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Austerity myths revisited Posted by David Smith at 01:00 PM Category: Thoughts and responses My piece on Friday, The Myth of Abandoned Austerity, has attracted quite a lot of interest. It had a simple aim - to demonstrate that fiscal consolidation, deficit reduction, continued throughout the parliament, alongside recovery. Simon Wren-Lewis, a professor of economics at Oxford, devoted a blog post to it, here. Jonathan Portes, director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, was typically condescending, tweeting that I was "confused (& confusing)". Let me respond to Simon. But Simon answers the question himself: “I know this cannot be the case because I have never said that austerity was abandoned in 2012. That means, he suggests, that I am guilty of creating a straw man. This is not quite the same, of course, as economists that Simon might know saying austerity has been abandoned. (More...)

Economics of Contempt Strategic quantitative easing Strategic quantitative easing Key findings▲ The Bank of England's programmes of QE and Funding for Lending are failing to stimulate GDP. A better approach would channel investment directly into new housing, infrastructure and SME lending. Share this: Photo credit: liamgrue July 1, 2013 // Written by: Josh Ryan-Collins, Associate Director, Economy and FinanceTony Greenham, Head of Economy & FinanceGiovanni Bernardo, Research Economist Richard Werner, Director of the Centre for Banking, Finance and Sustainable Development, University of Southampton The Bank of England’s programmes of Quantitative Easing (QE) and Funding for Lending (FLS) are failing to stimulate GDP and rebalance the economy. The impact of QE: theory and evidence The way QE has been interpreted and applied in the UK has benefitted some parts of the economy at the expense of others. If it is broke, don’t use it: FLS and the problem with trying to get banks to lend Strategic QE: public money for public benefit Issues More More

Economics and... EconomistMom.com Economists Do It With Models — Warning: “graphic” content… The Economy and the Economics of Everyday Life - Economix Blog - economonkey Economy Watch - Coverage of the financial crisis from The Washin Let me start this off with a thank you. This marks the last entry of the Economy Watch blog, and I'd like to thank all of its readers. That includes those who only recently began reading to those who have been with me since I launched the blog in September 2008, when it seemed like the world was melting down. You may have noticed the big overhaul of The Post's online business coverage, which we launched a couple of weeks ago, and which you can see here. The fresh look reflects The Post's new business news partnership with Bloomberg, which we hope will give Post readers a comprehensive report on business news. The budget struggles of newspapers are no longer news. With this partnership, The Post business staff will continue to cover what it covers better than any other organization: the intersection of economics and policy, or Wall Street and Washington. Part of this package is the brand-new Political Economy blog, which you can see here. But that all changed quickly.

EconoSpeak Ecology and Economics Until a few days ago I had no idea that people were playing with the idea of using compressed air to power vehicles. Now it looks like we may see some within the next few years. Add in a hybrid gas engine to compress more air and compressed air vehicles might go further than just city driving. But even if just for the city, and particularly if power sources come increasingly from solar and wind, the idea just might be a life saver not only for those living in very polluted cityscapes, but also for the rest of us as air pollution is a global problem. And the idea isn't limited to cars. Compressed Air Vehicles Hat tip: Barry Ritholtz at The Big Picture See also: Compressed-Air Car at Wikipedia OK.. November 9th, 2007 This car is for the naive. And earlier: Eric says: April 4th, 2007 I first read about this car in about 1995. But other Celsius readers are more hopeful John Gauthier says: May 30th, 2007 I’m an engineer, and a skeptic. Hope springs eternal!

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