Tag: Politics
More spark for less grief
The Central Electricity Generating Board dominated the British electricity market for almost 50 years, representing the best of central planning. However, it is competitive markets that, whilst far from from being perfect, deliver the greatest economic benefits.
Intellectual rights and wrongs
What do the arguments over Napster and South African drugs have in common? Both illustrate weaknesses in the existing regime for the management of intellectual property.
More brickbats than bouquets
Despite the great optimism at the time, privatisation did not remove all the problems of the former state-owned enterprises. On the whole the performance of the privatised companies has been disappointing. A closer examination of these firms and industries can help to shed light on these problems and the challenges for policy-makers.
Oxford University: Facing the Future (Prospect reply)
John Kay responds to some of the criticisms that resulted from his recent article in Prospect Magazine.
Of gas and cell phones
The alleged success of the British mobile phone auctions in raising revenue for the government poses many questions about the desirability of licences and auctions in general. John's article examines the underlying logic of auctions and suggests that the current enthusiasm may be misguided
Dr Clarendon
Dr Clarendon, an expert on the Management of Decline, provides a more light-hearted account of John's views on the state of Oxford University.
The Management of the University of Oxford…. Facing the Future
John resigned as Director of Oxford University's Said Business School in July 2000. A year and half later, he breaks his silence to talk about some of the frustrations of attempting to help the university face up to the challenges of the twenty first century.
When competition will not do
The recent difficulties faced by Railtrack and other utilities raises fundamental questions about how to achieve low prices and high safety standards. It may be necessary to look for new kinds of public-private partnerships and new ways of combining competition and regulation to achieve the best outcomes. This article provides a framework for thinking about these issues.
When regulation fails
Industry - and the consumer - are seldom well-served by the relationship between regulators and monopolies. Competition where possible: regulation only where necessary is a useful maxim.
