the new economics foundation

Why you should work at nef

Lois Fiander — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:29:34 +0000

We're currently advertising a range of new positions - check out them out on our vacancies page.

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Hi there, I’m Lois, nef’s HR administrator – I’ve worked here since January 2011.

Back to the 90s?

David Boyle — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:01:14 +0000

Nineties-style economic policy led to the current crisis - it is not a solution.

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Image by: Rachel E. Chapman

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Something is stirring in mainstream politics in the UK. That is rare enough in itself, but this trend is not very welcome: it is the return of the Blair and Mandelson Show in defence of 1990s-style economic policy – in other words, the very ideas that got us into the mess we are currently in.

Greek austerity: the end of the line

James Meadway — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:52:33 +0000

After two years of self-defeating austerity measures, a Greek exit looks more likely than ever.

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Image by: Julien Lagarde

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This is not a Greek crisis. It is a European crisis, in two parts. First, the financial crash of 2008 provoked a global recession of exceptional severity. Combined with bailouts for the banks, this led to sharply increased debts and deficits for most large economies – including those in the Eurozone.

Public opinion and sentencing reform

Stephen Whitehead — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:43:36 +0000

New research reveals a public that is more open to reform than those who claim to speak for them.

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Image by: Ben Sutherland

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The prospect of a new crime and justice bill, heralded by last week’s Queen’s speech, is likely to re-awaken debate around the coalition’s sentencing policy. While its latest proposals around community sentences are still at the consultation stage, the bill is another step in the coalition’s programme of cutting costs and increasing transparency in the justice system.

An invitation to join the Festival of Transition

Stephen Reid — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:46:11 +0000

The first event, a deep walk along the Thames, takes place tomorrow.

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Image by: pynomoscato

Link to original image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinomoscato/4724880802/sizes/l/in/photostream/

What do Streetbank, Move Your Money UK and the Big Lunch all have in common?

One thing, at least, is that they are all taking part in the Festival of Transition, coordinated by nef.

Making common sense common practise

Julia Slay — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:42:44 +0000

Reflections from the Wisdom of Prevention event held at LSE earlier this week.

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Image by: estherase

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This week, nef held a conference that marked the start of an exciting new programme of work we’re running on The Wisdom of Prevention. The event, supported by the Big Lottery Fund, bought together an impressive range of speakers from a range of sectors: Lord Adair Turner, Margaret Hodge MP, Jonathon Porritt, David Robinson, and Dharmendra Kanani from the Big Lottery Fund.

Shareholder Spring

Tony Greenham — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:25:05 +0000

Recent shareholder activism is encouraging, but does not represent a sudden shift to responsible and ethical capitalism. It’s not shareholder activism we need, but stakeholder activism.

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Image by: allensima

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So Andrew Moss (Aviva) joins Sly Bailey (Trinity Mirror) and David Brennan (AstraZeneca) on the CEO naughty step after shareholder revolts over their pay packets and poor corporate performance. Bob Diamond on the other hand manages to escape sanction and can carry on playing despite a chorus of criticism.

On elections

James Meadway — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:31:51 +0000

At opposite ends of the continent, voters in France and Greece decisively rejected austerity over the weekend.

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Image by: Andres Rueda

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At opposite ends of the continent, voters in France and Greece decisively rejected austerity over the weekend. Francois Hollande, first Socialist French President for 17 years, elected with a clear mandate to overturn swingeing spending cuts; in Greece, over 60 per cent of votes cast for anti-austerity parties and candidates, with Syriza, the Coalition of the Radical Left, making the biggest gains. Hollande has promised to rewrite the Merkel-Sarkozy “fiscal compact”, drafted and signed in December last year, that seeks to make austerity in Europe permanent and legally-binding.

‘Turning around troubled families’ is not prevention

Sarah Lyall — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:52:50 +0000

On the face of it, the focus on ‘troubled families’ set out in the government’s new Social Justice strategy looks like prevention but we need to be thinking much harder and more broadly about the needs expressed by ‘troubled families’.

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Image by: James K Thorp

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When you next hear Eric Pickles talking about the ‘120,000 troubled families’ costing the country billions each year, consider that the real ‘trouble’ may be within the system rather than individual ‘troublesome’ households.

Having your say on high pay

Emily Kenway — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:43:58 +0000

If you pay into a pension or an ISA you can take action to help tackle unfair high pay

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Image by: Remko van Dokkum

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By Emily Kenway, Fair Pensions