I was deeply saddened to learn today of the passing of my colleague and friend David Boaz, after his short … Continue reading “Obituary: David Boaz (1953-2024)”

Former UK Conservative MP Nigel Lawson passed away last week. As Margaret Thatcher’s longest‐​serving Chancellor of the Exchequer (1983–1989), Lawson’s legacy on … Continue reading “The economic wisdom of Nigel Lawson”

Even if not a technical recession (two quarters of negative growth), a severe coronavirus-induced downturn looks certain across major economies. … Continue reading “Coronomics: the case against “Corona Keynesianism””

“Market failure” is constantly used by capitalism’s critics as justification for government spending, taxes and regulation. In policy areas ranging … Continue reading “Market failure arguments are a poor guide to policy”

Last week came further warning signs about the strains and challenges in the broken childcare sector. A survey for the … Continue reading “The broken childcare market is a classic government failure”

Jeremy Corbyn has had another brainwave. The Labour leader wants to make it illegal for businesses to “pocket” tips and … Continue reading “Should it be illegal for businesses to pocket tips?”

Next time someone advocates a new government policy, here’s a simple test to tell whether they are serious or selling … Continue reading “Steel tariffs raise input costs and misallocate resources”

The staff at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) are the best public finance number-crunchers in the UK. But last … Continue reading “Are there really no alternatives to tax increases (as the IFS claims)?”

Why do we put ourselves through this, year after year? Most football fans ask that question at some stage each … Continue reading “Are football fans rational utility maximisers?”