Productivity

Maxwell’s Consumer: seeking a sustainable world

The recent uprising of the Gilets Jaunes in France is one idiosyncratic national reaction to a global problem. But global problems demand global answers and Maxwell’s demon offers a possible solution, writes…

Brexit dividend discovered in Sheffield

It is proving increasingly difficult to identify the benefits Brexit might bring. Now a team of economists based in Sheffield have detected an upside in deflating an over-bloated UK finance sector, writes…


Capitalism blame game: politician vs expert

So it is agreed, capitalism is broken – for many. Can it be fixed to make it more “inclusive and sustainable”? Yes, says a politician and an economist, but their remedies diverge….


Italian storms darken European horizon

A new “anti-system” political coalition in Italy is stirring up the relative tranquillity of the Eurozone economy. Banks and businesses are fastening their seatbelts and preparing for a bumpy ride, John Egan…


How much does your neighbour earn?

John Egan takes a look at the complexities entailed in answering the question. If you would like to know how well off you are, you do not have to look far –…




Analysis: Amazon and the power of capital

On the 150th anniversary of the publication of Karl Marx’s Das Kapital, we add our energy-dissipative view of the interactions of labour and capital in the operations of a commercial enterprise. Boil…


Productivity, Productivity, Productivity

Today sees the publication of a comprehensive review of the state of the nation and the potential impacts of Brexit in the OECD’s 2017 economic survey of the UK, writes John Egan….


Analysis: an Apple that just keeps on rising

Imagine Apple Inc. as a quintessentially huge machine fuelled by investment, converting labour into value and, via sales, into revenue and profit. John Egan looks beyond the data to what is happening at…