First Word
Hard knocks
Now and again I am asked by young people for advice on career choices. My main responses are: (a) experiment and find out what you enjoy and don’t enjoy; (b)
Column
Astronomical problems
Cumberland, chipolata and other meaty challenges in the care sector. Professor Verity Bastion mulls. In the past month, I have gained some insight into our “care” system from my friend,
Interviews
Prospects in the Cloud
Liepollo Pheko tells The Mint how the digital economy offers opportunities to young South Africans but security may not be one of them. Digital jobs promise a way out of
Articles
Making a job guarantee work
Stephen Laughton and John Pye outline a means to an end of unemployment. One of the important ideas that has come out of Modern Monetary Theory, which is an economic
A portrait of the landscape
The palette of land management skills extends beyond shades of green. Broad strokes of business acumen, scientific expertise and collaborative effort are essential for an accurate portrayal. Joshua Davis brings
Machine learning
The robots are here. What now? Stephen J. Frenkel and Tom Barnes explore the possibilities for workers and employers. The debate about artificial intelligence and automation is often presented as
Gutted, shattered, cowering and showered in shit.
Paul Frijters paints an expressionist picture of artificial intelligence’s impact on work Artificial intelligence (AI) is impressive. That much is becoming difficult to dispute. When I asked ChatGPT, “In what
Ecology is not an alternative
UK agricultural colleges often struggle to embrace regenerative practices. Alex Gray looks at how the next generation of farmers might be convinced to embrace ecology in their practice. I was
Who knows best?
When it comes to matters of plans for regional economies, Henry Leveson-Gower suggests the government might want to start from a different place to the one it is at. One
A consideration for care
Sarah Jenkins asks: care is skilled work, so why don’t we pay for the skill? Imagine being responsible for another person’s medication, money, personal care, safety and emotional wellbeing. You
Jobless youth is not all about bots
Young people are finding it increasingly difficult to get a foothold in the labour market and artificial intelligence (AI) is an obvious culprit. But James Robson argues that blaming it
A modern mother of invention
Like the workshops of the past, today’s automated production schedules create necessities that give birth to innovation in the workplace. Marjolaine Rostain and Jean Clarke tell how today’s industries might
The real cost of artificial intelligence
The future of work is not about lost jobs; it is about the loss of human capability to find its way. Madhavi Venkatesan writes. Much of the discussion surrounding artificial
Review
An astonishing piece of work
Guy Dauncey has fashioned a short guide for radicals from the work of a non-radical economics heavyweight. Capitalism: A Global History, by Sven Beckert: Penguin, November 2025 This book is