The sight of politicians being forced to make tough decisions and frantically trying to do so in a way that … Continue reading “A cruel choice for politicians – how to fund care for the elderly”

As noted in the blog post by Philip Booth on 30th July, the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday was well … Continue reading “The Olympics opening ceremony and contemporary thinking”

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, at the height of the Cultural Revolution unleashed by Mao Tse Tung against … Continue reading “How China Became Capitalist”

When I heard in 2009 that Elinor Ostrom had won the Nobel Prize for Economics I was delighted and thought … Continue reading “Elinor Ostrom and the spontaneous evolution of social institutions”

A lot of people are looking to economic history for help in understanding the current economic situation. Most attention is … Continue reading “Lessons from the ‘Long Depression’”

The kinds of negotiations and deals made between HMRC and large firms, which have been the subject of much attention … Continue reading “Our tax system is a total mess”

Economists notoriously disagree about many things. Trade policy however is an exception. Famously, this is an area of agreement on … Continue reading “The malign role of protectionist political economy”

A report recently published by Oxfam received a huge amount of attention. The report argued that world food prices will … Continue reading “Oxfam recycles Malthus”

A book by Tyler Cowen is certain to be thought provoking and original. His latest work is no exception and … Continue reading “Are we facing a generation of stagnation?”