Posts Tagged ‘living standards’
Misreading the poverty map
In: Uncategorized
6 Sep 2011An article (free registration required) in yesterday’s Financial Times (FT) appeared to show a more conclusive link between London’s recent riots and poverty than previous attempts. The FT analysed unpublished court papers to find the addresses of 300 suspects and then mapped them to their respective areas of London. According to the newspaper: “Overall, two-thirds […]
- Tags: inequality, living standards
Divorced from British society
In: Uncategorized
3 Sep 2011It is striking how many British households of working age have no direct personal connection with the labour market. In that respect at least they are marginalised from mainstream society. According to statistics published this week by the Office for National Statistics some 18.8% of working age households (where at least one person is aged […]
- Tags: living standards, work
Germany’s failing prosperity model
In: Uncategorized
31 Aug 2011This is the first in a series of blog posts I will be writing for Fundweb, Fund Strategy’s sister website, every two weeks. In the square outside the European Central Bank (ECB) headquarters in central Frankfurt there is a brightly illuminated blue euro sign with 12 yellow stars attached. Despite the well-publicised troubles facing the […]
- Tags: Europe, Fund Strategy, Germany, living standards
Resist the shared sacrifice trap
In: Uncategorized
21 Aug 2011A common theme runs through the discussion of America’s troubled economy and the debate about the causes of Britain’s riots. The populations of both countries are being urged to make sacrifices rather than be so “greedy”. Austerity can only be resisted effectively if such arguments are defeated. Often they have popular appeal because the targets […]
- Tags: America, consumption, Europe, inequality, living standards
FT on youth unemployment
In: Uncategorized
16 Aug 2011Some interesting facts but misleading comparisons in yesterday’s Financial Times comment on youth unemployment: “High youth unemployment is not just a North African problem. The looting that ravaged English cities last week happened in a country where one in five young people is jobless. The picture in the US is no better. In continental Europe […]
- Tags: Europe, living standards, Middle East, work
Wage moderation in Europe
In: Uncategorized
16 Aug 2011There was an interesting post on “wage moderation in Europe” on thecurrentmoment blog yesterday. It argues that wage moderation is not just a phenomenon in Germany, where it is widely recognised, but across the continent. For example, in the Netherlands it has been instiutionalised as part of the “polder model”.
- Tags: Europe, Germany, living standards, work
The mathematics of rioting
In: Uncategorized
14 Aug 2011BBC Radio 4’s More or Less programme, presented by Tim Harford, is often good at investigating statistical claims. I was therefore particularly interested in what it had to say about Britain recent rioting. According to the most recent episode: It confirmed that, even adjusting for (CPI) inflation, average monthly public spending has risen slightly over […]
- Tags: consumption, living standards
Comparison with US “flash mobs”
In: Uncategorized
14 Aug 2011A post on Sean Collins’ American Situation blog helps continue the theme of comparisons between rioting in Britain and potential for it in other countries. After mentioning various violent “flash mob” attacks in Philadelphia and other parts of America he goes on to say: “While a disturbing trend, such flash mob violence doesn’t add up […]
- Tags: America, inequality, living standards
Alternative comparison with Europe
In: Uncategorized
13 Aug 2011Frank Furedi, writing in today’s Australian, made an alternative comparison between Britain and poor areas in continental Europe (see yesterday’s post): “In recent years on my travels throughout Europe I have frequently come across urban decay and poverty. Every large city has its share of marginalised neighbourhoods. In such areas, petty crime and drug dealing […]
- Tags: Europe, inequality, living standards
Comparing British and French riots
In: Uncategorized
12 Aug 2011Dominique Moïsi, a special adviser to the French Institute for International Relations, has written an interesting comment piece in today’s Financial Times comparing the riots in Britain this year with those in France in 2005 (free registration may be required to read). I am not endorsing his entire argument but some of the differences he […]
- Tags: Europe, inequality, living standards
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