The US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the ruling that offered constitutional protections on access to abortions will damage the lives of many American women and their families. It will also have far-reaching economic effects. What could we do with $105 billion? In June 2022, after 50 years of protection, the US Supreme Court overruled […]
Category: Communicating economics
The energy price guarantee is expensive, poorly targeted and fails to reduce the UK’s dependence on scarce fuel. As winter sets in and many people face serious hardship, a variable price cap would be a more effective way to cut energy use and lower bills for the poorest households. The energy price guarantee (EPG) announced […]
With the recent sharp rise in drug-related deaths in the UK, the government should consider radical policy action to halt a public health crisis. One option would be to draw on lessons from abroad and decriminalise recreational narcotics. Years of futile efforts to eradicate the use of drugs in the UK has only exacerbated vicious […]
Several organisations in the UK have been trialling a four-day working week. Early insights from the pilot scheme suggest that the transition could improve workers’ quality of life and potentially help to crack the country’s longstanding problem of low productivity growth. The idea of reducing the length of the working week is not new. Historically, […]
Government subsidies have done their job at encouraging the take-up of electric vehicles. But it is now time for these cars and vans to stand on their own four wheels. The early dream of electric vehicles (EVs) was to produce low cost, zero-emission cars for the masses. Why then, 20 years later, are the majority […]
Repeated crises, rising inequality and the urgent need to tackle climate change have led many to question the pursuit of economic growth at any costs. New agendas for making and measuring progress – such as degrowth, post-growth and human wellbeing – are being widely discussed. The UK is facing a cost of living crisis, the […]
Longstanding efforts to ensure energy security and meet net-zero emissions targets have now been supplemented by the challenge of high prices for oil, gas and electricity. Nuclear power has been seen as a controversial option, but it may offer safe, clean and lower-cost energy. For months, UK households have stared in despair at ever-rising electricity […]
Compared with many other countries, China’s zero-Covid policy has been effective at limiting the spread of the disease and the death toll. But it has also weakened the country’s economy, damaged global supply chains and contributed to rising inflation across the world. ‘It becomes a ghost city again’, said He Min, deputy general manager of […]
While many European economies are suffering from soaring inflation and weak economic growth, Greece has made a remarkable recovery from the pandemic and a decade-long debt crisis. There are lessons for policy-makers elsewhere, including those in the UK. We all know that the UK economy is struggling. Just look at the market for UK government […]
China’s attitude towards Taiwan’s national sovereignty is raising concerns about Western countries’ over-reliance on Taiwanese companies for essential computer chips. More needs to be done to prepare for further disruptions to global supply chains and a possible shortage of advanced semiconductors. In reading this, you are relying on billions of semiconductors. These microscopic components form […]