My Blog
Unemployment down, GDP up – there’s no logic for a public spending boost now
Despite the warmth of the days, there is a distinct autumn feel to the mornings. And in the autumn, thoughts
From Venezuela to East Berlin, people will always choose capitalism over socialism
How many people across the world in the history of humanity have fled from a capitalist country to a socialist
The economics of tourist overload
I am in Edinburgh for a few days at the Festival, where even Jeremy Corbyn has appeared. Disappointingly, he was
The intellectual imperialism of economics
At this time of year, most people are focused on leisure. The holiday you have just had, the one you
From supply and demand to game theory, football is full of economics lessons
The football transfer window closes tomorrow, and the opening days of August have seen the usual flurry of activity at
Facebook, facts, and alternative fictions: How to predict the narrative of the future
Last Thursday, Facebook suffered the biggest one-day loss in the history of Wall Street. The company’s shares dropped nearly 19
The UK’s capacity to innovate matters far more than panic over consumer spending
The debate about Brexit has become mired in a virtually incomprehensible quagmire of detailed and technical negotiations between the UK
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
