Blog
Not out of the woods yet
Why it’s still too soon for the furlough end game

By
Alex Chapman
02 August 2021

At the end of September the furlough scheme (official name: the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, or CJRS) will come to an end. This date is arbitrary, not tied to any particular milestone in the pandemic or the state of our economy, yet it could be pivotal in determining the success of the UK’s economic recovery. In April 2021, we released research showing as many as 850,000 jobs could be at risk of redundancy, loss of hours, or loss

Blog
Up in the air
Our consumer choices, from buying less tobacco to more diesel, are shaped by government policy. What if we applied it to air travel?

By
Alex Chapman
12 July 2021

This is an article from the third issue of the New Economics Zine. You can read the full issue here
Changing the system is hard. There’s no doubt about that. Yet if ever there is a moment when the cosy consensus of 21st century economics can be challenged it’s in the aftermath of a crisis like this. The breaking of so many economic myths-turned-rules has opened a

Blog
The dodgy economics behind expanding our airports
Despite what airport executives say, expanding our airports won’t tackle unemployment or bring more money to the UK.

By
Alex Chapman
15 September 2020

Given the widely publicised collapse in international air travel, you’d be forgiven for assuming that expanding airports would be the last thing on aviation executives’ minds. Yet planning applications are currently under consideration for Leeds Bradford Airport and Southampton Airport; Bristol Airport just announced they are appealing North Somerset Council’s rejection of their plans; and Heathrow