HEC in the press

Leaders watching banks may miss the real signal. In an op-ed for Forbes US, HEC Paris Business School professor Quirin Fleckenstein shows how nonbanks drive the sharpest credit swings.

This week, HEC researchers surface across interviews, debates and long-form features in outlets as different as L'Express, Nouvel Obs, Tradingsat, Madame Figaro, Public Senat, Euronews and WTX News. The coverage helps readers and viewers make sense of issues that range from French local politics, public finance, market reactions and artificial intelligence to the European Union's response to the international crisis in Iran. 

When “budget better” turns moral: in an op-ed for Forbes US, HEC Paris Business School professor Lisa Baudot reveals how retirees’ discipline normalizes risk pushed from institutions to households.

In volatile markets, the wrong kind of generalist manager can backfire. HEC Paris professor John Mawdsley reveals in an op-ed for Forbes US why foresight depends on relevant career breadth.

Across this week’s press review (January 19-25), HEC’s footprint shows up in places where public debate is being shaped in real time: Europe’s geopolitical posture, what Crans-Montana reveals in terms of trust and the economy; the psychology of performance at work; and even prime-time economic programming.

The Guardian highlights Europe’s growing confrontation with Donald Trump over Greenland, as EU leaders weigh whether to abandon appeasement and use their strongest economic weapons. Alberto Alemanno, EU law professor at HEC Paris Business School, warns that a calibrated response would be a mistake, calling instead for decisive action to avoid lasting U.S. leverage over Europe.

In a letter published by The Financial Times, Alberto Alemanno, Jean Monnet Professor of EU Law at HEC Paris Business School, argues that Europe has weakened its negotiating position by voluntarily rolling back key regulatory powers. He criticises Brussels for softening digital, climate and AI rules under U.S. pressure, warning that the EU is surrendering one of its strongest sources of leverage without even testing its ability to push back.

German media Deutsche Welle examines how the European Union could respond to Donald Trump’s trade threats over Greenland, weighing options such as retaliatory tariffs, suspending the EU–U.S. trade deal, or activating the so-called “trade bazooka.” Alberto Alemanno, law professor at HEC Paris Business School, argues that Europe’s real leverage lies not in tariff escalation but in enforcing and exporting its regulatory standards — from data protection to AI governance and corporate accountability.

In an op-ed for Project Syndicate, professor of economics at HEC Paris Business School Antonin Bergeaud and co-authors André Loesekrug-Pietri and  Jean Tirole refute the idea that Europe’s innovation gap stems from a lack of capital. They explain that fragmented markets, regulation and incentives prevent startups from scaling up, and that injecting more funding without completing the single market will not produce global tech champions.

The Atlantic explores what it would mean to live without clocks in a Norwegian island above the Arctic Circle, using Sommarøy’s “time-free” experiment as a lens. The article draws on research by Anne-Laure Sellier, professor at HEC Paris Business School, which distinguishes between “clock-timers” and “event-timers” and shows how constant time awareness can shape motivation, performance and our sense of control over daily life.