Austerity Vs Stimulus
This timely book debates the economic and political logic of the austerity policies that have been implemented in the UK and in the Eurozone since 2010 and asks whether there is any alternative for these countries in the years ahead. The work reconsiders the austerity versus stimulus debate through the voices of those who proposed the successful idea of expansionary austerity and those who opposed it.
Who Runs The Economy?
Since the financial crisis of 2008 and the following Great Recession, there has been surprisingly little change in the systems of ideas, institutions and policies which preceded the crash and helped bring it about. ‘Mainstream’ economics carries on much as it did before. Despite much discussion of what went wrong, very little has substantially changed. Perhaps the answer has something to do with power; a subject on which economics is unusually quiet.
Are Markets Moral?
Based on a 2013 symposium on ‘Markets and Morals’ which was organised under the auspices of the Centre for Global Studies, this volume scrutinizes the functionality of a capitalist market society, which is usually praised for the efficiency and dynamism, rather than for its morality.
It addresses the dualism behind capitalism’s encouragement of greed, which is usually considered to be a moral failing, while also being a driver behind economic growth. It features contributions from Perry Anderson, Steven Lukes, Robert Frank and David Graeber, among others.
Five Years of Crisis
A collection of essays and speeches from Robert Skidelsky spanning 2008-2013
“After three years of flat-lining, the British economy has started to grow again. We should all be pleased with that. What the supporters of Osborne’s austerity policy are not entitled to claim is that his critics were wrong, and should hold their heads in shame. As far as I know, no critic of Osbornism claimed the British economy would never recover. All economies do, sooner or later, however big the shock. But policy makes a difference.”
Skidelsky on the Economic Crisis 2008-2011
A collection of essays and speeches from Robert Skidelsky spanning 2008-2011
“We are about to embark on a momentous experiment to discover which of the two stories about the economy is true. If, in fact, fiscal consolidation proves to be the royal road to recovery and fast growth then we might as well bury Keynes once and for all. If however, the financial markets and their political fuglemen turn out to be as ‘super-asinine’ as Keynes thought they were, then the challenge that financial power poses to good government has to be squarely faced.”
Blueprint for a British Investment Bank
Blueprint for a British Investment Bank addresses the painfully sluggish growth of the British economy post-financial crisis. Private sector demand is depressed by deleveraging and uncertainty, while public sector demand is constrained by the government’s austerity strategy. Britain needs to rebalance its economy away from reliance on credit-fuelled private consumption and towards investment and exports. And the public has lost confidence in banking as a socially useful activity.
Synthesizing Chinese and Western Values
If talk of an ‘Asian Century’ is exaggerated, nevertheless China is bound to play a much bigger global role in the more plural world order that is emerging. As a result of its phenomenal rate of economic growth it is already the world’s largest economy; it is home to a quarter of the world’s population; it is extending its investment reach into Africa and Latin America; and it is becoming politically more self-confident and self-assertive. So, from the West’s point of view the question of the relationship between Chinese values and Western values is enormously important.
The Centre for Global Studies 