Rush hour pricing in pubs will kill off the customer loyalty businesses badly need September 20, 2023 Charging an extra 20p at rush hour might reel in a bit of extra cash, but it will kill of the loyalty people have for their local pub, writes Paul Ormerod.
Don’t blame austerity for the crumbling concrete, Osborne salvaged Britain’s deficit September 13, 2023 Parliament, hospitals, schools, even theatres aren’t immune to the so-called crumbling concrete our buildings are made of. One of the more interesting twists of the scandal over Raac, or reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, is how it has been used to relitigate the policy of austerity. If only the Conservatives had loosened the purse strings on [...]
Politicians must understand that taxation is not a substitute for economic growth September 6, 2023 Scottish Labour rightfully pointed out that taxation shouldn't be considered a replacement for economic growth. Every politician should take stock of this, writes Paul Ormerod
Years on, we still haven’t learnt to quantify the damage done during the pandemic August 30, 2023 The pandemic is behind us, but we are not done reflecting on what's been done right or wrong. There is still much to say about the effects of lockdowns, writes Paul Ormerod
Keep dreaming if you think Brexit is the reason craft beer breweries are going bust August 23, 2023 Microbreweries never stood a chance in an over-saturated market of craft beer - it's not the fault of Brexit, writes Paul Ormerod.
House prices will eventually start to fall, as long as owners accept their new reality August 16, 2023 House prices are on the rise because fewer people are selling, and fewer people are selling because they think their property has preserved its value. Once they give up, prices will fall, writes Paul Ormerod
Edinburgh Fringe fame for a one woman show is proof of the randomness of celebrity August 9, 2023 The world of the arts is one of inequalities: very few do extremely well, and most do badly. It's on show now at the Edinburgh Fringe, and it proves that celebrity is almost accidental, writes Paul Ormerod
The big beasts of banking, supermarkets and tech are behind our productivity slump July 20, 2023 Big monopolies stifle innovation through their total control of market power and patents. We need to break this vicious cycle if we want our productivity back, writes Paul Ormerod
Even if the pandemic hadn’t happened, we would have all ended up working remotely July 12, 2023 Working from home is not just here to stay, but the actual quantity of work which can be done from home will rise. Employees highly value remote work these days, writes Paul Ormerod
If politicians keep ignoring economists, our strategies will never be cost-effective July 5, 2023 Politicians need to learn from some of the mistakes made during the pandemic and learn to include economists in the policy-making process, writes Paul Ormerod