Not just about money II

This Economist article asks why so many economists blog for free when they could be making money. Like millions of others, economists from circles of academia and public policy spend hours each day writing for nothing. The concept seems at odds with the notion of economists as intellectual instruments trained in the maximisation of utility […]

Football and economics

I remember hearing years and years ago about a study that suggested that talented footballers were likely to come from a background of poverty. It seems to make sense. I have a romantic picture in my head: a group of kids, at the end of a hard day’s slog pushing bikes up hills and climbing […]

The controversial Economist article

“Home truths about home rule” Scotland has regressed into an inward-looking, slightly chip-on-shoulder, slightly Anglophobic country with no clear sense of direction. I think the controversial bit is where they suggest that it wasn’t all of those things before devolution. If Jack McConnell’s angry, you know it must be right. Update: Having read it all […]

King of Fife?

This week’s Economist has an article about the Dunfermline and West Fife by-election (requires subscription unfortunately). The article focuses on Gordon Brown’s frequent interventions which are pissing Jack McConnell right off. Honestly, I don’t know which I’d prefer to see lose that one. Such a tough decision. Anyway, The Economist calls Gordon Brown “the “King […]