Summary:  Despite its considerable strengths, the UK economy is seen as having a number of problems, in particular productivity which … Continue reading “Balancing the economy: The hand of government or the invisible hand?”

While Philip Hammond hasn’t been chancellor for long, he has already adopted George Osborne’s style of giveaways – the gifts … Continue reading “It’d be a Christmas miracle if the Chancellor delivered on these three festive reforms”

Commenting on NICE’s recommendation that those drinking above a certain number of units per week should be sent for scans … Continue reading “Testing drinkers on the basis of arbitrary targets would be a gross waste of NHS resources”

As the festive season approaches, it’s time for economists’ annual disquisition on the efficiency of gift-giving. This tradition was inaugurated, … Continue reading “The economics of Christmas: the true value of Christmas presents”

Long before the EU referendum, Eurosceptics and Europhiles used to disagree over whether there is such a thing as a … Continue reading “Universal healthcare without the NHS: a preface of sorts”

Key findings: New IEA research finds that if UK cancer patients were treated in Germany, rather than on the NHS, … Continue reading “NHS reforms to emulate healthcare systems of Switzerland & the Netherlands would save thousands of lives a year”

Summary: Despite some relative improvements in the last fifteen years, the National Health Service remains an international laggard in terms … Continue reading “Universal healthcare without the NHS”

These are not great times for the Football Association (FA). There has been criticism for years over the Premier League’s … Continue reading “A market failure in football?”

In its December 2016 e-mail poll, the Shadow Monetary Policy Committee (SMPC) elected, by a vote of Six to Three, … Continue reading “SMPC votes six / three to raise Bank Rate in December”