".............. governments need to deploy massive fiscal stimulus, including through “helicopter drops” of direct cash disbursements to households. Given the size of the economic shock, fiscal deficits in advanced economies will need to increase from 2-3% of GDP to about 10% or more. Only central governments have balance sheets large and strong enough to prevent … Continue reading ‘Helicopter drops’ and the magic money tree…
Author: Site Manager
There is a magic money tree (or a forest) after all!
Just think. Barely a month ago government was still sticking to its ‘fiscal rules’ about how much it could borrow and for what. Loosening the ‘austerity’ straitjacket slightly but still reminding us that there was no ‘magic money tree’, everything needed to be costed and paid for. On the eve of Chancellor’s 'coronavirus' budget, announcing … Continue reading There is a magic money tree (or a forest) after all!
Guidelines on A-level assessment announced
We now know the basis on which this year's A-level students will be accredited. According to the in-house journal Schools Week, exam boards will: “Ask teachers to submit their judgement about the grade that they believe the student would have received if exams had gone ahead” Teachers should consider evidence including performance on mock exams … Continue reading Guidelines on A-level assessment announced
Shut schools: cancel the exams
The Socialist Education Association (affiliated to the Labour Party) has issued a statement on the coronavirus crisis. https://socialisteducationalassociation.org/ The statement was issued before the Government’s most recent advice this Monday - so it’s possible the SEA will want to amend it. Halting classes, but also taking additional measures like those outlined in the statement would … Continue reading Shut schools: cancel the exams
What price a graduate?
The Institute of Fiscal Studies has published detailed research on graduate earnings compared with non-graduates. It's based on those attending university in the mid-2000s. According to IFS, earnings of male graduates grow strongly throughout their 30s and far outstrips that of non-graduates. Male graduates enjoy a £15k growth between 30 and 40, compared with just … Continue reading What price a graduate?
Tories dismantling their own ‘reserve army’
While all major western capitalist economies have experienced a growth in the proportion of low paid, low skilled work especially within the service sector, these trends have been particularly pronounced in the UK. Accelerated by a decade of austerity they have been the deliberate result of an economic model promoted by Boris Johnson's predecessors. … Continue reading Tories dismantling their own ‘reserve army’
Apprenticeships: Guardian’s editorial falls far short.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/16/the-guardian-view-on-apprenticeships-failing-the-young While the headline of this morning's Guardian's is correct, it's analysis falls far short....... It is not possible for the UK to emulate the German apprenticeship model. This continues to be based on a ‘social partnership’ where employers, trade unions and local state institutions work together to plan skill and employment targets, but also … Continue reading Apprenticeships: Guardian’s editorial falls far short.
