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Matt Steinglass

@mattsteinglass.bsky.social

33K followers 1.5K following 27K posts

Europe correspondent for The Economist. Please don’t kill me

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Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · Jan 15

Thomas Pynchon, the greatest Californian novelist, wrote in his first novel “V.” of a mad society that built its city at the lip of a volcano which annihilated it every hundred years, but always rebuilt immediately in the same place

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Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 7h

It’s a fantastic non-cheesy ending

Reposted by Matt Steinglass

Verfassungsblog @verfassungsblog.de · 20h

EU Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi faces allegations of involvement in espionage by Hungary against the European Union.

ALBERTO ALEMANNO (@alemanno.bsky.social) explains why the Várhelyi Affair is a test of institutional self-defence – and how the EU can respond.

verfassungsblog.de/varhelyi-com...

Quote: “The Várhelyi affair poses a question the Union has never had to answer so starkly: What happens when a member state treats the institutions it helped create not as a common project, but as hostile territory to be infiltrated and undermined?”

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Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 17h

I lean towards @jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social’s explanation: this is Orban throwing money at constituents in a values-signaling fashion because he’s underwater in the polls with an election next spring. Policy considerations may be incoherent.

Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 17h

NRC update says NL govt interceded because China’s Wingtech planned to use Nexperia money to finance a factory for WingSkySemi, a Chinese daughter co. Financial Times says NL govt intervened after a warning from the US. Both can be true obvs

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Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 18h

Oh god. That is so infuriating, non-recognition of MD certification is one of the worst services barriers in the EU

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Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 18h

No fellowships for a few years in NL? (I am a hopeless pronatalist, I think everyone should have babies, it’s not a rational thing)

Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 18h

Been a long time since I’ve seen the Catholic Church vocally campaigning against condoms. Did they give up on that?

Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 18h

Good point

Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 18h

Also that PiS has a more than nominal commitment to helping poorer voters, who are its base, while Fidesz is a bourgeois party whose handouts to the rural poor come via quasi-feudal low-wage patronage jobs.

Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 18h

Yeah, child benefits are good for cutting child poverty and a fair compensation to parents for the unpaid work of raising the next generation. They don’t seem to raise birthrates much but 🤷

Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 18h

Seems entirely plausible we will see those names more often on resumes, I don’t imagine their admissions policies are very selective

Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 18h

Yeah, just values signaling to favored constituencies, probably little expectation it will be maintained (and hence little effect on birthrate)

Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 18h

I think the general evidence is that monetary incentives just don’t work very well at persuading women to have kids? But this is interestingly in line with Fidesz’s approach of favoring higher earners—earlier incentives included subsidized mortgages (not v helpful for poor renters)

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Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 19h

Well, but if it’s a matter of eliminating income taxes then actually she’s being encouraged to keep working? Maybe daddy stays home if his income is still taxed!

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Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 19h

Strong incentive for men to take care of the kids and let their wives work though!

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Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 19h

Curious whether this measure will prove more effective than others at raising the birthrate. Women who already have 2 kids and are considering a third may be the most persuadable. But tax forgiveness for high earners will be super expensive and v inefficient in children-per-forint

State Secretary Koncz: From October 1, mothers of three will be exempt from income tax

A new era begins in Hungary on October 1, when mothers raising three children will no longer have to pay personal income tax, State Secretary for Families Zsófia Koncz announced in a Facebook video me...

abouthungary.hu

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Reposted by Matt Steinglass

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 19h

"We always think about America’s postwar role in Europe as an act of great generosity, the defense of allies from Soviet aggression. But by putting democracy at the center of our international identity, we also helped strengthen our own political system"
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

The Beacon of Democracy Goes Dark

For nearly 250 years, America promoted freedom and equality abroad, even when it failed to live up to those ideals itself. Not anymore.

www.theatlantic.com

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Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 22h

Zou wel een hoop uitleggen als hun lezers de hele nacht wakker blijven. Grapje waarschijnlijk al 1000x gemaakt

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Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 22h

Die zijn al wakker, niet geïnteresseerd in wekkers

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Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 22h

Fascinating report on the Dutch government seizure of control over chipmaker Nexperia, under a Cold War-era 1952 law that had never been used before. Court will not say what exact actions precipitated exclusion of Chinese “Wingtech” owner Zhang Xuezheng. www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...

Waarom schoof Nederland de Chinese topman van chipmaker Nexperia opzij?

Voor het eerst grijpt de overheid in met de Wet beschikbaarheid goederen in de chipsector. Waarom is de Chinese topman van Nexperia aan de kant geschoven?

www.nrc.nl

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Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 22h

I agree it’s one of the reasons. On the other hand the conflict was seen from 1948-78 as Arab-Israel, most Arab states aligned with the USSR and PLO terrorism was successful at putting them on the agenda but a huge failure wrt US opinion. Then the 80s, 90s…so complicated.

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Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 23h

Yes, they definitely didn’t want to take much of a role themselves. I was also wondering though whether they could have exerted more pressure on the US. But perhaps not; the Gulf states have only really come into their own as powers over the past 15 years or so.

Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 23h

Very interesting thread on Europe’s anxious failure to adapt to Chinese trade and industrial policy hostility.

Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 1d

New - Europe’s 3-body problem: collapsing global order sparks hunt for new trajectory

I got to write about one of my favourite Chinese sci-fi novels. Europe, realising it can’t fix systemic chaos, is instead trying to shift its own orbit.

Europe’s 3-body problem: collapsing global order sparks hunt for new trajectory

Some are sceptical the EU’s talk of ‘economic security’ can translate into action, but there are early signs that may be changing.

www.scmp.com

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Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 23h

Certainly true that Netanyahu has been sabotaging efforts towards a Palestinian state for 30 years, though not sure that’s the only reason—extremely complicated bad problem

Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 23h

Bit unclear—Who wasn’t taking responsibility?