Fabian Schmidt
@fabschmidt.bsky.social
Political economist // Industrial policy for future // Brussels // Rail ultra
Reposted by Fabian Schmidt
I'm kind of baffled how the "moderates" have apparently all decided to turn against climate policy at once, just as China reaches green electrostate liftoff mode. I thought these people were all about National Greatness and making Hard Choices
November 14, 2025 at 3:12 PM
I'm kind of baffled how the "moderates" have apparently all decided to turn against climate policy at once, just as China reaches green electrostate liftoff mode. I thought these people were all about National Greatness and making Hard Choices
Germany's big business dynasties - many of whom have their own history of 'capital accumulation' during the Third Reich - are opening up towards the extreme right.
Die weniger irreführende Überschrift wäre eigentlich: Deutsche Milliardäre reichen lieber dem Faschismus die Hand, als ein bisschen mehr Steuern zu bezahlen.
www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/u...
www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/u...
Umgang mit rechts: Verband der Familienunternehmer gibt offenbar Brandmauer zur AfD auf
Der Lobbyverband »Die Familienunternehmer« hat einen AfD-Vertreter eingeladen – und will die in großen Teilen rechtsextreme Partei nun politisch stellen. Ein »Kontaktverbot« sei damit aufgehoben, beri...
www.spiegel.de
November 24, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Germany's big business dynasties - many of whom have their own history of 'capital accumulation' during the Third Reich - are opening up towards the extreme right.
Pretty visualisation tool for mobility shares - choose your city/country:
vis.csh.ac.at/citiesmoving/
@olivier-rbxl.bsky.social
vis.csh.ac.at/citiesmoving/
@olivier-rbxl.bsky.social
November 17, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Pretty visualisation tool for mobility shares - choose your city/country:
vis.csh.ac.at/citiesmoving/
@olivier-rbxl.bsky.social
vis.csh.ac.at/citiesmoving/
@olivier-rbxl.bsky.social
Reposted by Fabian Schmidt
Disturbing read with striking charts, especially on the new capital goods trade deficit with China and on the share of sectors in which DE and CN share a comparative advantage.
People have been warning that the export-led model was headed for this wall for many years...
www.ft.com/content/239e...
People have been warning that the export-led model was headed for this wall for many years...
www.ft.com/content/239e...
November 12, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Disturbing read with striking charts, especially on the new capital goods trade deficit with China and on the share of sectors in which DE and CN share a comparative advantage.
People have been warning that the export-led model was headed for this wall for many years...
www.ft.com/content/239e...
People have been warning that the export-led model was headed for this wall for many years...
www.ft.com/content/239e...
“Perhaps we should finally force states to share sovereignty and resources not just with the EU, but with a broader group of actors that I call the fifth estate of democracy. Perhaps we should give real meaning to the term European multi-level governance.”
www.ips-journal.eu/topics/europ...
www.ips-journal.eu/topics/europ...
The ego of nations
European crises require unity, yet leaders continue to prioritise sovereignty, making citizens the casualties of political posturing
www.ips-journal.eu
November 11, 2025 at 2:13 PM
“Perhaps we should finally force states to share sovereignty and resources not just with the EU, but with a broader group of actors that I call the fifth estate of democracy. Perhaps we should give real meaning to the term European multi-level governance.”
www.ips-journal.eu/topics/europ...
www.ips-journal.eu/topics/europ...
“[we are] putting too much emphasis on long-term decline because we use outdated economic indicators that were developed to measure growth during the Fordist phase of capitalism.”
Katrina Forrester reviews Melinda Cooper’s Counterrevolutions
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Katrina Forrester reviews Melinda Cooper’s Counterrevolutions
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Katrina Forrester · ‘I appreciate depreciation’: Dynastic Capitalism
Austerity is a choice. The protection of the family at the expense of other ways of living is a choice. The transfer of...
www.lrb.co.uk
October 31, 2025 at 12:51 PM
“[we are] putting too much emphasis on long-term decline because we use outdated economic indicators that were developed to measure growth during the Fordist phase of capitalism.”
Katrina Forrester reviews Melinda Cooper’s Counterrevolutions
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Katrina Forrester reviews Melinda Cooper’s Counterrevolutions
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
How can Europe keep up?
The U.S. economy has grown by $20 trillion since 2000 … about $7.7 trillion of that (36% of all the growth in GDP) is spending related to recovering from or preparing for climate disasters per Bloomberg Intelligence #EconSky
October 22, 2025 at 11:04 PM
How can Europe keep up?
Reposted by Fabian Schmidt
I guess it was just a matter of time before xAI was added to this web.
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
October 8, 2025 at 10:40 AM
I guess it was just a matter of time before xAI was added to this web.
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Reposted by Fabian Schmidt
Many thanks to @regstud.bsky.social and @rsablog.bsky.social for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts on designing better maps in academia. And to @cchlebna.bsky.social for encouragement and feedback.
New RSA Blog 🗺️ Maps are powerful tools — but do we use their full potential?
@jakobeder.bsky.social reflects on why visual literacy matters in geography & shares 5 simple tips for designing clearer, more engaging maps.
👉 www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...
@jakobeder.bsky.social reflects on why visual literacy matters in geography & shares 5 simple tips for designing clearer, more engaging maps.
👉 www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...
Putting Graphicacy Back into Geography: Why it Matters How We Design Maps for Science Communication - RSA Main
Tools play a crucial role in research and the visual representation of regions. In this piece by Dr Jakob Eder, we explore mapping (graphicacy) and discuss its application and potential improvements f...
www.regionalstudies.org
September 25, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Many thanks to @regstud.bsky.social and @rsablog.bsky.social for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts on designing better maps in academia. And to @cchlebna.bsky.social for encouragement and feedback.
This is how the separation of powers works in Brussels:
Just build two highways through the European Quarter right between Commission, Council and Parliament.
Just build two highways through the European Quarter right between Commission, Council and Parliament.
October 5, 2025 at 7:42 PM
This is how the separation of powers works in Brussels:
Just build two highways through the European Quarter right between Commission, Council and Parliament.
Just build two highways through the European Quarter right between Commission, Council and Parliament.
Reposted by Fabian Schmidt
I assume you saw this, but ICYMI, and for others here:
www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
Photos: The Scale of China’s Solar-Power Projects
As the Trump administration's “big, beautiful bill” eliminates many clean-energy incentives in the U.S., China continues huge investments in wind and solar power, reportedly accounting for 74 percent ...
www.theatlantic.com
July 24, 2025 at 12:25 PM
I assume you saw this, but ICYMI, and for others here:
www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
Brussels might seem chaotic and dirty sometimes but it has so many great urban designs!
The Belgians have created a superb walking/biking trail around Brussels. Highly recommended! environnement.brussels/citoyen/lenv...
La Promenade verte : visitez Bruxelles à pied ou à vélo
La Promenade verte est un parcours encerclant la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale. Profitez, à pied ou en vélo, d’un itinéraire de 60 km divisé en 7 tronçons.
environnement.brussels
July 30, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Brussels might seem chaotic and dirty sometimes but it has so many great urban designs!
Reposted by Fabian Schmidt
🚨 New publication out: “The Anatomy of Chinese Capitalism” (Competition & Change / Köncke, Erlbacher & Schmalz, 2025)
How and to what extent does the party-state govern top Chinese firms?
We unpack this with new data and a sectoral lens.
🔗 doi.org/10.1177/1024...
@sfb294.bsky.social
How and to what extent does the party-state govern top Chinese firms?
We unpack this with new data and a sectoral lens.
🔗 doi.org/10.1177/1024...
@sfb294.bsky.social
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
doi.org
July 30, 2025 at 7:29 AM
🚨 New publication out: “The Anatomy of Chinese Capitalism” (Competition & Change / Köncke, Erlbacher & Schmalz, 2025)
How and to what extent does the party-state govern top Chinese firms?
We unpack this with new data and a sectoral lens.
🔗 doi.org/10.1177/1024...
@sfb294.bsky.social
How and to what extent does the party-state govern top Chinese firms?
We unpack this with new data and a sectoral lens.
🔗 doi.org/10.1177/1024...
@sfb294.bsky.social
By re-allocating funds that were previously earmarked for investments in climate, environment and people to an ominous "Competitiveness Fund", the European Commission's proposal for the new budget seems to effectively represent a huge transfer of resources from labour (people) to capital.
What’s Left of LIFE? Commission’s MFF Proposal Risks Quiet Rollback of EU Environmental Funding - Through Budget Lines, not Headlines
The European Commission’s proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) suggests that the EU LIFE Programme – the Union’s only dedicated fund for environment, nature and climate action –...
eeb.org
July 30, 2025 at 8:58 AM
By re-allocating funds that were previously earmarked for investments in climate, environment and people to an ominous "Competitiveness Fund", the European Commission's proposal for the new budget seems to effectively represent a huge transfer of resources from labour (people) to capital.
Scharfsinniges Update zur politischen Ökonomie des russischen Geheimdienstkartenhauses
www.republik.ch/2025/07/24/d...
www.republik.ch/2025/07/24/d...
Die russische Dreifachblamage
Wie Putins Geheimdienste in fünf Tagen drei Katastrophen erlebten.
www.republik.ch
July 29, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Scharfsinniges Update zur politischen Ökonomie des russischen Geheimdienstkartenhauses
www.republik.ch/2025/07/24/d...
www.republik.ch/2025/07/24/d...
Another example of our new era where China is not only supplying us with cheap consumer goods but dominates strategic sectors.
We were really sleepwalking into this across the board from energy to mobility to military technology. And now it comes down all at once.
We were really sleepwalking into this across the board from energy to mobility to military technology. And now it comes down all at once.
July 29, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Another example of our new era where China is not only supplying us with cheap consumer goods but dominates strategic sectors.
We were really sleepwalking into this across the board from energy to mobility to military technology. And now it comes down all at once.
We were really sleepwalking into this across the board from energy to mobility to military technology. And now it comes down all at once.
Rational voting theory is hitting the wall
you'll never guess the politics of the construction company owner with a largely immigrant workforce, now facing up to $84,000 in penalties for not meeting a completion deadline
July 28, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Rational voting theory is hitting the wall
The fight against climate crisis in @janeaflegal.bsky.social ‘s framing:
A fight between feedback loops, that is, of the climatic feedback loops triggered by our emissions and driving us deeper into crisis
versus
the societal/political feedback loops that we try to unleash to get to net zero.
A fight between feedback loops, that is, of the climatic feedback loops triggered by our emissions and driving us deeper into crisis
versus
the societal/political feedback loops that we try to unleash to get to net zero.
July 28, 2025 at 6:04 PM
The fight against climate crisis in @janeaflegal.bsky.social ‘s framing:
A fight between feedback loops, that is, of the climatic feedback loops triggered by our emissions and driving us deeper into crisis
versus
the societal/political feedback loops that we try to unleash to get to net zero.
A fight between feedback loops, that is, of the climatic feedback loops triggered by our emissions and driving us deeper into crisis
versus
the societal/political feedback loops that we try to unleash to get to net zero.
Reposted by Fabian Schmidt
mostly I want people to think of quantitative data as a specific subset of qualitative data, which it is (qualitative data on the reaction of a measuring device to empirical experience, whether numerical or in other form)
July 28, 2025 at 3:37 PM
mostly I want people to think of quantitative data as a specific subset of qualitative data, which it is (qualitative data on the reaction of a measuring device to empirical experience, whether numerical or in other form)
Reposted by Fabian Schmidt
🚲🚲There is nothing more efficient in the world of machines and animals than a human on a bicycle.
The humble bicycle is an amazing machine.
www.jstor.org/stable/24923...
The humble bicycle is an amazing machine.
www.jstor.org/stable/24923...
June 2, 2025 at 8:19 AM
🚲🚲There is nothing more efficient in the world of machines and animals than a human on a bicycle.
The humble bicycle is an amazing machine.
www.jstor.org/stable/24923...
The humble bicycle is an amazing machine.
www.jstor.org/stable/24923...
Reposted by Fabian Schmidt
This Vienna street isn’t “closed” because cars have been removed. It’s been opened to everything else, to a diverse and invigorated civic life for people, because cars have been replaced by a multitude of wonderful things.
Language matters.
HT @dmoser.bsky.social for the pic. #OpenStreets
Language matters.
HT @dmoser.bsky.social for the pic. #OpenStreets
July 25, 2025 at 7:56 AM
This Vienna street isn’t “closed” because cars have been removed. It’s been opened to everything else, to a diverse and invigorated civic life for people, because cars have been replaced by a multitude of wonderful things.
Language matters.
HT @dmoser.bsky.social for the pic. #OpenStreets
Language matters.
HT @dmoser.bsky.social for the pic. #OpenStreets
Reposted by Fabian Schmidt
100 percent! Chinese cars now dominate the market almost everywhere but North America. Very clear in my recent travels to East Asia and the Middle East, for example. Easily a 9:1 ratio!
Most Americans really have no clue how far the US is being left behind.
July 24, 2025 at 1:46 PM
100 percent! Chinese cars now dominate the market almost everywhere but North America. Very clear in my recent travels to East Asia and the Middle East, for example. Easily a 9:1 ratio!
Good point here: as global trade plunges into chaos, it is all the more important to closely align the policy environment steering demand for green tech with the industrial policies that try to expand their production.
And absolutely on domestic/European demand - in green tech, there should be no difficulty for Europe to absorb its entire production and then some, if you take climate and energy transition goals seriously.
July 24, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Good point here: as global trade plunges into chaos, it is all the more important to closely align the policy environment steering demand for green tech with the industrial policies that try to expand their production.