Digital Market Act and Digital Service Act: When Regulation Catches up with Digital Markets

“The first ever traffic light that brought order in the streets […] was invented as a response to a major technological disruption: the invention of the cars. Now we have such an increase in the online traffic that we need to make rules that put order into chaos”. This is how Margrethe Vestager referred to …

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Does corruption favor economic growth?

As opposed to what many may think, the impact of corruption on growth is still a very controversial question. Key factors such as a country’s political regime, legal structure or governing capacities make this topic a case-by-case issue. However, a large unanimity still considers corruption as a scourge for economic development as it is still …

The opportunities and challenges of the hydrogen economy

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in order to limit the global rise of temperatures to below 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, we should reach carbon neutrality by 2050. In 2016, 70% of greenhouse gas emissions originated from the energy sector, mostly attributable to transportation, buildings and industry. The use of renewable energies …

Hidden features: The Tools that Firms Use to Manipulate Consumers on Digital Platforms and Beyond

An article published by the New York Times 4 years ago showed how Uber used psychological manipulations to influence drivers' behaviour 1. To incentivize drivers to work longer hours, Uber takes advantage of people's obsession with "goal pursuit" by letting them know how close they are to hitting their earning goal when they try to …

Luise Eisfeld testimony

What are your past studies and professions? I was interested in societal and economic questions after High School, so I began my studies with a Sociology major and Economics minor at the University of Mannheim. I quickly realized that I actually loved the quantitative classes I had taken, so I switched to studying only Econ …