Protecting against cyber attacks means tackling rational inattention
Cybersecurity, highlighted by recent attacks on the Co-op and Marks & Spencer, is not just a technical challenge but also a human and economic one, says Paul Ormerod Cyber security has featured prominently in the media, following the attacks on the Co-op and Marks and Spencer. The Co-op has recovered rather the better of the […]
What Rachel Reeves can learn from Geoffrey Howe
In 1981, Geoffrey Howe defied Keynesian orthodoxy by tightening fiscal policy during a recession – and completely changed the narrative about the British economy. Reeves must do the same, but all she offers is doom and gloom, says Paul Ormerod The UK economy is either already in or very close to a recession. Despite Rachel […]
UK universities should focus on excellence, not DEI
The UK university sector won’t solve it’s financial problems by prioritising diversity goals over research quality, says Paul Ormerod The university sector in the UK often seems to live in a dream world. Research England, for example, is proposing to order them to “robustly” promote diversity and inclusion in order to qualify for access to […]
Is choosing not to work a rational response to economic conditions?
Economic theory teaches that people will make the optimal allocation of their time between work and leisure, and if they can’t earn why bother to work? That’s a choice neither individuals, nor the country can afford, says Paul Ormerod The rise in worklessness is acknowledged across the political spectrum to be a serious problem. It […]
If the ONS can’t measure productivity, how are we meant to improve it?
The ONS’s shortcomings are far from trivial, its bad maths is holding back the UK economy, writes Paul Ormerod The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has come in for a lot of criticism for the accuracy of its labour market data. More specifically, its estimates of how many people there are in employment have become less […]
Method in Trump’s madness? What economic theory teaches us about tariffs
Trump’s tariffs have sent the world into a frenzy but there could be method yet. Economic theory shows that tariffs can in some cases reduce prices, writes Paul Ormerod The reactions to President Trump’s tariffs have been frenzied, to say the least. The headline on many of the stories about them might well have read “The […]
Reeves’ black hole alarmism is creating something scarier: A real one
Reeves’ fearmongering has scared Brits into saving. The consequences will be more frightening than Reeves’ ‘black hole’, writes Paul Ormerod A very bad piece of news for the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, slipped out last week with relatively little comment. The personal savings ratio – the proportion of incomes, net of borrowing, which individuals save – rose […]
Spring Statement: Reeves should abolish the OBR
By strengthening the OBR, Reeves has created severe difficulties for herself. Vital decisions about our economic future should be made by politicians, not unelected quangocrats, says Paul Ormerod Later today we will know for certain what is in Rachel Reeves’ Spring statement, a budget to all intents and purposes. But as is usually the case […]
The bond markets must not be allowed block defence spending
The Treasury has pledged an extra £2bn for UK exporters to secure overseas defence orders. The Germans are funding increased defence spending through debt so why can’t we? The Chancellor needs to start telling a better story about the future direction of our economy, says Paul Ormerod President Trump wants European countries to spend five […]
If crises are the test of a nation, Western Europe is failing
The financial crisis and the pandemic have shown how Western Europe deals with crises. And it’s not pretty, writes Paul Ormerod Karl Marx certainly had the ability to encapsulate a complex phenomenon in a pithy and memorable paragraph. In a pamphlet on the Crimean War of the 1850s he wrote: “The redeeming feature of war […]
