My Blog
The evidence is in from across the Atlantic, and tax cuts benefit everyone
From discussions on how the UK should reform its tax and regulatory landscape to make the most of post-Brexit opportunities,
John McDonnell’s ideology won’t lead Britain to a bright new future, but to the dismal 1970s
The focus this week has been on Philip Hammond’s Budget. The opinions of the shadow chancellor have been rather in
A ray of light in these dark days: Living standards have risen far more than we think
The media seems full of gloom at the moment. Chaos over Brexit, Saudi Arabia, potential nuclear escalation between the US
Can we innovate better outside the EU? Economic lessons from the Nobel prize winner
Gordon Brown’s time as chancellor will be remembered for many things. A sense of humour would be conspicuously absent from
Economies of the future will have to engage with the world, not just the EU
The fire and the fury rage from day to day around the outcome of the Brexit process. The discussion has
Bereft of new ideas, Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party is dead set on sticking its head in the sand
One of the most dispiriting aspects of the Labour Party conference, which ended last week, is how deeply conservative the
At long last, economists appreciate that private debt was the catalyst for the crisis
This month saw the tenth anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers, a collapse which precipitated one of the only
The Bank of England’s own data negates Carney’s overhyped house price warning
No one can tell them quite like Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England. He appears to have
The economic answer behind superstar salaries
Rugby Union’s Premiership season is underway again. This is yet another professional sport which operates on the principles of socialism:
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
