Strategy Blog
Going for growth
Despite my criticisms of growth scepticism I have never claimed that the mainstream critics are entirely hostile to increasing output.
Beat your greens
If anyone wondered what I do in my spare time one of my favourite activities is upsetting “greens”.
The doomsday cycle
You may be worried about the fall-out from the last global financial crisis but some influential people are already thinking about the next one.
Asking the right questions
It is rare for economists to ask the right questions nowadays so a new pamphlet from the Centre for Policy Studies is welcome.
Fiscal fetishism
The financial pages are dominated by discussion of fiscal consolidation and bankers’ bonuses. Many other subjects, including important ones, hardly get a look in.
Economists miss the point
Although economists tend to have a high opinion of their abilities they have a knack of missing the point in key debates.
Brown’s pledges
Most of Gordon Brown’s weekend speech was entirely predictable. In essence he was saying: “We are good and the Tories are bad”. But there was one point that is worth examining in more detail.
Battle of the letters
The saga over the various sets of economists’ open letters is reminiscent of taunting in a children’s playground.
A waste of paper
The widely publicised open letter from 20 economists in yesterday’s Sunday Times shows the profession has as little imagination as the politicians they purport to advise.
Games with the governor
There is a widespread misconception that the Bank of England’s quarterly Inflation Report press conference is about macroeconomics.
Must do better
It is not looking good for those who are hoping Britain will achieve an export-led recovery.
Fear of squeezing
I have long argued that western politicians are far too preoccupied with cutting public spending. But given that this is their obsession it is remarkable how reluctant they are to squeeze the economy.
Checking the Treasury’s sums
Today’s Green Budget from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and Barclays Wealth is essentially an accountant’s view of Britain’s economic outlook. Although it is a valuable exercise it has its limitations.
Ferraris For All
Anyone interested in Ferraris For All, my forthcoming defence of economic progress, should read my latest review on spiked as it introduces some of the book’s key themes.
Calm down
It is always a mistake to read too much into short term data such as quarterly GDP statistics. If the data is preliminary it is an even bigger error.
Bubblephobia
With the election debate heating up it is becoming apparent that bubblephobia is rampant among the political class.
The great row on China
The GDP growth figures published today are likely to reinforce both sides in what could be called The Great China Debate.
Too stimulating
It looks like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is running scared. The thrust of Monday’s speech by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the IMF’s managing director, was that nasty things will happen if governments exit from economic stimulus packages prematurely.
Start growing at home
Stand on your own two feet but use other people as a crutch. That in essence is the advice from Professor Peter Spencer, the chief economic adviser to the Ernst & Young Item Club, on the publication of the group’s influential quarterly Economic Outlook.
Debt pain still to come
The report on global debt by the McKinsey Global Institute, the economic research arm of a global management consultancy, is likely to make painful reading for fund managers.
