economics

Experts Agree – or Do They?

The expert is the shaman of our time. The expert offers a guiding arm, steering us through bustling and confusing crowds of information. Experts help us understand complex issues. Experts teach us. Experts help us make choices. Experts help us solve problems. But can we rely on them?

Read the full article →

Why Budgets are Dangerous

In the last week or so, the International Monetary Fund released another of its major economic outlook statements. Business and financial media all over the world earnestly pored over the numbers as if the future had been foretold by some all-knowing wizard. The strong sense was that, with this new-found certainty, decisions could finally be [...]

Read the full article →

Inspiration from a Clown and a President

The night before Barack Obama’s inauguration we watched the 1998 movie ‘Patch Adams‘. It turns out that Patch has a bit in common with Mr Obama. Both can provide us with inspiration for dealing with challenging times and for getting more life out of life. Patch Adams is an American doctor who believes, literally, that [...]

Read the full article →

Why Bernard Madoff is a name you should have in mind over the New Year

A good friend comes to see you. He’s setting up a securities company and is looking for investors. This friend has impeccable credentials: former chair of a major stock exchange, senior and well respected member of the financial world. Simple decision? Of course. You jump at the chance to invest and you spread the word [...]

Read the full article →

Home Truths of a Financial Collapse

Spare me the dramatics. Spare me the countless column-inches of ‘how did it happen?’ analysis. The most surprising aspect of the recent financial market crisis has been the surprise itself. It was always going to happen. Now that it has, perhaps we can remind ourselves of a few home-truths. At its core, the current [...]

Read the full article →