There is a widespread assumption that economic growth is only possible at the expense of other people or nature. David Dorn disagrees in two recent articles. “The world economy is not a zero-sum game,” he says, “an economy must adapt and strive for growth - inability to change always leads to decline in the long run”. In this context, questions of inequality have become a core economic issue. For an adaptable and competitive economic policy to be democratically supported, the fruits of economic growth must be distributed relatively evenly among the population.

David Dorn comments on the annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium. In an interview with Swiss national news SRF, he notes that the US Federal Reserve bank is still very independent but also has to align with the current economic developments. What scope do the central banks have under these circumstances? This interview provides valuable insights.

The fourth economist to be featured in the 'Women in Economics' series is UBS Center advisory board member Rachel Griffith. She is Professor of Economics at the University of Manchester and Research Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Much of Griffith’s work has been centered on nutrition and how it relates to public policy. “The big takeaway from a lot of the work I've done on nutrition is that it's quite hard for the government to come in and change people's behavior in a constructive way, with one particular policy,” she says.

David Dorn is convinced that Switzerland is able to address the challenges of automation by artificial intelligence (AI). "History has repeatedly shown us that the automation of work does not result in long-term unemployment," he says in an interview with the Swiss paper 'Finanz und Wirtschaft'. But AI is likely to once again lead to a significant automation step in information processing, which will probably affect the banking sector, for example. According to Dorn, the good initial and continuing training of employees is crucial. They must be able to adapt to changing work content throughout their career.

"Is Trump plunging the world into recession?" asks the Swiss paper 'Weltwoche'. In the article, David Dorn carefully weighs his words when interpreting events involving the minds of millions of people and enormous sums of money. "It is possible that the entire economy is significantly influenced by the erratic behavior of an individual," he says. But in contrast to earlier crises, we are dealing with gradually increasing intensification, also in the trade war. Above all, Dorn sees a threat in the resurgence of nationalism and the endeavor of some countries to be economically isolated from each other. This is particularly serious for a small, connected country like Switzerland.

"Our advantage are facts," reply UBS Center scholarship holder Ursina Schaede and her Department colleague Andrea Hofer to the Swiss publication Beobachter. When it comes to equal opportunities for men and women, points out the consumer magazine, anecdotes and preconceptions dominate. Read the facts about the gender gap in the detailed report. Inspired by the 'Research Slam' on the Swiss women's strike and the conversation with the journalists, Ursina and Andrea also started to write a blog. In a loose cycle, they spotlight new studies that all deal, in one way or another, with factors that influence women's participation in the labor market.

Oliver Hart, Nobel laureate and UBS Center Advisory Board member, explores, among other things, the question of how power is distributed in the economy. In a recent conversation with the Swiss weekly NZZ am Sonntag, he puts the following consideration in the room: «How can one limit the power of companies, which grow thanks to the network effect to such an enormous size?» Continue reading in the article, why Hart is not sure whether the break-up of technology giants like Facebook is the solution and that corporate targets for businesses would be much more effective.