Tag Archives: Politics

In a Carnegie-Rochester paper from 1979, Robert Lucas reviews an earlier report to the OECD by a group of independent experts. Lucas views the report as vacuous, eclectic, and dangerous: … I know of no other way to convey the Report’s undisciplined eclecticism. It meanders through the long list of issues which have been defined in popular debate as “policy problems,” accepting all as equally suited to treatment by government action and equally amenable to economic expertise, offering...

It’s been a tumultuous couple of months in UK politics. After a troubled time in office, plagued by scandal, internal party frictions and much public embarrassment, Boris Johnson exited the stage leaving behind a big old mess for his successor to clean up. An economy in tatters, inflation at record highs and an energy crisis the likes of which this generation hasn’t seen before.  It’s a miracle that anyone in the kingdom could be found that would be willing to assume the...

It’s been a tumultuous couple of months in UK politics. After a troubled time in office, plagued by scandal, internal party frictions and much public embarrassment, Boris Johnson exited the stage leaving behind a big old mess for his successor to clean up. An economy in tatters, inflation at record highs and an energy crisis the likes of which this generation hasn’t seen before.  It’s a miracle that anyone in the kingdom could be found that would be...

Europeans are already facing previously unthinkable dilemmas  As the citizens of the Eurozone and the UK are increasingly struggling to make ends meet due to record levels of inflation, and as the winter draws closer, a serious cost of living crisis is set to spiral out of control. Skyrocketing energy costs, combined with galloping prices for food and other essential goods and services are bound to erase whatever was left of the “middle class”. Households that were once...

According to a recent survey, health costs, pensions and climate change and the three greatest concerns among Switzerland’s population. Photo by ILOVESwitzerland on Pexels.comThe online survey published by Tamedia on 26 August 2022 looks at support for the main political parties along with the main concerns of voters. Since the previous survey on 5 January 2022, support for the PLR/FDP (+1.4 percentage points) and Liberal Green Party (+1.3 percentage points) has risen. While the Green...

I’m back from Geneva where, among other things, I briefly visited the headquarter of the World Economic Forum (WEF) to express my appreciation for this organization. Check out my picture :-). In addition I enjoyed a conversation with Jose El Niño – you will find the podcast under the below link. Claudio Grass, Switzerland If you want to listen, please click on the following link to the podcast:...

I’m back from Geneva where, among other things, I briefly visited the headquarter of the World Economic Forum (WEF) to express my appreciation for this organization. Check out my picture :-). In addition I enjoyed a conversation with Jose El Niño – you will find the podcast under the below link. Claudio Grass, Switzerland If you want to listen, please click on the following link to the podcast:...

Part II of II, by Claudio Grass, Switzerland Finally, a victory for the State  Central planners and paper pushers of all stripes are not generally known for their acumen or their ability to recognize and successfully seize opportunities in time. They always tend to lag behind more or less every other member of society: from the innovators and entrepreneurs, to the criminal masterminds, which is why all upstanding citizens still...

Part II of II, by Claudio Grass, Switzerland Finally, a victory for the State  Central planners and paper pushers of all stripes are not generally known for their acumen or their ability to recognize and successfully seize opportunities in time. They always tend to lag behind more or less every other member of society: from the innovators and entrepreneurs, to the criminal masterminds, which is why all upstanding citizens still retain a modicum of freedom, but also why we all...

Part I of II, by Claudio Grass, Switzerland For years, I’ve been following very closely all the relevant updates on the State’s war on cash. I’ve read and written a lot about all the direct and indirect efforts to restrict the citizens’ choices and make sure they shift all their transactions and savings to the digital realm, where they can be better monitored, controlled and if need be, confiscated, by central authorities.  For some time now, the...