Even the most spontaneous of us both require – and I think, enjoy – some semblance of routine. Even if youâre someone who enjoys making decisions on a whim, which Iâm very much not, that can become disconcerting after a…
The generation of energy is something most of us only appreciate when it isnât working. Having grown up in the digital age, where technology has become a necessity for daily living, access to resources which require electricity is the norm,…
Since the 2008 Great Financial Crisis, we have seen an equity market broadly supported by the action of the Federal Reserve. As the narrative goes, to save the world from a financial Armageddon, the Federal Reserve printed money and reduced…
Last month, the government voted in favour of increasing national insurance contributions by 1.25 percentage points. This led to the breaking of their manifesto commitment in 2019 of not increasing national insurance. The main criticism of this decision is that…
The mania surrounding Bitcoin appears to be more popular than ever and the widespread appetite for cryptocurrencies has encouraged more countries and corporations to dabble in this emerging market. Only this month, El Salvador introduced Bitcoin as its legal tender,…
The UK has recently received warnings from various industries of potential shortages in the coming months. As reported by the Bank of England, there have already been shortages in âfurniture, car parts and electrical goodsâ. Supermarkets have also signaled that there…
Jane Austen once wrote that âIt is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in  possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.â Well, a more recent universal truth is that  a bank holiday without…
In 1970, the economist Milton Friedman laid out what he believed to be the ultimate role of enterprise within modern society – âThere is one and only one social responsibility of business â to use its resources and engage in…
Over the coming months, Backbench will be partnering with Torrin Wilkins, Director of Centre Think Tank for a series of comment pieces. In his column, Torrin will explore prominent policy issues – some of them related to the latest news…
Like much of life, economic theory is not black and white. In an age of uncertainty, people are understandably looking for clarity. This desire for certainty does not always fit well with academic theory. Broadly, whatever your view on a…