The last 24 hours have been frustrating and, frankly, a little weird. ‘Frustrating’ because the benefits of the new UK-India trade deal – a clear Brexit win – are still being overshadowed by the row over social security contributions. ‘Weird’ because I have found myself siding with a Labour government against many people who I … Continue reading UK-India trade deal is a win-win, despite fears over NI exemptions
Category: Applied economics
The Government should hold the line on public sector pay
The independent pay review bodies are reportedly set to recommend pay increases of around 3pc for NHS staff and 4pc for teachers. However, the Government has only budgeted for a 2.8pc increase for public sector workers. This is broadly in line with expected price rises over the coming year, but still higher than the Bank … Continue reading The Government should hold the line on public sector pay
Classical Liberal solutions to the productivity puzzle
Here are the slides from a presentation I gave at the IEA today on the slowdown in productivity growth in the UK and other major economies since the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 - aka the 'productivity puzzle'. It concludes with some proposed solutions in the Classical Liberal tradition... Classical Liberal solutions to the productivity … Continue reading Classical Liberal solutions to the productivity puzzle
President Trump is gradually undermining confidence in the dollar, one tirade at a time
Donald Trump’s latest tirade against the head of the US central bank is so obviously negative for the dollar that you have to wonder whether the President is deliberately trying to undermine the US currency. Remarkably, the answer may indeed be ‘yes’. On Monday, Trump used his social media platform to call Federal Reserve Chair … Continue reading President Trump is gradually undermining confidence in the dollar, one tirade at a time
Plain-speaking Economics 