Archive for August, 2011
Forget quantitative easing, why not try the Billion Pound Drop!
Posted by Nick Cowen in Economics on 26/08/2011
As the world economy teeters on the edge of another recession, Keynesian-inclined economists are coming up with more and more outlandish ideas for stimulating the economy, from encouraging shoplifting, to faking an alien invasion as an excuse to ramp up military spending. These mechanisms, I will try to argue, while insane, do indicate how current approaches to economic stimulus might be improved.
EBacc should be based on entry, not performance, to achieve its goal
Posted by Anastasia de Waal in Education on 25/08/2011
This year’s GCSE results face additional scrutiny against the new EBacc benchmark: A*-C achievement in the five ‘core’ academic subjects. How schools measure up aside, the government is failing on this indicator.
Un- ‘Finnish’ business
Posted by Natalie Hamill in European Union on 24/08/2011
Greece’s second bailout package looks to be on the cusp of unravelling, as several member states are pushing for their own conditions in return for their bailout contributions. The ring leader, Finland’s new government, is proving a thorn in the side of the would-be Eurozone ‘fixers’, obstinately refusing to roll over and ‘play ball’ and leading others along the path of rebellion. The bailout package, agreed only last month, may well not be ready for Greece’s September payments and, after all the thrashing to try to stay afloat, Greece could finally go under.
A-levelling up?
Posted by Nick Cowen in Education on 19/08/2011
In our report, Swedish Lessons (2008), we described a troubling rate of grade inflation:
Results from the ALIS project use the International Test of Developed Abilities to compare the attainment of pupils from year to year. Taking an average of 40 A-level subjects, Robert Coe found that those scoring 50 per cent on the ITDA test in 1997 would tend to achieve low C-grades, but by 2005 were achieving low B-grades. Essentially, a B-grade of today is worth, in general ability terms, the C-grade of around ten years ago.
Don’t legislate from the hip
Posted by Nick Cowen in Civil Liberty, Crime on 18/08/2011
Everyone is keen emphasise how the English riots change everything. But one of the worst things that the Government and policy-makers could do in reaction to the riots is overreact.
The ever closer union
Posted by Natalie Hamill in European Union on 17/08/2011
Each time the EU finds itself floundering, you can be sure of two things: there will be a rush of people saying ‘I told you so’, and the respective leaders of France and Germany will appear, united on a podium, with a ‘cunning plan’ to salvage the day. This usually involves some suggestion of ‘deeper integration’ to prevent future misdemeanours; it also, more often than not, consists of a mere skeleton of an idea, requiring drastic fleshing out before the potential can really be examined. And yesterday’s Franco-German Summit, which was the first public step calling for closer economic and fiscal integration, slavishly followed this trend.
