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Defence spending is rising across Europe and beyond. The UK has committed to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence, with ambitions to reach 3.5% over the next decade. That's around £30 billion a year for every additional percentage point of GDP.
But what does society get back from that investment?
In the latest episode of VoxTalks Economics, @timsvengali speaks with @johnvanreenen (@LSEnews) about whether defence spending can also support economic growth through innovation.
History offers some striking examples: nuclear power, GPS, and the internet all originated in military projects. But innovation spillovers don't have to be left to chance.
Research on a US Air Force programme found that when the military asked firms what they could build, instead of prescribing solutions, it attracted startups, generated more original patents, and created stronger spillovers into the civilian economy.
The lesson? If defence budgets are set to rise, governments should think carefully about how to maximise both security and innovation returns.
🎧 Listen to the episode now: https://t.co/Q7MAgJKB8g
#Economics #VoxTalks
From bilateralism to a system: Europe’s early trade treaties and lessons for EU trade policy in a contested world
Laura Panza & Maria Ptashkina @UniMelb
https://t.co/CaPoTewOAK
The design and effect of tariff retaliation: Evidence from the EU
Ece Fisgin @LSEnews, Johannes Fleck @federalreserve, Keith Richards @UNC_econ
https://t.co/w9Dt64ZTj7
At the CEPR Annual Symposium, @timsvengali spoke with three outstanding early-career economists about their latest research.
Listen: https://t.co/cBTxGog9aL
In this episode, hear from Alishuba Philip (@UZH_en) on why slum redevelopment often fails existing residents; Lucie Giorgi (@Lucie_Giorgi@amseaixmars) on the end of single-sex education in France; and Ali Bakhtawar (@bakhtawar_a, @amseaixmars) on lawfare in Pakistan.
Fiscal rules compliance and sovereign borrowing costs: Some evidence from the euro area
Alicia Cuesta Bartolomé @collegeofeurope, Martin Larch @EFB_EU
https://t.co/eoNHQV0fEb
In his contribution to CEPR's Europe2050 series, @hans_gersbach offers guiding principles for a Europe of sovereign democracies: no shared liability without shared authorisation, and no European responsibility without reciprocal sovereignty.
https://t.co/XuyiJspxrK
Regulation and growth reloaded: Lessons from 25 years of retail trade and professional services reforms
Dan Andrews & Balázs Égert @OECD@oecdeconomy
https://t.co/5POYItQya6
In 1860, the New York Times declared that "no one invention has brought with it so great a relief for our mothers and daughters as these iron needle-women." They were, of course, referring to the sewing machine. But how much did it really change the lives of women in the 19th century?
In the latest VoxTalks Economics Podcast, Tim Phillips speaks with Philipp Ager (@EconUniMannheim) about his research with Davide Coluccia (@BristolUni), which traces the spread of the sewing machine across Massachusetts between 1850 and 1900. Their findings reveal a striking divide across social classes.
🎧 Listen now: https://t.co/GXeh35VS5o
#VoxTalks #Economics #EconHistory #Gender #Labour
VoxTalks Economics w/ @timsvengali: Can blockchain decentralise finance?
Listen: https://t.co/fDBPRVNPO9
Bruno Biais @HECParis discusses insights from the newly released LTI Report V on whether crypto can replace intermediaries — and why trust in decentralised systems may still require regulation.
Increasing employment in pre-retirement years slows cognitive decline
Noah Kouchekinia, David Neumark @NeumarkEcon, Tim Bruckner @UCIrvine
https://t.co/drzBCdaaPx