Commoning against collapse
On 7th December 1972, Harrison Schmitt took an image of the Earth from Apollo 17 on its way to the Moon that has become one of the most reproduced images
Trump trade wars
In a White House Rose Garden address on April 2, 2025, Trump declared that April 2 was “Liberation Day”, describing the announcement as “one of the most important days in American
Days of future passed
Currently, everyday events are unfolding that are likely to play a significant role in future histories. The USA is no longer a dependable European ally, at best; the US government
Merry morality
It is that time of year. We are not a religious family, yet we attended our local church’s atmospheric Christmas Eve midnight mass, complete with candles and carols, as many
At the flip of a billion coins
Can finance provide what humanity needs? As we approach 1.5ºC average warming, nature collapses, and conflicts escalate, this must be a reasonable question. Or is it naïve as finance is
The die in diet
While we depend on food, water, air, and shelter to survive, only our requirement for food demands that we rely on a complex international trading system for our day-to-day needs.
The gravity of the situation
I grew up in the 70s in a world where there was a sense of expanding progress. The great wars were behind us and even when Thatcher/Reagan pushed dog-eat-dog neoliberalism
Take heart
Challenging the Econocrats – those people who use mainstream economic thinking to define political debate – is not for the faint-hearted. Their failure to even envisage the possibility of the
Out of the way
So what has happened since we published our last issue in December 2020 on the power of the patriarchy? For a start, we are out of the pandemic, these issues
Growth misgivings
It is taken as a given that unless political parties of whatever stripe promise growth, they are dead in the water. Even within the green movement, anyone seeking to influence
Small print writ large
Welcome to our 25th issue which is quite a milestone for us. Given that our mission is to open up thinking on economics it’s probably no surprise that our theme
More or less equal?
My first real consciousness of the super-rich happened as a teenager while working over the summer for my black-sheep uncle, a 1960s hippy turned Parisian artisan woodworker for the rich.
Whose news?
So COP27 is in November. Last year the build-up seemed huge for the last international climate conference in Glasgow, COP26. This time; not so much. But is that my UK
The 70s? Not again.
If you remember the 70s then you weren’t there. That was the oft-cited summary of the time as shrouded in a narcotic haze. I, however, do remember the 70s quite
Ground control
Control of land has been a key driver of wealth, power and conflict for most of human history. The industrial revolution changed all that as power shifted from landowners to
Enlightenment goes viral
I am not a believer in conspiracy theories, but for one moment let’s imagine there exists a shadowy secret society bent on world betterment… The Society had been increasingly worried.
Keep calm, don’t carry on
I was asked recently, did I think there was time to avoid climate chaos. I couldn’t help myself. I got caught by the urge to reassure: “Oh yes,” I said,
Which way does digital point?
How did we end up here? Midwife to the Internet, Tim Berners-Lee, called his vision for the web “utopian.” He wanted it to be a place where all people had
What is corruption?
After all, it’s hard to bite the hand that feeds you. As a teenager, I recall my father informing me that to make real money you need to be close
Rein in men
Women’s reality is often invisible in economic analysis and that’s not hard to see. And the lack of women in economics too is clear, even outside the mainstream. The
Building forward is better
It now seems like a long time since the ritual Thursday clapping and the peace that allowed us to hear the birds. As the tragedy of suffering and death grew
In black and white
I benefit from multiple privileges. White? Tick. Male? Tick. Posh? Tick and so on. In fact the world is largely designed by people like me for people like me. My
Accentuate the positive
It all started with hope. Now we have viral infection. But there is still hope. I came up with “hope” as the theme for this issue in the autumn. I was
Chasing tales
Calls for a more circular economy – otherwise known as “closing the loop” – are now commonplace. We have got recycling, we try to reduce waste, and plastic packaging is
The Dawning of the Age of Acquisitiveness
In 1969, I was seven years old and largely oblivious to the historical events happening around the world. Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon, half a million people came to
Global calories
The food on your plate, and how it got there, is the theme for our tenth issue. Food has been an area of conflict at least since the sugar boycotts
The bull in China’s shop
In this issue we are exploring the world of international organisations, values and globalisation. This is at a time when Trump is challenging all the norms, but maybe the norms
Collaboratively yours
The theme of this issue is common resource management. This may seem a niche interest but when you think about it there are many resources we have to manage together.
So what does the failure of Lehmans mean to you?
For me, it marked the end of an exciting and creative period which really started with the Rio Summit in 1992. During this period there was increasing space within the
What do you do?
Whether it’s the Duke of Edinburgh or the bride’s mum asking it, not everyone finds the “what do you do” question a comfortable one. It suggests that we are expected