What is a nation?
In the modern political tradition, patriotism has always been revered. Not only is pride in and devotion to country seen as a positive, but its absence is also often taken as a sign of moral deficiency. Nationalism, on the other hand, is more suspect. The nationalist identifies with the nation and nationalism can manifest as a political ideology, as it did [...]
The cost of corporate welfare
A decade after the Great Financial Crisis (GFC) and bailouts are once again on the political agenda. Back then, banks all over the world were supplied with government [...]
When war meant sacrifice and debt had to be paid back
‘It’s a war,’ said President Trump, when describing the fight against the Coronavirus, labelling himself a ‘war-time President’. Sure enough, with a state of [...]
What the Coronavirus fight will cost – and if it’s worth it
In health economics, a quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) is
a generic measure of the burden of disease, capturing both the quality and the
quantity of life lived. It is used [...]
Coronavirus could prick the corporate debt bubble
Coronavirus has left economies across the world in suspended animation as governments attempt to contain the spread of the virus by pursuing draconian measures, with little [...]
Why the case for a smaller state may fall victim to Corona virus
The UK is in lockdown. In spite of his initial
instinct to try to preserve civil liberties, Boris Johnson surrendered to the pressure
and turned his country into a police [...]
Boeing, bailouts and the future of the free market
This week, US President Donald Trump seemingly caved in to
pressure from failing airplane manufacturer Boeing Inc. and others, who have been
lobbying for financial assistance [...]
The courts tell Boris that virtue signalling has consequences
Last week, in a landmark British legal case brought by
environmental charities, Friends of the Earth and Plan B Earth, a judge ruled
that the planned expansion of Heathrow [...]
A decade without a recession: were the doomsayers wrong?
On 1st July 2019 the US economic
expansion, which started in the wake of the global financial crisis in June
2009, entered its 121st month and thereby officially became [...]
Preventing a pandemic – without the state
It was a bright Sunday morning in March 2014 when the first
case of Ebola was diagnosed in Harbel, a town of some 80,000 people in the West
African country of Liberia. An [...]
Don’t fight inequality, it is both desirable and inevitable
Recently the actor Simon Pegg, star of Shaun of
the Dead, was one of 120 wealthy signatories from around the world to a letter calling
for higher taxes on the rich. The [...]