Economics & Marginalia

Economics and Marginalia is an attempt to keep ahead of the avalanche of content published every week – the writing on economics, politics, development and pop culture that keeps my brain occupied. In it, I pick between 5 and 10 of my favourite pieces of -mainly- popular economics and political commentary every week and briefly summarise what I liked about it, or what it taught me, in an accessible way.

The guiding spirit behind this blog is that the world is complicated but comprehensible, and I look to showcase writing that doesn’t dumb down the complexity, but puts a premium on clarity.

More from the Series

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Economics & Marginalia: October 25, 2024

October 25, 2024
Sports are sometimes hugely unpredictable: the Pakistan cricket team can be unbeatable or a complete rabble on any given day; indeed, they can shift from one to the other in a matter of minutes. At present, they’re looking unbeatable, but like the weather in Ireland—if you want it to change, just wa...
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Economics & Marginalia: October 18, 2024

October 18, 2024
Today’s links come to you from a heaving, overcrowded train carriage, perched in a corner with my laptop precarious, my charger looped around my waist and various annoyed-looking fellow-commuters nearby. Combine that with the England team contriving to go from a score of 800 and an innings victory t...
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Economics & Marginalia: October 11, 2024

October 11, 2024
This week, I’ve been reflecting on the unexpected similarities between the Tory party and the Pakistani cricket team. For those of you keeping track, the Tories are about to elect their 3,218,573th leader since 2015. On Tuesday evening it appeared that the choice would be between James Cleverly (one...
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Economics & Marginalia: October 4, 2024

October 04, 2024
Well, that was quite a week. Mark Lowcock and I finally published our book charting the birth, life and demise of the Department for International Development (DFID), for whom we both worked for a substantial portion of our respective careers. The launch, on Wednesday, was attended by much of the gr...