My Blog
New ideas are needed in economics, but not the tired old statist one
The annual Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) conference was held in Toronto earlier this month. INET was created by
Supply-side growth, not inflation, is the cure to the debt overhang problem
In the year to March 2014, consumer prices in Sweden fell by 0.4 per cent. This has prompted the central
Maybe We Need More Markets and Fewer Regulators
Economics provides us with a really big insight into how the world works. People respond to changes in incentives. A
The ‘Gentleman in Whitehall’ does not know best
The government is relaxed about people cashing in their pension schemes to buy a Lamborghini. But the left-leaning liberal commentariat
Lancashire and London have dominated the Premier League. Can it last?
The Premier League season draws to an exciting close. It is by no means clear who will be champions, or
“It’s not the economy, stupid, it’s the narrative!”
The improvement in the economy has seen a narrowing of the gap in the opinion polls between the Conservatives and
Trends in Inequality: Truth and Myth
Concern about inequalities of income and wealth is now a fashionable topic. It featured strongly in the gathering of the
Ukraine and Russia: why they’ve proved Friedman’s ‘MacDonalds’ doctrine wrong
On 31 January 1990, a great event took place in Pushkin Square, Moscow. A branch of MacDonald’s was opened. The
Frangleterre… Labour Mobility undermines Tax and Spend regimes
Pimlico Plumbers will be a familiar brand to many readers – it has a prominent advert on the approach into
Forward guidance needed for companies, not consumers
Most of the commentary on the UK’s economic recovery focuses on consumers. Are they taking on too much debt again
German revival exposes deep fissure within Europe’s economies
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Germany was seen by many as the new ‘Sick Man of Europe’. Between 1991
Onion Economics
There is something about onions which brings out the worst in bureaucrats. Orlando Figes’ A People’s Tragedy chronicles the early
Valentine’s Day: Myth and Reality
Valentine’s Day is almost upon us. Many readers may recall a time when its main purpose was for love-struck teenagers
Farewell Facebook?
So farewell, then, Facebook! That is the conclusion of a highly technical paper by two Princeton researchers, John Cannarella and
The so-called ‘output gap’: another piece of economic mumbo-jumbo
The concept of the’ output gap’ is central to mainstream macroeconomics. It is not merely of academic interest. The Office
Psychology, not economics, is the key if we leave the EU
Poland is the only European country to avoid a recession during the financial crisis of 2007-2009. Polish GDP is 36
The recovery is well grounded – except in France
The coming year looks like it will be a good one. At the start of each of the past five
How Bad Has It Been? 2008-2013 in Historical Perspective
The end of a year is a good time to take stock. For the first time since 2007, prospects for
Have Bankers Been Practising Socialism? The Debate About the Top 1 Per Cent
Boris Johnson has got into trouble for his statement that it is “surely relevant to a conversation about equality” that
Britain’s New Industrial Policy: Can We Learn from the Mistakes of the Past?
The phrase ‘industrial policy’ seems to take us decades back in time. In 1964, a powerful catchphrase of the new
