By: Paul Ormerod

Paul Ormerod is an economist at Volterra Partners LLP, author and an Honorary Professor at the Alliance Business School at the University of Manchester

All 218 Articles

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
Sunak should be modelling his fiscal rules on Clem Attlee’s, not Margaret Thatcher’s

June 28, 2023

Debt and inflation are nothing new, but economic conditions today are very different from the past. To get out of the current sandstorm, Sunak should follow the lessons of Clem Attlee writes Paul Ormerod

Ask the Expert: Should I go part-time or pay for nursery?

Fifpro accused of leaving footballers ‘in the cold’ by doing deal with Fifa

The best places to eat sandwiches in Lisbon, from bifanas to pregos

By: Paul Ormerod

All 218 Articles

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