Forget exploitation, motorists choose to pay sky high fuel prices
Politicians have an irresistible urge to meddle. The latest example is the fanfare orchestrated just before Easter by Chris Grayling, the transport secretary. He wrote to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to criticise the price of fuel at motorway service stations. Grayling called for the UK’s three biggest operators – Moto, Welcome Break, and […]
Why can PwC charge such superhuman fees? It’s all in the power of bargaining
The liquidation of Carillion continues to feature prominently in the news. Last week, the story was the fees being charged by PwC, the accountancy firm tasked with salvaging money from the wreckage. It emerged that PwC’s fees, which take priority in terms of being paid over the various creditors and pensioners, amounted to £20.4m for […]
We have a new team member
Meet Luke Thurley, our new graduate economics consultant. His first-class education from the University of Bristol – BSc Economics, MRes Economics – and the soft skills gained through internships and part-time work will make him a great addition to our team.
The chancellor should heed Keynes – and keep public spending down
Last week’s Spring Statement by chancellor Philip Hammond has led to predictable calls to “abandon austerity”. With massive hyperbole, Labour accused him of “astounding complacency” in the face of what they claimed to be the worst ever public funding crisis. The facts are rather different. Far from being squeezed, after allowing for inflation, current spending […]
Economic analysis for Camden Town Unlimited and Euston Town Business Improvement Districts
At Volterra, we are well known for our work with local government and Business Improvement Districts (BIDSs), undertaking projects to help them develop their vision and strategic plans. Camden Town Unlimited and Euston Town recently commissioned Volterra Partner Ellie Evans and her team to undertake an economic analysis of the combined area’s existing performance, highlight its […]
Paul Buchanan at Transport Planning Society mileage-based road pricing debate
The recent Transport Planning Society debate was an informative and fascinating affair.TPS invited Gary Raccuja, last year’s winner of the Wolfson prize, to present and discuss his winning paper “Miles Better: Replacing Fuel Duty and VED with a Mileage-based Road Tax, collected by insurers”. Responding to Gary’s proposal were the former chair of the RAC […]
The social media battle against fake news has begun – beware your own emotions
Did Donald Tusk, the former Prime Minister of Poland and now president of the European Council, conspire with Vladimir Putin to murder the President of Poland, Lech Kaczynski? Many Poles believe this preposterous story, I learned last week at a fascinating conference on social influence at the University of Warsaw. In 2010, a Polish Air […]
Altruism and information deficits: What snowstorms teach us about economics
While weather may not seem like a typical economics topic, there are always interesting aspects to behaviour in any context. Quite a number of drivers, for example, appear to have ignored notices of road closure. They drove on regardless, until becoming stuck in the snow. In Greater Manchester, which seems to have been the vortex […]
Surplus is necessary for resilience in an unpredictable world
Our flood management systems are under increasing pressure. In recent years the UK has been hit by several extreme floods which have ruined homes and businesses, and taken lives. Population growth and climate change are expected to make flooding worse: analysis for the 2017 Climate Change Risk Assessment estimated that flood risk will increase by […]
Bridget Rosewell speaks at the Town & Country Planning Association conference
In her role as Commissioner at the National Infrastructure Commission, Senior Volterra Advisor Bridget Rosewell was asked to speak at a recent Town & Country Planning Association conference. Bridget delivered a presentation on “Delivering New Towns in the Cambridge/Milton Keynes/Cambridge Corridor”. A copy of the presentation is available here.
