Every pillar of a free society is under threat during the current pandemic. To avoid bad long-term economic outcomes and … Continue reading “How should we pay for all this extra government spending?”

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””

The idea of the “Entrepreneurial State” or the “state as investor” has taken off in recent years – following the … Continue reading “Debunking the ‘State-as-Investor’”

Most of us would expect political parties to spell out how much their manifesto pledges might cost and how they … Continue reading “Should manifestos be costed?”

As the chancellor prepares his Budget and US President Donald Trump shapes his economic plan, commentators are urging both to … Continue reading “The case for an infrastructure spending splurge rests on shaky foundations”

To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Or when it comes to the UK economy: to … Continue reading “The Trump-Hammond-Keynesian consensus is wrong: Higher infrastructure spending does not equal higher growth”

Do not let the title of this blog deceive you, dear reader. I am a big fan of the IFS … Continue reading “Ignore the IFS, Chancellor. There is no case for a fiscal stimulus”

A question, readers. Who said “spending and borrowing our way out of a recession, over and above the levels that … Continue reading “Hammond should ignore siren calls for more fiscal stimulus and develop a real strategy for growth”

“Jeremy Corbyn wins economists’ backing for radical plan” thundered the Observer’s front page on Sunday. As I meandered around the … Continue reading “No, leading economists are not supporting Corbyn’s far-left agenda”