Francis Coppola

W.H. Auden’s epic poem “The Age of Anxiety”, written during the dark fragmentation of the Second World War II, was widely acclaimed as defining the spirit of our time. Few claim to have read it, but everyone knows the title: as Daniel Smith put it in an op-ed in the New York Times, “as a sticker on the bumper of the Western world, “the age of anxiety” has been ubiquitous for more than six decades now.” Anxiety – and its cousins introspection and depression – is widespread, disrupting...

No, says The Times' David Smith. He says that the notion that there was a pause in austerity is an "austerity myth".He points to this chart from the Office for Budget Responsibility that shows fiscal consolidation as a percentage of GDP (relative to the 2008 Budget) continuing on throughout 2013 and 2014 and 2015:But the OBR's chart doesn't actually show what I would define as austerity. It shows the size of the government budget as a percentage of GDP relative to...

Since the financial crisis, some people have argued that “Banking should be boring”. The idea is that banking should be limited to simple deposit-taking, lending and payments services. We don’t need the trappings of modern investment banking: structured lending schemes, derivative products, complex risk metrics, synthetics and the like. They may be fun to create, and highly lucrative to trade, but they aren’t socially useful. Let’s get back to basics. All we need is little banks, simple...

My latest post at Pieria looks at the role of design in a time of change. Using mirrors and glass as metaphors, it maps the transformation of the "spirit of the age" from anxiety to empathy as the world heals from the trauma of the twentieth century's three Great Wars (yes, you read that correctly). And although it is optimistic about the new opportunities for collaboration and sharing that technology creates, it asks whether replacing introspection with connection and opacity with...

ORIGINAL AIR DATE: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10 Erin chats with Frances Coppola – associate editor at Pieria and author of the blog “Coppola Comment.” Frances tells us if negative interest rates in Europe are working and gives us her take on the ECB’s recent move to stop accepting Greek collateral for loans. She is negative on both outcomes with negative interest rates not adding to credit growth and the ECB’s moves having no positive impact on helping prevent a...

ORIGINAL AIR DATE: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10 Erin chats with Frances Coppola – associate editor at Pieria and author of the blog “Coppola Comment.” Frances tells us if negative interest rates in Europe are working and gives us her take on the ECB’s recent move to stop accepting Greek collateral for loans. She is negative on both outcomes with negative interest rates not adding to credit growth and the ECB’s moves having no positive impact on helping prevent a catastrophic outcome over Greece....

Music by Stephen Sondheim. Lyrics by Brian Lucey. Vocals and piano by Frances Coppola.

Words by Brian Lucey. Music by Rodgers & Hammerstein. Sung by Frances Coppola.

To discuss the UK economy, Japan, and falling oil prices, Erin talked to Frances Coppola – associate editor at Pieria and blogger at Coppola Comment. Frances tells us where she thinks Europe is headed and gives us her take on the London housing market. She also discusses what lessons she thinks the UK and US can learn from Japan. If Japanese real wages are stagnant and the population is both aging and declining, why should we expect credit growth, higher spending or capital investment to...

To discuss the UK economy, Japan, and falling oil prices, Erin talked to Frances Coppola – associate editor at Pieria and blogger at Coppola Comment. Frances tells us where she thinks Europe is headed and gives us her take on the London housing market. She also discusses what lessons she thinks the UK and US can learn from Japan. If Japanese real wages are stagnant and the population is both aging and declining, why should we expect credit growth, higher spending or capital investment...