Whatever it is, Corbynomics is not mainstream
A group of economists hit the headlines last week with their claim that Jeremy Corbyn’s policies are supported by mainstream economics. Perhaps the best known of them is David Blanchflower, a Monetary Policy Committee member when Gordon Brown was Chancellor. He predicted before the 2010 General Election that under the Conservatives, unemployment would rise from […]
History shows why robots won’t destroy our jobs
Economics is often described as the dismal science, but it often contains cheerful material. A paper by the leading American economic historian Joel Mokyr made for exuberant holiday reading. Written for the top Journal of Economic Perspectives, it is entirely in English and contains not a single mathematical symbol. Mokyr examines the history of anxieties […]
A-levels, culture, and the great regional divide
Last week saw the ritual tears and joy of the announcement of the A level results. An encouraging aspect was the increase, albeit small, in the percentage of entries in traditional academic subjects, now standing at 51.2 per cent. This is yet another example of incentives at work. The universities have been signalling that non-academic […]
strong case for Light Rail integration with HS2
Volterra partner Paul Buchanan was invited to give a presentation during this year’s 10th Annual UK Light Rail Conference in Nottingham, discussing the opportunities for light rail integration with high-speed rail. Norman Baker, former light rail minister; David Ralph, chief executive of D2N2; and Martha Grekos, partner and head of the planning and infrastructure team […]
Keynesians are wrong: Cutting public spending can boost economic growth
The key aim of George Osborne’s economic policy has been to eliminate the financial deficit of the public sector. The main way of trying to achieve has been to squeeze public spending. The orthodox economic textbooks maintain that this withdraws demand from the economy, and so leads to the growth rate being slower than it […]
Volterra in the news: ‘unions are standing against progress’
Jo Valentine, Chief Executive of London First, spoke out against last weeks tube strike stating that by striking against the Night Tube ‘unions are standing against progress’. In an article for City AM Jo Valentine discussed the need for London to remain competitive on the global stage and refers to Volterra’s report for TfL in […]
Response to Cecil the Lion’s death is a sad lesson in the irrationality of public opinion
Alas poor Cecil! Close personal friend of mine, sadly dead now. The catchphrases of the Scottish comedian Bob Doolally capture the outpourings of grief among the Twitterati at the death of the now famous lion. The mourning is mixed with incoherent rage, as long-standing opponents of torture and capital punishment demand that the American dentist […]
500 additional FTE jobs and over 1,200 new homes at Cherry Park development
Volterra recently supported Westfield’s application to build a mixed commercial and residential scheme at Cherry Park. The proposed scheme is to the south of Westfield shopping centre in Stratford and adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, falling within the London Legacy Development Corporation area (LLDC). The scheme comprises of retail and flexible commercial floorspace […]
Volterra provides economic assessment for new luxury West End Hotel: Peninsula London
Volterra supported the joint venture partners, Grosvenor and The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels (HSH) Ltd in their application to build a luxury hotel (the Peninsula London) and prime residential units at 1-5 Grosvenor Place. The new building will replace the existing 1960s offices at the site. HSH aim to operate one Peninsula hotel in every […]
Technology is replacing school ties in companies’ battle to keep their employees honest
The activities of the House of Lords are very much in the news at the moment. But the members do carry out serious work, not least on the economic affairs committee. Last week, Lord Green, former chairman and chief executive of HSBC, appeared before them. Yes, the noble Lord admitted, the bank had not got […]
