Ignore Krugman: We’re not caught in another depression
Spotting and identifying new species is always exciting. And the last couple of years has seen the emergence of a new type of economic commentator, the recovery denier. Paul Krugman, the Nobel prize-winning economist, wrote a piece at the end of last year in which he compared the current situation to that of the 1930s. On […]
Paul in debate with Joseph Stiglitz
Volterra Partner Paul Ormerod made a recent appearance on BBC’s Newsnight on the eve of the release of the latest economic statistics that would show whether or not the UK was heading towards a triple dip recession. Paul was in discussion with Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz on whether or not George Osborne should abandon […]
North East Economic review Published and another Newsnight appearance
As mentioned in February’s newsletter Volterra Senior Partner Bridget Rosewell is a member of an independent Review Team (led by Lord Andrew Adonis) for the North East Economic Review. The team has now published their report on achieving more and better jobs and a better quality of life in the North East. The report is […]
Providing the Right Skills for the Right Job: GLA Report Published
The report that we carried out earlier this year for the London Enterprise Panel on the skills that are currently required in London is now available to view here. The report compares these skill requirements to the education offering currently available in London by further education colleges, universities, and other private providers. As part of […]
Nick Bosanquet in the Press
Volterra’s health associate Nick Bosanquet has been making a splash in the press recently. His article on his own reconsideration of Margaret Thatcher’s policies made the front page of City AM – read it here. He has also written various recent articles for the British Journal of Healthcare Management: read how he think the NHS […]
Will Barnet or Brentford ever topple Manchester United?
Manchester United have walked away with the Premiership title yet again. In the last seven seasons, they have won no fewer than five times. Over the past 22 years, they have never finished outside the top three. Will they ever be overthrown, especially given the stupendous sponsorship deal the Premiership has secured from the start of next […]
There are errors and errors. Does the Reinhardt and Rogoff miscalculation mean that Osborne should change tack?
The distinguished American academic economists, Carmen Reinhardt and Ken Rogoff, have been very much in the news. Their 2009 book, This Time is Different, was a comprehensive examination of financial crises over the past 800 years. The work received many plaudits and awards. They suggested that when the ratio of public debt to GDP in […]
Whatever happened to all those miners? Shocks and economic resilience
Where have all the miners gone? To judge by the rhetoric of the BBC and other Leftist media outlets, whole swathes of Britain lie devastated, plagued by rickets, unemployment and endemic poverty – nearly thirty years after the pit closures under Lady Thatcher! The reality is different. There is indeed a small number of local […]
Nick Bosanquet: I was wrong to criticise Thatcher in 1981 – but she didn’t go far enough
IF ANYONE doubts Margaret Thatcher’s contribution to reversing decline, they should read Sir Douglas Wass’s remarkable book Decline to Fall. Sir Douglas, formerly permanent secretary to the Treasury, wrote extensively on the 1976 IMF crisis, when Britain was forced to beg for a £2.3bn bailout. It presents a frightening picture of policymakers living in a […]
Sovereign debt and Euro zone reality
The recent debacle in Cyprus has essentially been shrugged off by the markets. The European Central Bank vigorously asserts the crisis in the Euro zone is over. So why is there continued unease about the financial viability of countries such as Spain and Portugal, a morass into which even the French are now being dragged? […]
