Shadow Chancellor George Osborne leads the chorus of tut-tutting at means-tested child tax credits going to “better-off” families and seems … Continue reading “Means testing means more welfare dependency”

Public spending dominates the economy of the North of England. In the North-East region, for example, it accounts for close … Continue reading “North to pay heavy price for dependence on public spending”

In A History of Modern Britain, Andrew Marr describes post-war Britain as a grim place in material terms. In 1950, … Continue reading “Poverty in Britain, past and present”

Following on from Richard Wellings’ post on the welfare state and saving, perhaps I can comment on the welfare state … Continue reading “The missed-conceptions of the welfare state”

●  John Triggs celebrates the 150th anniversary of Samuel Smiles’ Self-Help ●  Eustace Davie reviews They Meant Well: Government Project … Continue reading “Economics on the web (27.06.09)”

Last week it was revealed that at least £7 billion has been paid out wrongly on tax credits over the … Continue reading “Tax credits: between a rock and a hard place”

Though some of the language of Self-Help by Samuel Smiles can seem dated – a little archaic even – there … Continue reading “Self-Help by Samuel Smiles – still relevant today”

Benefit rates are set to rise substantially next month. State pensions will rise by 5%, while means-tested payments, such as … Continue reading “Are large benefit increases wise in a recession?”

This week we have had two news reports – one an individual case and the other based on thorough research. The … Continue reading “Families respond to incentives”