Economy
We the People's Supermarket
David Barrie, advisor to and member of The People's Supermarket, on Camden's new form of co-operative enterprise
"... A key objective of the supermarket is to help families and low income groups in the community have access to food that is affordable and more locally sourced and it’s through volunteer time, expert sourcing of product and maximum use of recycled fixtures, fittings and waste that the enterprise can afford to match, if not undercut the prices of its for-profit competitors ..."
The Co-operatives Fortnight
Secretary-General of Co-Operatives UK, Ed Mayo, on the highlight of the UK's first ever Co-operatives Fortnight
"...470 people across the co-operative movement gathered in Plymouth over the last few days. With the lighthouse in view, they were treated to a Phillip Blond ResPublica masterclass in civic society..."
Emergency Budget – The Macro View
Why a rise in productive public expenditure is good for private sector growth
"... the presumed negative impact on interest rates becomes the key argument against the rise in public expenditure for non-Keynesian theorists. The oft quoted argument that excessive government borrowing – borrowing not expenditure – “crowds out” private borrowers from the credit market, is unsustainable when seen in historical context ..."
Why Britain’s Islamic Finance Industry Flopped
Junaid Bhatti appraises the state of a sector for which reform has become an urgent necessity
"...After more than a decade, Islamic finance has attracted a tiny proportion of a potential 1.5 million Muslim adults in the UK. You’d think that, by now, the Islamic finance providers would have realised that boring technical explanations and emotional blackmail may not be the most effective way to win customers..."
Supermarkets in the Coalition Economy
With the budget looming and coalition economic policy still awaiting definition, the call for a new, stricter approach to competition has come under elliptical attack from our friends on both the political right and left
"...Progressives need to think very carefully about this line of reasoning. How important are grocery prices compared with long-term market competitiveness, small business ownership and the livelihood of agricultural producers?..."
We are Addicted to Rising House Prices
Guest Contributor Simon Beard on having too much of a good thing
"...Over-inflated house prices hurt our economy in many, many ways. Here are five of the most important..."
Point and Laugh No More - Part One
ResPublica Fellow Tim Cowen explores the interface between privatisation and state provision
"...Some state services work very well. For example, in state provided public services such as defense one of the most remarkable feats of altruism is achieved where people lay down their lives for others. To say that they do this because they are motivated by their compensation, unusual strength of character or unusual mental attitude would clearly be wrong..."
Defending The First Paragraph of Red Tory
Phillip Blond continues his debate with Sunder Katwala of the Fabian Society first started on the Next Left blog and answered here
"...Now that the election is over – I have some time to return to my old pastime of exchanging analysis and debate with the good people at Next Left..."
Creating an Effective Cartel Busting Regime
As New Labour collapsed so did its system of economic regulation
"...Yesterday as Gordon Brown faced the final collapse of New Labour and the exit of his Adminstration from power one of the pillars of New Labour’s system of economic regulation also collapsed..."
Tax, Benefits and the Case for a Citizens' Income
Some thought experiments
"...A citizens income ... would remove unfair anomalies and make abuse much harder to commit, but it would also produce a clear and simple progress from overall benefit recipient to overall tax payer..."
