Thomas Fricke

Thomas Fricke is Director of New Economy Forum and Chief Economist at the European Climate Foundation. Based in Berlin, Thomas is focused on the ECF’s efforts around managing the transition to low-carbon economy.

Prior to joining the ECF in December 2013, Thomas was Chief Economist of Financial Times Deutschland, where he wrote a weekly column on the business cycle, economic policy, and international economic issues and was responsible for the economics page and comments. He started his career as a journalist at the Berlin-based Tagesspiegel and later served as economics correspondent at the weekly magazine Wirtschaftswoche in Düsseldorf and at Manager Magazin in Hamburg, where he wrote a monthly column.

In 2007, Thomas launched an Internet economics blog, WirtschaftsWunder, which he continues to run.

He was awarded the Franco-German Prize for Journalism and the Publicist’s Prize of Germany’s Keynes Society. His book “Wie viel Bank braucht der Mensch?” (“How Much Bank Do We Need?”) was published in March 2013, and it won the getAbstract International Book Award in October 2013.

Thomas studied Economics and Politics in Aachen, Germany, and in Paris, where he got a diploma at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris and at the Université Paris I – Sorbonne. Following his studies, he worked as a researcher at the Paris-based economics institute Observatoire Français des Conjonctures Économiques (OFCE).

By this expert

Corona Crisis and Eurobonds

Article | May 26, 2020

The Calamity of Germany’s Distorted Perception of Italy

The New New Deal

Article | May 26, 2017

Globalization has fallen into disrepute; the myth of the prosperity and happiness-generating  free market has been dispelled. A visionary concept that provides guidance and direction is required now.

Zero Interest Rates in EU: The Myth of the Poor German Saver

Article | Feb 7, 2017

Panic over the impact on  German savers of low interest rates and looming inflation neglects to mention that very few Germans are saving much

Trump’s Win is a Warning: Europe Urgently Needs a New Deal

Article | Nov 30, 2016

President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s policies allowed the United States to avoid the perils of right-wing populism that plunged Europe into war in the 1930s — Europe should learn from his example

Featuring this expert

Debt Talks Episode 6 | Who’s Afraid of European Banks?

with Martin Arnold, Elena Carletti and Richard Vague; moderated by Thomas Fricke and Moritz Schularick

Event Webinar | Hosted by Private Debt | Feb 23, 2021

Does the COVID recession still have the potential to turn into a broader financial meltdown?

Thomas Fricke has an article in Der Spiegel citing an INET study showing that prioritizing health in the pandemic has led to better economic outcomes

News Dec 7, 2020

“Calculations by Phillip Alvelda, Thomas Ferguson and John Mallery, which have just been published by the Institute for New Economic Thinking, suggest how scary the choice between life and business is in the corona crisis . A comparison of all possible countries and strategies over the past year then gave a fairly clear picture: Those who consistently aimed to stop the epidemic through hard lockdowns have significantly fewer deaths - even if they initially suffered greater economic damage; while it is with countries like the UK it was exactly the opposite, which initially hesitated with the lockdown and raised all the more money to avoid economic damage. With the fatal result that precisely because of this, the second wave became all the more violent - and economic output collapsed in the end. Conclusion of the study: The more negligent governments allow the pandemic to work in order not to harm the economy, the more the economic costs will pile up over time and ever new waves. Almost no matter how hard these rulers and central bankers try to counter it with economic stimulus programs. The damn virus finds activity between people (also economic) pretty good.” — Thomas Fricke

Bonds or Bust!

George Soros: Proposal for Perpetual Bonds — A Discussion on the Future of European Fiscal Capacity

YSI Event Discussion YSI | Dec 4, 2020

George Soros’ latest op-ed in the Project Syndicate reasserts his view how perpetual bonds could help the European Union overcome its deadlock on fiscal spending.