My Blog
“Ricardo, Ricardo, that wonderful guy”: innovation, job losses and living standards
Here is your starter for ten. What do the Uber app and David Ricardo have in common? Ricardo, I hear
Psychology, not hard line maths, tells us why Osborne’s strategy is working
So, International Monetary Fund, wrong again! At the end of last week, the IMF abandoned its criticism of the UK
Exciting times at the Office for National Statistics: the value of drugs and prostitution
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has just increased the size of the British economy by nearly £10 billion, a
Obama allies lead the way on a positive approach to climate change
The fracking debate continues apace, with the announcement by the British Geological Survey that there are over 4 billion barrels
Two cheers for the global recovery, but doubts remain in the Euro zone
Worries are growing about some of the countries in the Euro zone slipping back into double dip recession. By convention,
Forget the hype. Capitalism has made the world a more equal place
Metropolitan liberals love to be able to criticise Western society. Recently, their lives have been brightened by the extensive discussion
A Different View of World Trade: Why National Accounts Can Be Exciting
Imagine that, for some reason, you were forced to choose between having to read a long, turgid novel like Westward Ho or Middlemarch,
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
