Category: Economics

Published on by Dave

Flying Cars and the future techno economy

I have been influenced by David Graeber’s article/essay, “Of Flying Cars and the declining rate of profit”, which I need to read again. I posted, in 2017, a storify thing, after reading it which contains a bunch of notes from it and other references related to the political economy issues that he raises. The post descended into note form, and I may go back and have another read and finish them. As ever for more, see below/overleaf … Continue reading “Flying Cars and the future techno economy” →

Published on by Dave

Labour Market, 1945-55

Various things have led me to consider the post-war “return to normality”. It started with the ideological establishment of the cold war, and the portrayal of the Soviet Union as new enemy against the experience of much of the demobilising military. I consider the recommencement of strikes, the re-establishment of deference, like Lee, the establishment  of Churchill’s reputation as a war hero and the relocation of women back in the home rather than the factory. Here are some notes. … Continue reading “Labour Market, 1945-55” →

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New Labour’s Regional Policy

Part of the argument about the election results has become whether Corbyn’s Labour should have pitched itself more profoundly against 40 years of Thatcherism. I have my own critiques of the New Labour governments, but I hadn’t seen a failed Regional Policy as one of them. Here are my notes. … Continue reading “New Labour’s Regional Policy” →

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Growth and Income

I was having another look at the macro-economics of the country. I was looking at growth (δY) and income distribution ( 1 -L(Y) ). I have built some growth charts but have run out time for the moment on income distribution, partly because the stats aren’t saying what I’d hoped. Perhaps ONS don’t measure this to the level of granularity that we need; they use 20% and 10% tranches. I might come back to this, otherwise here are my notes.  Continue reading “Growth and Income” →

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International Trade and MMT

I have now re-read Chapter 8 of Reclaiming the State and this is what I think they say on International Trade, I plan to simplify it further. I have tried not to insert the anti-arguments, but I am not sure that I agree that “Sudden Stops” can only happen to poor countries. Also if the MMT people are right, then while the fiscal surplus/deficit is not a constraint on macro-economic policy, I am still to be convinced that the balance of trade isn’t! Also MMTers argue that the World Bank/International Monetary Fund/WTO will need to be refactored with new goals based on facilitating trade & development and ensuring that Trade can be financed. If collective/political action is required to ensure that international trade works, why not the EU as the first port of call. Anyway, here’s my notes. … Continue reading “International Trade and MMT” →

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BBC Funding

I have taken an interest in the BBC’s financial balance of trade on Intellectual Property. Their annual report can be found here … while the National Audit Office undertook a landscape review on their commercial services.  The annual report is a typical haven’t we done well and getting the answers to the questions I am asking is very hard, almost as if they’re hiding it. Here are some notes. Continue reading “BBC Funding” →

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Fragment on machines

I think I’ll try and get to grip with this, but Marx is very hard read. I am also particularly interested in his views on General Intellect, it seems he agrees that software should be free, but then he also thought that workers should run the state. The fragment on machines is part of the Grundrisse. Here are my notes: Continue reading “Fragment on machines” →