Farewell Facebook?
So farewell, then, Facebook! That is the conclusion of a highly technical paper by two Princeton researchers, John Cannarella and Joshua Spechler, which received a lot of publicity in the press last week. The authors conclude that “Facebook will undergo a rapid decline in the coming years, losing 80 per cent of its peak user […]
Nick Bosanquet in the Financial Times: projections for 2014
Each New Year the Financial Times surveys a select group of policymakers, academics and commentators to gauge views on some important questions for the economy for the coming year. Volterra associate Nick Bosanquet took part in the survey again in 2014. Take a look at Nick’s responses below: 1. Economy: To what extent will the […]
The so-called ‘output gap’: another piece of economic mumbo-jumbo
The concept of the’ output gap’ is central to mainstream macroeconomics. It is not merely of academic interest. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has a specific requirement to estimate the output gap, which it defines formally as “the difference between the current level of activity in the economy and the potential level it could […]
Psychology, not economics, is the key if we leave the EU
Poland is the only European country to avoid a recession during the financial crisis of 2007-2009. Polish GDP is 36 per cent higher than it was in 2005. To put this in context, the comparable figures for the UK and Germany are 5 and 12 respectively. The Polish economy has been a stunning success by […]
The recovery is well grounded – except in France
The coming year looks like it will be a good one. At the start of each of the past five years, the economic scales have been tilted down, and the challenge has been to look for factors which might have tipped them back up. This year, the balance is reversed. The onus lies with the […]
Paul Buchanan joins the Volterra Team
We’re delighted to announce that Paul Buchanan is the latest member of the Volterra team where we joins us as a partner. Paul has twenty-five years experience as a transport economist with a background that includes leading the economic appraisals of the Jubilee Line Extension and Crossrail. His career has included work for Halcrow and […]
Reinventing London: your invitation to a lecture this January!
This January senior partner Bridget Rosewell will be delivering a public lecture on the changing shape of the London economy – presenting the challenges, opportunities and factors which will shape the future in the wake of the financial crisis, as set out in her new book, Reinventing London. The lecture will be hosted by think […]
Partner Paul Ormerod made a Visiting Professor in new UCL Research Centre
University College London has set up a new research centre, the Centre for Decision Making Uncertainty. The Centre is led by Professor David Tuckett, a leading psychoanalyst whose book Minding the Markets has attracted very favourable comment from people like George Soros. The Centre is multi-disciplinary, and includes computer scientists, mathematicians and experts in artificial […]
Battersea Power Station Restoration Project
Volterra Consultant Daniel Sciberras spoke at the Battersea Power Station Public Exhibition, which was recently held at the iconic site. Daniel spoke about Volterra’s ongoing work for the Battersea Power Station restoration and regeneration project, including the consideration of any socio and economic impacts that the scheme will likely have at local and London wide […]
How Bad Has It Been? 2008-2013 in Historical Perspective
The end of a year is a good time to take stock. For the first time since 2007, prospects for the UK for the forthcoming year look unequivocally good. But looking back, just how bad have the last few years been across the developed world as a whole? And how do they compare with previous […]
