William De Vijlder

Group Chief Economist BNP Paribas

Structural policy

What determines a country’s long-term growth? Industrial and energy policies, innovation and R&D, infrastructure and the environment, competitiveness and competition… William De Vijlder focuses on the structural characteristics and performances of a country or region.

eurozone tagcloud2

Strengthening the eurozone: prospect of progress at last?

The German finance minister has made a plea for the creation of a pan-European unemployment fund. Being able to borrow from the fund would require having contributed in the past as well as having met certain criteria in terms of economic policy. This form of risk-sharing would soften the impact of downturns and hence would be an important contribution to strengthen the eurozone.

Published on October 22, 2018 in :
Structural policy

Read more
 

Internalising climate change externalities: leading by example

Climate change and climate-related events can have profound consequences for society, the economy and business. Coping with these externalities does not depend solely on government initiative. The decision of the private sector to take them into account when buying or producing—internalising them—can make a big difference.

Published on December 1, 2017 in :
Structural policy

Read more
 

The right timing of structural reforms

The importance of structural policy is unquestionable. This was clearly explained by Mario Draghi at the ECB Conference in Sintra. However, their impact not only depends on the timing but also on the types of measures, the credibility and the interaction with other policy measures.

Published on July 26, 2017 in :
Structural policy

Read more
 

The key known unknowns for 2016

Of the many unknowns we face going into 2016, two are of particular importance: will China achieve a soft landing and how will the US economy react to the Federal Reserve rate hikes? The answer to these questions will determine the evolution of global growth, commodity prices and financial markets next year.                                             http://economic-research.bnpparibas.com/ecotvweek/en-US/known-unknowns-2016-12/11/2015,c24888

Published on December 14, 2015 in :
Structural policy

Read more
 

The US manufacturing slowdown: a dollar story ?

The ISM index has dropped below 50 which suggests the US manufacturing sector is in contraction. The Eurozone manufacturing PMI is well above the 50 level and shows a healthy business environment. The evolution of the cyclical momentum in the US versus the Eurozone is closely correlated with the evolution of the EUR/USD exchange rate.

Published on December 4, 2015 in :
Structural policy

Read more