Work & Productivity

Why Keynes May Have Been More Right Than We Think

John Maynard Keynes's prediction of a 15-hour workweek is often dismissed as a great forecasting failure. But judging him solely by the number of hours we spend working misses the bigger picture. The real revolution, Jürg Müller argues, has taken place elsewhere. The question now is whether artificial intelligence will finally deliver what Keynes once predicted.

The Figure

20 Hours

People today spend far more years outside the workforce than previous generations did – first because education lasts longer, and second because life expectancy has risen. Over the course of a lifetime, a 20-year-old university student today will average roughly 20 hours of work per week. A peer born in 1930 worked more than 40 hours per week. (AGU)

Health Care

Premium Subsidies: A Remedy With Side Effects

Subsidizing health insurance is intended to make it affordable for low-income households. Yet it also creates unintended incentives. Recipients are more likely to opt for the lowest deductible, which can increase the use of services that may not be necessary. Diego Taboada and Emilie Dousse examine why the current system falls short and how support could be targeted more effectively.

Housing

The Fallacy of a Tougher "Lex Koller"

Foreign investors may soon be barred from buying shares in Swiss real estate companies and property funds. But keeping capital out of the market will not make housing more affordable. Quite the opposite is true. Marco Salvi explains how the proposal is likely to cause harm without delivering any discernible benefit.

Interview

"Not Only Markets Fail – The State Can Fail Too"

Free markets coordinate knowledge, encourage innovation, and generate prosperity. But they also have limits, whether in addressing environmental challenges or in providing national defense. In an interview, Jürg Müller discusses in which cases intervention is justified, and what policymakers should keep in mind when designing it.

Our Latest Publications

The Old Electorate

Childcare: Compass for Policymakers

Cap on Salary Contributions

Missed the newsletter?

You can find all previous issues in our newsletter archive.