Prime, Policy Research in Macroeconomics

Each year the Financial Times invites economists to answer an economic survey for the British economy. This is PRIME’s submission. 1. UK economy Will the UK economy outpace or lag behind other developed economies in 2022 and why? UK trade performance on imports and exports has been among the worst of all OECD economies, with Brexit exacerbating the pandemic. This significant fall in total trade (compared to 2018) is an outcome, or consequence, of weak economic activity at home. Flat...

This article first appeared in the Indian journal Economic and Political Weekly on 13 November, 2021.Fermi ParadoxIn a recent article, Yıldızoğlu (2021) reminded us of the Fermi Paradox, which can be summarised as: Although the probability of the existence of other forms of life in the universe is sufficiently high, why have we not met any?Enrico Fermi, the Italian–American physicist and the creator of the world’s first nuclear reactor, was probably not the first person who asked: “but where...

This article first appeared in the Indian journal Economic and Political Weekly on 13 November, 2021.Fermi ParadoxIn a recent article, Yıldızoğlu (2021) reminded us of the Fermi Paradox, which can be summarised as: Although the probability of the existence of other forms of life in the universe is sufficiently high, why have we not met any?Enrico Fermi, the Italian–American physicist and the creator of the world’s first nuclear reactor, was probably not the first person who asked: “but where...

This article first appeared in the Indian journal Economic and Political Weekly on 13 November, 2021. Fermi Paradox In a recent article, Yıldızoğlu (2021) reminded us of the Fermi Paradox, which can be summarised as: Although the probability of the existence of other forms of life in the universe is sufficiently high, why have we not met any? Enrico Fermi, the Italian–American physicist and the creator of the world’s first nuclear reactor, was probably not the first person who asked: “but...

The Social Guarantee (SG) is an initiative hosted by PRIME to stimulate wider interest in Universal Basic Services (UBS) as a framework for policy and practice, to ensure that everyone has access to life’s essentials. Since our last update in February, the SG team has been busy working towards three strategic goals: to get the Social Guarantee on the agenda through public and political debate, to create alliances and networks, and to build knowledge through research.Framing the Social...

The Social Guarantee (SG) is an initiative hosted by PRIME to stimulate wider interest in Universal Basic Services (UBS) as a framework for policy and practice, to ensure that everyone has access to life’s essentials. Since our last update in February, the SG team has been busy working towards three strategic goals: to get the Social Guarantee on the agenda through public and political debate, to create alliances and networks, and to build knowledge through research.Framing the Social...

The Social Guarantee (SG) is an initiative hosted by PRIME to stimulate wider interest in Universal Basic Services (UBS) as a framework for policy and practice, to ensure that everyone has access to life’s essentials. Since our last update in February, the SG team has been busy working towards three strategic goals: to get the Social Guarantee on the agenda through public and political debate, to create alliances and networks, and to build knowledge through research. Framing the Social...

This article first appeared on the Project Syndicate website on 21st September, 2021 Fifty years ago, a US president closed the gold window, ended capital controls, and launched a new era of globalized finance. The “Nixon Shock” reshaped the international monetary system overnight, and then gradually changed the status of central bankers. Instead of acting as servants of the domestic economy, monetary policymakers have become masters of the globalized and financialized world economy. And...

This article first appeared on the Project Syndicate website on 21st September, 2021 Fifty years ago, a US president closed the gold window, ended capital controls, and launched a new era of globalized finance. The “Nixon Shock” reshaped the international monetary system overnight, and then gradually changed the status of central bankers. Instead of acting as servants of the domestic economy, monetary policymakers have become masters of the globalized and financialized world economy. And...

This article first appeared on the Project Syndicate website on 21st September, 2021 Fifty years ago, a US president closed the gold window, ended capital controls, and launched a new era of globalized finance. The “Nixon Shock” reshaped the international monetary system overnight, and then gradually changed the status of central bankers. Instead of acting as servants of the domestic economy, monetary policymakers have become masters of the globalized and financialized world economy. And...