Beware authority without legitimacy
Institutions have no power without legitimacy, English exam boards are learning this lesson the hard way
Britain counts the cost of wasted energy
With one short sentence uttered in 1965, Fred Lee, then Britain's minister for power, encapsulated the government's hopes of providing ...
A balance between care and discipline
Balancing the needs of public sector companies with the needs of society is a delicate matter. It is however, possible to achieve.
A financial disservice
If the government wants people to save more it will have to look beyond first year economics. Full information and homogenous products are no antidote to imperfect human nature
Twenty Years of Privatisation
Twenty years after it all began, the meaning of privatisation is now clearer. Privatised businesses have fared better than nationalised ones but most have not thrived in the private sector. And the plc model does not work for monopoly services.
Migration ins and outs
Our understanding of the effects of immigration is often distorted by emotive political arguments. An economic analysis uncovers some interesting questions.
Stiffening the auditors’ backbones (written with Bryan Carsberg)
The debacle of Enron has shaken core assumptions about auditors and auditing . A new accounting standards body needs to be appointed to maintain the integrity of corporate reporting.
A heavyweight metal
In the world of 'DIY economics' steel is as important as ever. Unfortunately, so are the unintended consequences.
Two sides of capitalism
Judge Kollar-Kotelly has the unenviable task of deciding whether Microsoft's antitrust settlement is in the public interest. If only she could focus more on the pluralism of markets.
Anti-capitalism books: May 2002
John surveys the latest wave of books attacking capitalism.