Hikes to national insurance funds a level of public services we can’t afford
The government’s plan to increase National Insurance has sparked the predictable furore. The pressures to raise taxes to pay for the level of public services the electorate have come to expect is hardly new. The welfare state was created immediately after the Second World War. For a time, the financial demands were held in check. […]
A service economy and shrinking workforce is the driving force of low economic growth
Extinction Rebellion’s fortnight of protests have only hardened existing beliefs and positions on both sides of the debate. But a book by Dietrich Vollrath of the University of Houston suggests that there may be much broader support for a low or even zero growth agenda than even XR might imagine. Vollrath does not address this […]
Labour shortages make light work of fears of a post-Brexit unemployment surge
In the two decades before the Brexit referendum, there was a large increase in the number of people moving from the EU to the UK. In the mid-1990s there were less than one million EU citizens living in the UK. By the mid-2010s, this had risen to 3.6 million. The bulk of the increase came […]
Science has been overrun with politics – it’s time to take it back
At the onset of the Covid pandemic in February 2020, the pages of the Lancet, a very prestigious medical journal, carried a statement eulogising China and the efforts it had already made to deal with the virus. For the luminaries who signed the statement, no praise could be too high for the Chinese. They had […]
From Covid deaths to Usain Bolt: statistics are never black and white
Who is the greatest 100 metre male runner of all time? The answer seems obvious, even if you lack sporting common knowledge, it is only a quick Google search away. Usain Bolt’s time of 9.58 seconds is unchallenged. Both Tyson Gaye and Yohan Blake are quite away behind with records of 9.69. This year’s Olympic […]
The influencer economy: online ranking systems are a purveyor of inequality
To the victor the spoils. This well-known phrase might be thought to relate to the recent Olympics. Except that it is not a really accurate description of the Games themselves. True, the gold medallist gains more kudos than the silver or bronze. But at future athletics meets, for example, all three can expect an increase […]
Embracing uncertainty is the only path out of the pandemic
A few days ago, Sajid Javid made one of the most thoughtful and encouraging statements by a government minister during the whole Covid crisis. Early In July, he seemed to be falling under the control of the modellers. The number of daily infections, he stated confidently, would soon reach 100,000, bowing to the so-called experts. […]
Say hello to the newest member of our team!
Volterra is delighted to announce that Andy McNaught has recently joined the Volterra team as an Economic Consultant. Having spent three years at an engineering consultancy, Andy has developed an expertise that is rooted in transport economics, modelling and appraisal. He has already hit the ground running as he is currently working on a research […]
To face mask or not to face mask? Covid etiquette is an experiment in human behaviour
To mask or not to mask? Along with scores of other things we never would have anticipated, whether or not to cover up our nose and mouth is the latest thorny issue in Covid etiquette. The answer from Boris Johnson is clear: in public spaces such as transport, bars, restaurants or other busy indoor places, […]
Blackwall Yard – Planning permission for the development of a large-scale mixed use complex on the banks of the River Thames has been granted
Plans to deliver approximately 900 residential units at Blackwall Yard – an area located on the banks of the River Thames in Tower Hamlets – were recently approved by the local council. The residential-led scheme will completely regenerate the area, opening up pedestrian links along the Thames. It will provide a new primary school and […]
