The Nobel Prize-winning economist, Paul Krugman, once famously said that “productivity isn’t everything, but in the long run it is almost everything”. If so, the UK has a huge problem – and that problem is particularly acute in the public sector. Official estimates released last week suggest that public service productivity was an astonishing 8.5 … Continue reading The real ‘black hole’ is in public sector productivity
Tag: Jeremy Hunt
Should civil servants be involved in costing opposition policies?
This issue has flared up again following the row about the Conservatives’ document that claimed Labour will “increase your taxes by £2,094” (a figure still being cited on X today). There’s a lot to unpick here, so be prepared for a relatively nuanced answer! In case you’ve been lucky enough to miss all this, the … Continue reading Should civil servants be involved in costing opposition policies?
A ‘glass half full’ take on the Budget
There has been the usual blizzard of commentary on last Wednesday’s Budget – most of it negative – which continued over the weekend. For chapter and miserable verse, try the IFS or the Resolution Foundation. This piece will reflect instead on three positives and offer a quick verdict on some of the individual announcements. The … Continue reading A ‘glass half full’ take on the Budget
We need more serious conversations about both tax and spending
The run-up to the March Budget has seen the usual flurry of rumours about how much room Jeremy Hunt has for tax cuts and what he might do with it. This time, however, there is also a growing consensus that the current fiscal framework is not fit for purpose – and that we need to … Continue reading We need more serious conversations about both tax and spending
Plain-speaking Economics 