongly affected by social factors and gender. Yet improving educational performance levels would be a source of long-term growth for the French economy. Assessment of education policies identifies the most effective actions and shows, in particular, the significant impact on academic... Lire la suite
Apprenticeship has grown sharply in popularity since 2018, driven by the deregulation of the system and increased government funding. Their growth has come alongside more diverse profiles, with apprentices often studying in higher education and more employers operating in the service sector. Apprenticeship facilitates the school-to-work transition, particularly at the occupational certification an... Lire la suite
Carbon credits, instruments that raise private-sector funding for decarbonisation projects, are subject to regulatory initiatives to ensure their quality and limit the risk of greenwashing. Their use to foster climate cooperation among countries is under discussion: it is on the agenda at the COP30 summit, in the context of efforts to create an international carbon credit trading mechanism. Carbon... Lire la suite
At a time of heightened geopolitical tensions, economic exchanges between nations are increasingly governed by a bloc-based approach. We are witnessing a reorganisation of trade between groups of geopolitically aligned countries, i.e. a geopolitical fragmentation of trade. This fragmentation began with the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and accelerated with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.... Lire la suite
Approximately one-fifth of unemployment benefit outflows are due to benefits exhaustion. Although a large proportion of these former recipients find long-term employment in the year following the end of their entitlement to unemployment benefits, other pathways point to harder integration into employment. Administrative data is used to reconstitute and understand these pathways, correlating waged... Lire la suite