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Licence to operate
Back in the 1980s and ‘90s, it was common for uncomplimentary comparisons to be made between the efficiency and customer care of the private sector and the waste and poor service offered by the public...
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Jumping the impoverished shark
The phrase ‘jumping the shark’ describes the moment when a popular TV show overstretches its founding concept and begins the process of decline. I am starting to wonder whether George Osborne jumped...
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Meet the new world, same as the old world (only a bit meaner and poorer)?
Four years ago, as the scale of economic downturn and the probable depth and longevity of austerity hit home, there was much speculation about whether this would have a profound impact on key aspects...
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Every cloud has a stormy lining
Economics, to me, is like art; I can appreciate it, I can discuss it, even argue about it but I can’t really do it; as the following paragraphs will probably go to show. I attended a conference at the...
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The rich are always with us
High end salaries have been back in the news recently. Yesterday there was the overwhelming endorsement by the Swiss – of all people – of a tough package to crack down on unmerited rewards at the top ....
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Whither the social recession?
In 2009 the academic Alan Finlayson wrote an article called ‘The broken society versus the social recession’. His purpose was to show how different was the former idea of David Cameron’s and the...
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Can David Cameron head off revolution by confronting global capitalism?
We are at a pivotal, fascinating and dangerous moment. Let me explain in 550 words. The polymath Professor Peter Turchin of Duke University takes the study of society to a new more scientific level. As...
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From bleeding stump to bleeding edge?
A few recent conversations – including our recent RSA/Arts Council seminar series and a chat with Janet Morris, who is involved in the What Next? Southwark initiative among arts organisations – have...
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The quiet revolution that could help build a new economy
There is an excellent article by Jenni Russell in this morning’s Times . Drawing on the powerful research of the Resolution Foundation she shows recovery is unlikely to address the divide between the...
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Delayed reaction
In a mixed LRB review of Christian Caryl’s book ‘Strange Rebels: 1979 and the birth of the 21st century’, David Runciman makes a point about the circuitous route of change: ‘The world that fell apart...
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Mark Carney – the backlash starts here?
To start a fashion you have to be willing to look ridiculous. So here goes. I think Mark Carney (yes, the man who has single-handedly saved the UK economy just by taking up his job) made a rather...
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To the barricades
In his fascinating and highly readable book ‘The Confidence Trap’ David Runciman explores the complex relationship between crisis and democracy, a subject which features heavily in Alexis de...
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