Violence is down and partly thanks to trade: A scientist explains his bold new thesis October 31, 2011 Q.CAN YOU DISTIL THE ARGUMENT OF YOUR NEW BOOK? A.Violence has declined, on many scales of time and magnitude, with reductions unfolding over periods stretching from millennia down to just a few years. That’s true for everything from warfare and genocide to our treatment of children and animals. What is some of the evidence for [...]
Migration policy needs a rest, not constant change October 31, 2011 IT IS no secret that the government’s work permit policy, especially the cap on migration, has not always been welcomed by business. Economists and employers can see that a strong economy comes from a strong, flexible workforce. The skills needed by UK businesses are not always available here, so employers need to look abroad. And [...]
Easy credit may teach hard economic lessons October 31, 2011 ONE thing about public opinion I fail to understand is this: people understand that easy credit was a cause of the financial crisis, so why are policies that make credit easier popular? George Osborne’s credit easing plans for small businesses are noble in that these firms are indeed the lifeblood of the economy. But it [...]
RAPID RESPONSES October 31, 2011 Fencing the banks Instead of mounting a legal challenge to the capital rules proposed by the Vickers Commission [EU in bid to veto UK bank reform], surely the EU should instead be considering a similar overhaul for all the bloc’s banks. Ring-fencing investment banking from retail banking would create a more stable financial system which, [...]
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is much more than a bookseller: He’s the Everyman entrepreneur October 30, 2011 WITH the Kindle Fire, Amazon.com chief executive Jeff Bezos is showing the world that he’s much more than an online retailer. The original Kindle, released in 2007, was the first piece of electronic hardware Amazon ever produced, and it revolutionised the electronic book business. Wall Street analysts expect Amazon to sell about 26m Kindle devices [...]
The EU’s decision process: It’s not rocket science October 30, 2011 AS THE EU’s leaders struggle to reach a comprehensive and credible plan to contain the sovereign debt crisis, there is much they could learn from the scientific world. It’s time our leaders changed their way of thinking, or at least hired a rocket scientist or two to help. From our first physics lessons, we are [...]
Let’s see the City as a solution not a problem October 30, 2011 AS A civil engineer, I come from the demand side of financial services – a client. So when I came into office last November, I brought with me a fresh perspective on the role of the mayoralty with my business theme – City of London: City of Choice. This has involved promoting the importance of [...]
RAPID RESPONSES October 30, 2011 @cityamforum Great article by Claire Fox [Happy Birthday, Baby Seven Billion, Friday]. There is at least one finite resource on “Earth”. The vision and imagination of the eco warriors. Mark Adams, head of public affairs, Lansons Don’t tar all eco warriors with the same brush: some of us do vision and imagination for breakfast. Martin [...]
Happy birthday, Baby Seven Billion – more human beings are good news for the planet October 27, 2011 A CHILD is born. Hurrah – a time for celebration. Babies usually bring out the optimist in people. “What a joy” we coo over a bundle of potential in swaddling – this could be the new Einstein, a modern Joan of Arc, a future Steve Jobs. However, there seems widespread reluctance to pop the champagne [...]
The latest euro deal isn’t pretty in cold daylight October 27, 2011 ANOTHER summit gone and another Greek bailout plan to assess in the cold light of day. On the surface this one sounds promising: a 50 per cent write down for Greek bondholders and €130bn in new bailout funds – should sort things for a while, right? Well, unlike in previous rounds, Wednesday’s meeting between Eurozone [...]