This episode of the Global Economy Podcast is a recording of a recent webinar where Fredrik Erixon spoke with Wolfgang Münchau on the state of the German economy.

The German economy is in a bad shape. Its Gross Domestic Product has fallen for two consecutive years and once-mighty German industrial companies struggle to keep up with technological change and global competition. What has gone wrong?

In a new book – Kaput: The End of the German Miracle – Wolfgang Münchau argues that Germany’s economic problems go deep and have evolved over a longer period of time. Its manufacturing-first mentality is entrenched and keeps a hold over the country’s economic imagination – leading to false perceptions about the economy and slow responses to new technological developments.

You can watch a video recording of the conversation here.

Wolfgang Münchau is the director and co-founder of Eurointelligence, a service that provides daily information about the euro area, targeted at investors and policymakers. He is also the European columnist for the New Statesman, and previously an associate editor and columnist for the Financial Times. Wolfgang was one of the founding members of Financial Times Deutschland, the German language business daily, where he served as deputy editor from 1999 until 2001, and as editor-in-chief from 2001 until 2003. He previously worked as foreign correspondent in Washington DC and Brussels for the Times, and in Frankfurt for the FT. Wolfgang’s latest book, Kaput, published by Swift Press, is about the rise and decline of the German economy. Wolfgang and his wife, Susanne Mundschenk, live in Oxford.

Director Fredrik Erixon talks with MEP Jörgen Warborn in the latest episode of the Global Economy Podcast.

They discuss how the EU must prioritise trade to combat its growth crisis. The conversation delves into the ratification of the EU-Mercosur deal as an enabler of a massive free trade zone, reforms to the World Trade Organization for stronger global trade rules, a focus on sectoral agreements for faster progress, and how crucial it is to balance protection with promotion and partnership.

You can also watch a video recording of the conversation here.

Jörgen Warborn is a Swedish entrepreneur and politician of the Moderate Party (Sweden). He studied Economics and Leadership at the International University of Monaco, International Relations at the London School of Economics, and Entrepreneurship at Babson College. Mr Warborn started his first business at 17 and has managed several small businesses in IT and Marketing. He was Mayor of Varberg Municipality from 2010 until his election to the Swedish Parliament in 2014, and was re-elected in 2018. Mr Warborn is a representative of the European Parliament since 2019.

Fredrik Erixon hosts an insightful conversation with renowned economist John Cochrane as they delve into the pressing issues of inflation, deficits, and potential economic policies under a second Trump administration. As the US faces persistent high deficits and European countries grapple with sluggish economic growth, they discuss what the future holds and the necessary steps for recovery.

You can also watch a video recording of the conversation here.

John H. Cochrane is one of the world’s leading economists. He has been researching financial economics and macro-economics for 40 years and is now the Rose-Marie and Jack Anderson Senior Fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution. He was previously a professor at the University of Chicago and its Booth School of Business. He’s the author of several books and numerous papers on finance, including the leading textbook on asset pricing. He blogs as the Grumpy Economist.

In this episode of the Global Economy Podcast, Fredrik Erixon and Frank Lavin discuss the potential impact of the incoming second Trump administration on foreign policy.

They analyse the likelihood of a continuing transactional and domestic-centric approach, considering campaign rhetoric, Trump’s volatile attitude, and his new team.

They also examine his foreseeable approach to relations in Asia, particularly with China, and Europe, with special attention to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

You can also watch a video recording of the conversation here.

Pre-order Mr Lavin’s upcoming book “Inside the Reagan White House: A Front-Row Seat to Presidential Leadership with Lessons for Today” here.

Frank Lavin is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution (Stanford University). He was CEO of Export Now and he is the author of several books on economics and international affairs, including “Home Front to Battlefront: An Ohio Teenager in World War II (War and Society in North America)”.

Frank has had senior posts in national security and international policy in the administrations of the two Bush presidencies and was Director of Politics under Ronald Reagan.

Director Fredrik Erixon interviews Tengiz Pkhaladze, a Senior Fellow at ECIPE, about the recent developments in Moldova and Georgia, two countries on the path to EU membership, where important elections have recently been held.

The conversation looks at the outcomes of the recent elections in both countries, including the challenges faced by Moldova’s President Maia Sandu and the contested victory of the Georgian Dream party. The exchange explores the implications of these events for the EU’s Eastern Partnership and the broader geopolitical landscape.

Mr Erixon and Mr Pkhaladze examine the impact of Russian influence, the importance of Western support, and the potential consequences of diverging from the European path.

You can also read a summary of the conversation here.

Tengiz Pkhaladze is a Senior Fellow at ECIPE. His research interests cover different areas, including Eastern Partnership Countries, Black Sea Region, European integration and Russian foreign policy towards the Black Sea and Eastern Partnership Countries.

To celebrate the 100th episode of the ECIPE Global Economy Podcast, host Fredrik Erixon welcomes Inu Manak, a distinguished trade policy expert and follow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in Washington, DC.

In this timely discussion recorded just days after the U.S. election, they explore pressing questions about the future of U.S. trade policy. Will America maintain its manufacturing-first strategy, strategic tariffs on China, and scepticism toward international trade institutions, or even bigger tariff hikes on the horizon under a second Trump administration?

Join us for this timely conversation about what the next chapter of U.S. trade policy might bring.

You can also watch a video recording of the interview here.

Director Fredrik Erixon talks with Senior Economist Oscar Guinea ahead of the 6th EU-US TTC on why this meeting taking place in Leuven between the 4th and 6th of April, 2024, is of particular importance due to the sociopolitical context.

During their conversation Mr Guinea presents and justifies the need for the EU and the US to pursue an agreement on conformity assessment covering machinery and electrical equipment. He argues that this agreement would improve conditions for transatlantic trade reducing dependence on China while also potentially benefiting the environment by accelerating the adoption of green technologies. You can read his complete research on this topic here.

Finally, he also touches upon the differences on productivity between the EU and the US, and how the latter has higher levels of productivity growth especially caused by its greatest investment in R&D and intangible capital, as well as stronger business dynamism.

This podcast is a partial recording of the seminar held at the ECIPE office in Brussels “Liberalism versus Populism – How can Liberalism Fight Back?” with the participation of political science Professor and Founder of the Ratio Institute Nils Karlson on the 7th of March 2024.

The event was hosted by ECIPE Founder and Director Fredrik Erixon and examined the complexities of populism, its impact on society, and the strategies to combat the populist wave by using the principles of classical liberalism.

Nils Karlson is a former professor of political science and founder (and former CEO) of the Ratio Institute, a research institute in Stockholm. A visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, between 2021 and 2023, professor Karlson is the author of numerous books and academic papers about subjects such as statecraft, economic reforms, labour markets and education. His new book, “Reviving Classical Liberalism Against Populism”, can be accessed here.

This podcast is a recording of the conversation that ECIPE Director Matthias Bauer hosted with José Ignacio Torreblanca, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and Head of ECFR’s Madrid office, during the January 17th webinar EU Strategic Interdependence and How to Revitalise the WTO.

They discussed the EU’s strategic autonomy, underscoring its flaws and internal political divisions, while proposing the idea of strategic interdependence as a more viable framework. The discussion highlighted the EU’s diminishing economic influence, the need for balancing economic independence with cooperative strategies, and the EU’s potential to shape global trade rules. It also emphasized the importance of fostering interdependencies in a bipolar world dominated by the US and China, particularly in digital and green economies.

Renata Zilli hosts a discussion with H.E. Rogelio Granguillhome, Ambassador of Mexico to the Kingdom of Belgium and Permanent Representative to the European Union, on the limits, opportunities, and promising future of EU-Mexico relations. 

This podcast episode explores the pivotal moments of 2023, a transformative year for EU-Mexico relations, including insights into the EU-CELAC Summit and efforts to modernise the Global Agreement. They delve into the geopolitical landscape amid global challenges, from conflicts to climate change, and discover Mexico's strategic positioning in the evolving global supply chain.