The Welfare State We're In by James Bartholomew, published last year by Methuen, has had a significant impact on policy-makers and their advisers. Here, politicians representing the three major political parties give differing views of Bartholomew's analysis and the economic and social...

Entry to EMU at an inappropriate exchange rate could trigger a full-blown business cycle in the UK. Once inside EMU, the UK's response to a number of different economic shocks would change -partly because of the fixed exchange rate, and partly because of the common monetary policy. In...

The dilemmas facing the Monetary Policy Committee have intensified further this year. On the one hand, the recent sharp decline in equity markets, combined with the weakness of economic growth over the winter and the low level of inflation, suggests the need for lower interest rates. On the...

Gordon Brown’s sixth Budget was an all-action affair, with hardly any part of the tax system and public spending untouched. But there were few surprises, with the key features – in particular, increased national insurance charges to finance higher spending on the health service – well...