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Forty years of the neoliberal experiment have created a world of vast and increasing inequality. But this can and should change.
Just how ‘open’ is the U.S. after all?
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As of 2022, only Nigeria and Sudan had lower trade-to-GDP ratios.
Andrew Leigh at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra, October 5, 2023.
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The Shortest History of Economics is not just a history of economic thought, but a history of economic life.
Thousands of banks failed in the Great Depression.
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Crises fueled by bank runs, starting with the Great Depression, have had something in common: Unexpected changes spur bank failures, followed by general panic and then large-scale economic distress.
A family reacts to news of the father’s bankruptcy in a 19th century engraving.
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New rules following a spate of bank failures in 19th century Britain could provide some lessons for today’s regulators.
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From the 1870s on, continual improvements in living standards became a birthright – not for everyone, but for humanity as a whole. King Charles III inherits a different future.
The Coalition’s debt truck from 2009, when net government debt was 6% of GDP – instead of the 30% of GDP it climbed to under the Coalition.
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The double standard goes back to 1929, when Labor had the misfortune to be elected 12 days before the Wall Street crash that set off the Great Depression.
In the 1970s, Britain briefly achieved peak equality.
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Britain’s economic system is built on inequality. Few governments have attempted to rectify this.
It even inspired the global TV hit, La Casa de Papel
Netflix
The story of how money injections became the go-to policy for tackling economic crises.
Brussels Gare du Nord.
Transpress NZ
the International Financial Conference in Brussels in 1920 hoped to reset the global economic order after a disastrous world war and pandemic. It hold lessons for leaders today.
Bill Freund at his 70th birthday celebration.
Provided by the author.
Economic historian and development scholar Bill Freund was impatient with theoretical fads.
Painting of South Sea Bubble speculators by Edward Matthew Ward, Tate Gallery.
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The real story of the South Sea Bubble and what happened when it burst 300 years ago.
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New Zealand’s 2020 budget must not only provide economic hope, it must balance the very different ideologies and aspirations of two earlier historic budgets.
Miniature by Pierart dou Tielt
A look back at history can help us consider the economic effects of public health emergencies and how best to manage them.
The pressure to fit family and personal commitments into the few hours between getting home and bedtime is arguably the main source of stress today.
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All this talk of moving to a four-day week overlooks what might be a more important agenda.
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Research shows that England was one of the first sovereigns to default on its international debt obligations.
A sculpture of an oil pump held by a human hand stands outside the headquarters of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company.
AP Photo/Fernando Llano
Can a new government, perhaps by shoring up democracy and oversight, harness this commodity for peace and prosperity?
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Britain has long dreamed of breaking away from the European continent but global trade has never replaced links with its close neighbours.
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A look at key data shows that the world is much better off today than ever before in history.
In 1930, John Maynard Keynes predicted a 15-hour work week – working three hours a day – within a few generations.
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The idea of reduced working hours was once seen as an essential indicator of progress. It’s time it was again.