HEC in the press

As the FT reports that the European Union is set to implemented a new tax on vaping, law professor at HEC Paris Business School Alberto Alemanno comments that "the absence of an EU-wide excise framework for vapes and heated tobacco had been weakening tobacco control efforts across the bloc.

Despite the progress which has been made for female representation in the workforce, women remain underrepresented in leadership positions. In an op-ed for Forbes, Assistant Professor at HEC Paris Business School Ekaterina Netchaeva explains how her latest research suggests that this disparity might be caused by self-stereotyping.

As the Frankfurter Allegemeine Zeitung reports on unemployment benefit reforms in Germany, Italy and France, Tomasz Michalski, professor of economics at HEC Paris Business School, explains that several studies have shown that strengthening the access to unemployment compensation only increases the likelihood of finding a job "to a very small degree."

In November, Italy refused to let the charity ship Ocean Viking which was carrying 234 migrants to dock, forcing France to welcome them. Commenting to The Financial Times on this incident, law professor at HEC Paris Business School said: "As prime minister of Italy, she is expected to represent the Italian interest at the table. This does not necessarily mean to... mechanically say ‘yes’ to everything in Brussels. She is taking a political stance that is helping her political momentum at home."

In an op-ed published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, finance professor at HEC Paris Business School Armin Steinbach, explains how EU law makes sure the gas price cap implemented by the German government will not disadvantage European companies.

The newly elected Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni just met with European Union leaders in Brussels and described the encounter as "positive". Law professor at HEC Paris Business School Alberto Alemanno comments to Euronews: "Her attempt at pleasing Brussels - by suddenly embracing a constructive European spirit - hides a deeper, possibly deleterious, new European doctrine. Meloni is already depicting the EU as the ultimate (one) responsible for the solution of all Italian problems - from inflation to migration - so as to be ready to blame it for what her coalition might not be able to deliver."

As the demand for more sustainability grows among consumers, marketing professor at HEC Paris Business Gachoucha Kretz explains to Forbes why she thinks the luxury sector can meet these expectations and even thrive on it.

As Handelsblatt reports the German government's intention to implement a gas price brake, finance professor at HEC Paris Business School Armin Steinbach comments: "The subsidies, as expected, above a certain level will in no case be able to be granted without caps and without conditions".

While Europe is facing the energy crisis, France and Germany have different opinions on how to tackle it. CNBC notices a cooling of the two heads of state's relationship and wonders if the crucial France-Germany cooperation is at stake. Law professor at HEC Paris Business School Alberto Alemanno comments: "The Franco-German’s historical commitment to close cooperation seems questioned, or at least challenged, today."

Bloomberg notices that, despite the current crisis (high inflation, employment uncertainty, the threat of a recession), the luxury sector is still booming. Marketing professor at HEC Paris Business School Gachoucha Kretz offers several explanations. Firstly, the post-Covid era gives customers a "carpe diem" attitude. Secondly, luxury houses have become more global and therefore more resilient: booming geographic markets can offset slowdowns in other areas. Finally, "there’s a perception for some of the top products that they’re estate-like assets: for timeless products, some customers are OK to pay the price.”