The EU referendum debate is as horrendous as it is important. The psychodrama of blue-on-blue attacks makes for good television. But the absence of other voices and other perspectives on the debate is glaring. And it could be decisive. Those who are sick of the sight of Cameron, […]
When you’ve been immersed in an activity for quite a while you tend to forget its illegibility to those coming to it for the first time. There are a whole bunch of things that are part of everyday practice for those with the expertise of experience. Or which […]
I’ve not said much about the whole Panama/Prime Ministerial tax schmozzle. That’s not because I don’t have views. But I’m not sure that I’ve got them entirely straight yet. A few things seem clear. It seems unlikely that David Cameron has done anything technically illegal.
Here are the five posts on this blog that recorded the most hits between January and March 2016: Five (more) steps to fixing the housing crisis (5th Jan) Why is Owen Jones so annoying? (4th July 2013) Boris Wars (26th March) On the way out or in hibernation? The plight […]
What is key to a successful capitalist economy? You might say clearly defined property rights. You might say a sound financial system. You might say entrepreneurs willing to take risks to innovate. You might even say a government that desists from strangling the economy with unnecessary “red tape” […]
Both sides in the Brexit debate stand accused of engaging in their own version of “Project Fear”. It appears that any warning that there are likely to be some significant downside risks from leaving – or staying, depending on your perspective – draws the accusation of “scaremongering” from […]
In today’s Times Matthew Parris launched a coruscating and vicious attack on Boris Johnson. He calls for the Tories to end their love affair with Boris: “charm can make us forget the dishonesty and recklessness that would be ruthlessly exposed if he became leader”. Parris has some very […]
Last week Paul Cairney posted at the Guardian on evidence-based policy making. The post is directed at academics seeking to influence policy. It highlights the need to recognize the complexity and messiness of the policy process as it actually exists, rather than cleaving to fanciful textbook notions of rational […]
A few days ago at Quartz.com Allison Schrager posted The single most important thing an economics course can teach you. It never becomes entirely clear what the single most important thing is. But it is possible that it is the need to study economic history alongside economy theory, […]
Over at the Guardian Dawn Foster kicked off the year with Five steps to fixing the UK housing crisis in 2016. The five steps proposed were: build social housing; scrap the bedroom tax; improve renters’ rights; tackle homelessness; scrap help to buy and right to buy. At the […]
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