Solving immigration is a question of economics
Across Europe and the USA, immigration is the hottest of political topics. How many immigrants is too many? Who should be allowed in and who should be turned away? How far does our obligation to help refugees actually go? But underlying the often heated discussion lies the fact that many Western economies have become dependent on immigration. In many [...]
Keynesian coin toss: heads I win, tails you lose
The aftermath of the financial crisis has been the era of the central banks. Never before have our supposedly infallible monetary overlords been charged with so much [...]
What Pompeii can teach us about inequality
When Mount Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79 the ancient Roman city of Pompeii was buried in volcanic ash. The disaster killed every citizen, but the thick ash also prevented air [...]
Scotland: Spoiled, broke and angry
The Scottish National Party is staging its annual conference this week amidst renewed calls for a 2nd Scottish independence referendum. Nicola Sturgeon is of the opinion that [...]
Why does our PM think it is important who makes your chocolate bar?
It seems the UK’s new government has little faith in markets. Prime Minister Theresa May’s speech to the Conservative Conference last week marked the move of the party to [...]
Endangered, Vulnerable and Threatened: rare species need saving from government too
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), nearly a quarter of all mammals and a third of amphibians face extinction unless action is taken. For action, most look to [...]
Déjà vu: May shadows the Shadow Chancellor
’Fair’ is a word often misused in political discourse, but it is fair to say that the UK's new Prime Minister delivered a fairly economically illiterate, but populist and [...]
What you, and the regulators, should know about bank capital and market discipline
Deutsche Bank has hit the headlines recently, as the US Department of Justice slapped an incredulous fine of USD 14bn on them for mis-selling of mortgage backed securities [...]
It is governments who make and break the banks
There is trouble in Germany’s largest bank. Deutsche Bank’s shares are taking a hiding, down 17% in the last week and a colossal 60% and counting in the last 12 months. [...]
Welcome to the 70’s: Time travel, Labour style
Labour conferences are always good for a laugh, but this year it has taken on an especially bizarre shine. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell’s speech was no exception, [...]
The economics of space exploration
Deep space has a way of grasping the human imagination. Ever since the Sputnik satellite was launched by the USSR in 1957, the wonders of the universe have been a source of [...]