Tag: productivity

Book review: “The Elephant in the Room” by John Mills

John Mills’ new book, The Elephant in the Room (published by Civitas and the John Mills Institute for Prosperity), leads with a dire warning that UK living standards may be lower in 2030 than in 2019, but counters this with the bold claim that the economy could grow sustainably by 3% to 4% a year instead, if … Continue reading Book review: “The Elephant in the Room” by John Mills →

Fiscal and monetary policies in a time of Covid

Here’s a presentation I gave on 19th October (to A-level economics and business students) on fiscal and monetary policies in the UK, covering topics such as the impact of Covid on the public finances, whether taxes will have to rise to pay for it, whether the BoE should ease further, the pros and cons of … Continue reading Fiscal and monetary policies in a time of Covid →

Should we devalue the pound?

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) often hosts debates in the form of short blogs where two economists respond either 'yes' or 'no' to a topical question. Here's a recent exchange between John Mills and myself. The hit to the UK economy and the public finances from the pandemic and the persistent weakness of both … Continue reading Should we devalue the pound? →

Home working choices shouldn’t be the government’s business

I can understand why the government is launching a campaign to encourage people to go back to work. Its own dire warnings about the importance of staying at home had contributed to a climate of fear that perhaps only the government itself can now undo. But there is also a danger that attempts to replicate … Continue reading Home working choices shouldn’t be the government’s business →