“The benefits … are being paid for by mounting government debt… much of it simply implicit in the promises of what services the government will pay for. Those promises will almost certainly be broken.” Diane Coyle, The Economics of Enough
The Church and Intergenerational Justice
Angus Hanton explains why, as he sees it, the Church(es) are not on board when it comes to intergenerational matters It is perhaps surprising that British Churches, both Protestant and Catholic, have been so quiet on the subject of Intergenerational Justice, both in relation to imbalances between younger and older generations and in relation to… Read more »
The housing crisis
Antony Mason see that something has to give – but where? The Halifax came up with some depressing statistics last week. Based on a poll of 4000 non-homeowners, they found that two-thirds of young people (20–45 year olds) believe they have no prospect of ever getting on the property ladder.
New book highlights scandal of internships
David Kingman reflects on the internship debate A new book ‘Intern Nation: How to earn nothing and learn little in the brave new economy’ by Ross Perlin, an American author, analyses in impressive detail the growing exploitation of young people by the older generation in the corporate world.
Can Britain afford higher tuition fees?
David Kingman asks if higher tuition fees that the government plans to charge will actually cost it more money because of a financial miscalculation Since the government’s plan to charge £9,000 a year for tuition fees was announced, most of the debate surrounding them has centred on whether the plan is socially, rather than… Read more »
How is happiness distributed intergenerationally?
Angus Hanton sees happiness as a valuable benefit of intergenerational sharing It is becoming fashionable to consider measures of happiness in formulating policy, but the essential pattern of happiness is well known.
Quote 19
“Future taxpayers will be paying a higher share of their incomes to their governments for a lower entitlement to services and benefits from their governments.” Diane Coyle, The Economics of Enough
Quote 18
“All economies lack the kinds of statistics needed to ensure that policies take due account of their legacy for future generations.” Diane Coyle, The Economics of Enough
“Natural Wastage” and its intergenerational impact
Angus Hanton argues that using “natural wastage” as a policy for staff reduction has a negative impact on youth employment A classic insider/outsider problem arises when a firm or government department needs to sack people. Okay, “sacking” is too brutal – they need to “reduce headcount” or even to “re-engineer the workforce”.
Care home crisis: the shape of things to come
Antony Mason looks at why the long-term care of the elderly is now causing serious concern Not one, not two, not three but FOUR major news items this past week have drawn attention to the impending crisis in the long-term care of the elderly.