Category Archives: Environment, society, politics and economics
Property rights and wrongs, or: the iron fist of socialism in a free-market kid-glove?
It’s really good when right-wing people think about addressing environmental problems, because the more people that put their brains to these intractable issues, the better. But there is a danger where you put the mantra before the problem. A case … Continue reading
Belief economics on the shop floor
Two people in Budapest run shops next door to each other. They want to boost sales but they do not have money for marketing. In fact both just have a circle, a line and two blobs. And then they find … Continue reading
Belief and utility
If we are rational about our economic activities then each decision is the result of a cost-benefit analysis. The details of the cost-benefit analysis depend (to a great extent) on the beliefs which we have. For example, if I am … Continue reading
Belief economics
It makes a difference to the economy whether someone spends a marginal tenner on (a) a violent film, (b) a Teach Yourself German book or (c) a packet of vegetable seeds. It makes a difference to the economy because of … Continue reading
Worried about wood
A recent news item featured a St Albans family scavenging for firewood for heating. As the price of energy rises – through market forces as well as through climate change regulation – the woods and forests of the United Kingdom … Continue reading