My Blog
Investors should intervene to stop high executive pay, before the regulator does
Shareholder discontent over executive pay continues to rise. Last week, the outgoing boss of BT, Gavin Patterson, was in the
Never mind who wins, the World Cup is a treasure trove for curious economists
Our boys make progress – and I don’t mean on Brexit. On a visit to Glasgow last Thursday, a popular
Meet the engineers of economic theory: Market design has become a full-time job
What does someone with the job title of “chief economist” actually do? The most well-known in the UK is probably
Immigration fears are more economically rational than the urban liberals pretend
Immigration is a hot topic in both senses of the word “hot”. Not only is it at the forefront of
Economics is doing just fine, thank you, without adopting psychology’s blunders
Criticisms of economics have abounded since the financial crisis. Even Nobel Prize winners like George Akerlof of Berkeley have got
Anyone for England? The World Cup and business stardom are both games of luck
The 2018 World Cup in Russia kicks off tomorrow. This time, at least, there is little feeling that our boys
Artificial intelligence will dominate every aspect of our lives, but it won’t replace us
Guess which of the 964 jobs listed in the widely used Occupational Information Network online database is the least susceptible
Mark Carney has bigger things to worry about than meaningless Brexit forecasts
The governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, is up to his usual tricks. Last week, he claimed in
Brussels elites who fiddled while Rome burned may soon get their comeuppance
The new Italian government looks set to cause shock waves across Europe. The two parties promise mass deportations of immigrants
The Windrush scandal and police failures show the dangers of bureaucratic targets
The Windrush scandal still bubbles away. The bureaucrats at the Home Office are being condemned for their harsh behaviour. But
Trump’s tariffs are unlikely to plunge the global economy into a Great Depression
The Trojans had to beware of Greeks bearing gifts. In the same way, politicians need to be suspicious of petitions
No decent economist will be surprised to see renewables push up electricity prices
British Gas is putting up the price of its dual fuel tariff by an average of 5.5 per cent at
Cyber society needs monopoly-busting competition, not misguided regulation
The hostility towards the virtual monopolies enjoyed by tech giants such as Google and Facebook reveals some strange bedfellows. The European
Our automated future is brighter than Karl Marx or Mark Carney would ever suggest
Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, hit the headlines at the weekend, claiming that Marxism could once
The misguided sugar tax is an ineffectual way to price the externalities of obesity
One of George Osborne’s last acts as chancellor in 2016 was to announce the so-called sugar tax. This came into
Forget exploitation, motorists choose to pay sky high fuel prices
Politicians have an irresistible urge to meddle. The latest example is the fanfare orchestrated just before Easter by Chris Grayling,
Why can PwC charge such superhuman fees? It’s all in the power of bargaining
The liquidation of Carillion continues to feature prominently in the news. Last week, the story was the fees being charged
The chancellor should heed Keynes – and keep public spending down
Last week’s Spring Statement by chancellor Philip Hammond has led to predictable calls to “abandon austerity”. With massive hyperbole, Labour
The social media battle against fake news has begun – beware your own emotions
Did Donald Tusk, the former Prime Minister of Poland and now president of the European Council, conspire with Vladimir Putin
Altruism and information deficits: What snowstorms teach us about economics
While weather may not seem like a typical economics topic, there are always interesting aspects to behaviour in any context.
