My Blog
Believe it or not, Britain is getting happier
The dominant economic narrative in the UK is a pretty gloomy one just now. True, employment is at a record
Cautious corporates sitting on hoards of cash are to blame for our slow recovery
The slow recovery since the financial crisis remains a dominant issue in both political and economic debate. The economy has
Corbyn and McDonnell’s delusional tax plan would cut revenue and harm growth
The income tax system in the UK is highly progressive. Not many people know that, to use a catch phrase
How to stop tech hubs in urban hotspots from intensifying geographic inequalities
Perhaps George Osborne’s most abiding legacy from his time as chancellor will be the creation of the concept of the
Less austerity will always mean more tax
There is a great deal of discussion, following the election, of relaxing or even abandoning austerity. There is an equal
Sorry Corbyn, consumers aren’t as sold on nationalisation as you’d like to think
One of the most remarkable features of the Conservative election campaign was the dog which did not bark. There was
Does the productivity gap actually exist?
Whoever wins the election tomorrow will have to grapple with what appears to be a fundamental economic problem. Estimated productivity
The UK could teach the Eurozone a thing or two about successful monetary unions
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published last week some figures which show how a successful monetary union works in
Labour’s plans add up on paper, but that won’t translate to the real world
The two main manifestos have been published. Initially at least, the Labour one seems the more popular. Many people are
Diane Abbott is rubbish at maths – but not compared to the rest of the country
Diane Abbott’s car crash of an interview on LBC radio last week hit the headlines. Asked politely but firmly for
Thomas Schelling – a true polymath of genius
Thomas Schelling is probably best known in economics for his contributions to game theory. Indeed the citation for his 2005
Economists have lost the public’s trust by meddling in politics
Michael Gove famously said during the Brexit campaign that people “have had enough of experts”. Certainly, the outcome suggests that
Don’t believe the myths: Capitalism has performed well since the financial crisis
Ten years ago, the financial crisis began to grip the Western economies. During the course of 2007, GDP growth slowed
Government debt addiction means you can be sure of one thing: Stealth taxes will rise
Elections create uncertainty. But we can be sure of one thing. Regardless of the result, during the course of the
Why companies fail: Don’t look to economic textbooks to master dynamic capitalism
Is setting up a micro brewery a licence to print money? This month, a private equity company acquired 22 per
Britain’s debt dilemma: Not too high, not too low or the UK economy risks disaster
The Bank of England Financial Policy Committee (FPC) has signalled that it has become worried again about debt. Its specific
Anti-growth Welsh leaders are denying their voters prosperity by opposing shale
Leading Welsh politicians seem to be getting ideas above their station. Fifty years ago, Labour held all but four of
Don’t fear robots taking your job – worry about them cutting your wages
Robots and artificial intelligence (AI) seem to be in the news all the time, and breakthroughs are announced regularly. Last
There’s substance to the Trump team’s trade critique of Germany and the Eurozone
President Trump’s administration has made many criticisms of Germany. One of the more important was by his top trade advisor,
Need a reason to cut public sector pay and pensions? Look at Jeremy Corbyn
The shambles over the treatment of National Insurance has dominated the media’s reporting of the recent Budget. But only the
