ECONOMICS - including links that are not very date-specific e.g. to websites, books, introductions to subjects etc.
 
 My web-site HUB page HERE
Not fully comprehensive at present - just a selection in need of organizing and enlarging.

LINKS to articles and news re ECONOMICS: http://www.dragonfly1.plus.com/EconomicsLINKS-2013.html and for pre-2013: http://www.dragonfly1.plus.com/LINKS.pdf - a big file!

These classify links into categories e.g. :  As yet unclassified economics items including INEQUALITY & the living wage,  The OCCUPY movement and Uncut movement (no austerity cuts, instead no tax-dodging & no tax haven secrecy etc.), Robin Hood Tax , Progressive economics that work for all of us even if zero growth,  Tax dodging by the rich and by corporations (especially multi-nationals) & TAX HAVENS & City of London.

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Introduction     (needs re-wording to make the points clearer)
 
The UK and the world are facing increasingly huge challenges such as increasing climate change, environmental degradation, habitat loss, biodiversity loss, failing governance of food and water resources, income inequality, social injustice, the suppression and extinction of ironically sustainably-living indigenous tribes, etc, etc. These problems or challenges are all affected greatly by the power of money and who controls, uses (and abuses) it. Increasing income inequality together with globalisation - have hugely magnified the power of big money as used by the relatively few people (less than 1%) who have increasingly more of the whole "pie".

Anyone who wants to prevent these national and global problems from getting worse needs to understand the variety of types of economics and pseudo-economics-ideology that are in contention, and also how money is created, banks became parasites instead of servicing our needs, etc, etc.

Whether you "like it or loathe it" (i.e. find the "can of worms" distasteful) - you have to have a very critical understanding of the main variations within economics, and especially their associated flaws, if you want to understand the underlying drivers for these major world problems, because politicians chose which school of thought in economics best provides an ostensible basis to "justify" their policies. And politicians in turn use the latter to try and adjust the "playing field" on which companies interact and how wealth and essential resources for life become distributed. The spectrum of economics goes way beyond the orthodox textbook type - which progressive economists show to be partly flawed - such as by big omissions (e.g. how money is created).

Economics is actually, put simply, a fascinating "David versus Goliath" battle of different schools of thought:
"Goliath" comprises the numerous neoliberal and neo-classical economists and think-tanks who support the free-market ideology favoured by the super-rich 1% and big business. The latter groups favour neo-liberalism as it provides an academic justification for their greed-satisfying ideology - though in reality the latter is a 'market-failure' end-point of neo-liberalism which is more oligarchic, with a distorted 'playing field' that suppresses SME's and more fully locks-in increasing income inequality.
"David" comprises those progressive economists who expose the myths that Goliath uses or the flaws Goliath ignores, and presents alternative economics that provide an evidence-based academic rationale that supports progression towards a better world for all of us not just the most wealthy.
Naturally I favour the latter - and the 2007/8 financial crisis has exposed to anyone with a critical mind the flaws and myths of the neo-liberal mindset, and the propaganda used to try and hide these flaws and myths.
This "shock doctrine" propaganda [sensu Naomi Kline] has unfortunately been successful so far, as it exploits the post-traumatic psychology of mind-closure in response to fear amongst the less intelligent or less rational or more conservative (little 'c') populace who are suffering the most. Victims can be blind or myopic to who their real enemy is - and thus become vulnerable to the divisive divide-and-rule propaganda shown vey clearly recently by the "scroungers versus ...." and the "skivers versus strivers" hate-propaganda (as used by the Nazis against the Jews).

A Rowntree Foundation's recent report shows how much this propaganda has succeeded. But much more dismaying, indeed sickening, is the response to it by Labour's Tory-collaboratoring Frank Field who recently showed he has decided that the [tarnished-]"New" Labour should adjust their policies to the right to go with these myths and flaws as if they are true - instead of trying to debunk them. This will have serious consequences unless it is exposed and stopped.

Neoliberal economics >>> neoliberal politics: Part way down my website 'hub' page there is a section headed: Why is our present government a big threat to the environment, and to our future quality of life? (& even our existence) - this summarizes some political aspects of neoliberalism and how it threatens our environment, and also gives a 'taster' of its historical background etc.

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GLOSSARY links                 - with thanks to Sophie Cade for finding these links & emailing them to me.



Degrowth: 'Degrow or die?' - Red Pepper - http://www.redpepper.org.uk/degrow-or-die/

Inflation: 'On the Origin and Evolution of the Word Inflation' - http://www.clevelandfed.org/Research/commentary/1997/1015.pdf

QE - Quantitative Easing - definition from Financial Times Lexicon - http://lexicon.ft.com/Term?term=quantitative-easing

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Interesting websites and lecturers, authors etc:

PRIME ECONOMICS http://www.primeeconomics.org/ - for ‘Policy research on macro-economics’, ‘PRIME is an economic think-tank that promotes understanding of the nature of credit, and its role in determining macroeconomic outcomes. Fundamental to our approach is an implicit and explicit restoration of ethics in relation to money and credit.’ - Includes pieces by Ann Pettifor (worth following on twitter) - who predicted the 2007/8 fin.crisis. Great stuff, ditto nef, Positive Money, Tax Justice Network, ... PRIME ECONOMICS help expose the debunking of Osborne’s Reinhart & Rogoff economic pillar of sand

Positive Money http://www.positivemoney.org.uk/
'Positive Money is a not-for-profit research and campaign group. We work to raise awareness of the connections between our current monetary and banking system and some of the biggest social, economic and environmental challenges that we face today. Positive Money believes that a major cause of many of our current social, economic and environmental problems lies in the way that we allow money to be created. We work to make the confusing world of money and banking much easier to understand.'

nef - The New Economics Foundation – economics as if people and the planet mattered http://www.neweconomics.org/ Positive Money - http://www.positivemoney.org.uk/          
Their joint submission to ICB pdf is worth reading (at least the beginning of it) NEF-Southampton-Positive-Money-ICB-Submission - download it from eg nef or Positive Money
nef @theneweconomics nef is an independent think-and-do tank that inspires and demonstrates real economic well-being. London, UK · http://www.neweconomics.org eg: http://www.neweconomics.org/blog/2012/12/05/dash-for-gas-will-worsen-fuel-poverty
'Cancel the Apocalypse' book by Andrew Simms   Guardian bookshop http://www.guardianbookshop.co.uk/BerteShopWeb/viewProduct.do?ISBN=9781408702369
nef Mythbusters:  e.g. “Britain is broke - we can't afford to invest” - Stephen Reid -  the new economics foundation http://www.neweconomics.org/mythbusters-britain-is-broke


More myth-busting - Guardian's Ripped-off Britons Liebrary  e.g. Do income tax cuts for the rich make us all richer  See the dismal evidence to the contrary 11mar12   http://www.blog.rippedoffbritons.com/2012/03/do-income-tax-cuts-for-rich-make-us-all.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jevons_paradox                     +     www.thisismoney.co.uk                     p2p ZOPA

http://wheredoesmymoneygo.org/dailybread.html - Showing you where your taxes get spent

Prof Richard Werner of Southampton Uni. -  Banking & The Economy - YouTube 30mar11 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDHSUgA29Ls “Banks have a pivotal function in the economy, they are the main creators of the money supply. In granting or issuing so called 'loans' to their customers they create the money that is essential to make the modern economy work. In fact says Prof Werner: 'there is no such thing as a bank loan' he says what happens is credit creation, when banks make the money (credit ) needed out of nothing.  He explains how the system works, whereby, from a miniscule deposit of funds a huge amount of money is created.”  
** Richard Werner: Debt Free & Interest Free Money - YouTube 26may11 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIkk7AfYymg
Dr Werner discloses facts about money creation that are at the core of every modern economy. About how the creation of the essential money that is needed to sustain growth is founded on debt. This suits banks, of course. Governments have huge debts, to banks, and few people realise that it does not have to be like this. Taxes are needed for paying for decades of past interest on government borrowing. Banking is an extracting mechanism. It extracts resources from the economy, through interest payments and the taxation needed to cover the debt burden of the government. Why borrow from banks and pay interest when there is an alternative way of money creation and allocation? Governments could create the money and allocate it into circulation through its spending programmes.


Positive Money
Useful ref re 97% - much of which is secured lending for esp house mortgages http://www.positivemoney.org/how-banks-create-money/how-much-money-have-banks-created/ Full-Reserve-Banking-in-Plain-English1 (1) 2010-aug2012 by Positive Money http://www.positivemoney.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Full-Reserve-Banking-in-Plain-English1.pdf
Positive Money » How the BBC is misleading the public about the financial crisis 7aug12 http://www.positivemoney.org.uk/2012/08/how-the-bbc-is-misleading-the-public-about-the-financial-crisis/
Full-Reserve-Banking-in-Plain-English1 http://www.positivemoney.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Full-Reserve-Banking-in-Plain-English1.pdf
How to reduce debt and unemployment   Positive News 5mar12 Ben Dyson http://positivenews.org.uk/2012/blogs/positive_money/6247/reduce-debt-unemployment/


Martin Wolf (FT): 
In the Financial Times, Martin Wolf writes: "The essence of the contemporary monetary system is creation of money, out of nothing, by private banks' often foolish lending."

Prof Jem Bendell         Now at Ambleside
TEDxTransmedia 2011 – Prof Jem Bendell - The Money Myth – YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5uGLbV5zVo  from October 2012 I will be Professor of Sustainability Leadership at the University of Cumbria http://jembendell.wordpress.com/about/

Renegade Economist – vg Economic Discussion & Critical Review   http://www.renegadeeconomist.com/ - Versus creation of money by privately-owned banks, rent-seeking..., vs neo-classical economics. Film: Four Horsemen

Green Economy Coalition http://greeneconomycoalition.org/about

Prof. Steve Keen (Australian)       - highlights the big role of private debt in an economy      - also uses mathematical models re this
[my comments: neolibs can ignore private debt & instead they  often focus on public debt - which with the debunking of Reinhart & Rogoff's paper is now shown to be much much less significant (maybe even insignificant!) than as made out to be by neoliberal politicians who focus on it - probably as a distraction?]
Prof Steve Keen debunks neoclassical economics: Ignoring the role of private debt in an economy is like driving without accounting for your blind-spot.   British Politics and Policy at LSE 14mar12 http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/2012/03/14/ignoring-the-role-of-private-debt-in-an-economy-is-like-driving-without-accounting-for-your-blind-spot/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed:+BritishPoliticsAndPolicyAtLse+(British+politics+and+policy+at+LSE) Steve Keen is Professor of Economics & Finance at the University of Western Sydney, and author of the popular book Debunking Economics, a second edition of which has just been published (Zed Books UK, 2011; www.debunkingeconomics.com). He will be delivering a public lecture at the LSE on 3 April 2012.  Steve blogs at http://www.debtdeflation.com/blogs/ and is on Twitter: @ProfSteveKeen.
Steve Keen @ProfSteveKeen Economics Prof, Neoclassical Economics critic, Debunking Economics author, Debwatch blogger Sydney, Aus · http://www.debtdeflation.com/blogs
A "keen" UK associate with Steve Keen is polymath planning consultant and mathematical economist Andrew Lainton (I follow him on twitter as he criticized the draft NPPF)
nef ‏@theneweconomics Reconciling Krugman and Keen using nef's model bit.ly/MHT2Zk@NYTimeskrugman @ProfSteveKeen Retweeted by Steve Keen

BBC Radio 4 - Analysis, Steve Keen  'Why Economics Is Bunk' Sun.10jun12 BBCR4  30mins  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01j5h51

 - via  Sophie Cade & Gwen's Mum on Tue.14may13 (Gwen's mum had heard it on the radio)
“Newsnight Economics Editor Paul Mason interviews the controversial economist Steve Keen before an audience at the London School of Economics. Keen was one of a small number of economists who predicted there would be a major financial crisis before the 2008 crash. He argues that if we keep the "parasitic banking sector" alive the economy dies, and says that conventional economics provides an unwitting cover for "the greatest ponzi schemes in history".  Producer: Kavita Puri.”

Emanuele Campiglio - Reconciling [Paul] Krugman and Keen using nef's model   the new economics foundation http://www.neweconomics.org/blog/2012/07/25/reconciling-krugman-and-keen-using-nefs-model


Paul Krugman and Stiglitz are not too far apart in thinking, and are worth following.

Economists: John Maynard Keynes vs free-market economists such as Friedrich Hayek (eg http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19706272) & Milton Friedman (much of Thatcherism & neoliberalism comes from Milton Friedman). Hayek is more of a purist market economist than Friedman - as Friedman allows a little state intervention - though only a tiny amount as compared with Keynes.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation http://www.jrf.org.uk/ - “Poverty, place and ageing society”  

PREDISTRIBUTION PRE-DISTRIBUTION acc to Wikipedia is a neologism[4] coined by Yale University Professor Jacob Hacker is the idea that the state should try to prevent inequalities occurring in the first place rather than ameliorating inequalities through the tax and benefits system once they have occurred as occurs under "redistribution". In addition, the term 'predistribution' has been used (in the same sense as indicated above) by authors James Robertson and Joseph Huber in the book, 'Creating New Money' (New Economics Foundation, London, UK) nef Policy Network eg http://www.policy-network.net/pno_detail.aspx?ID=4245&title=Waiting-for-growth

The Liberal  Politics - The Neo-Liberal Democrats by Simon Kovar AUG2010 http://www.theliberal.co.uk/libdems/neo-liberal-democrats.html The Orange Book neoliberalism   - A useful read as it distinguishes the neo-liberal Liberal Democrats from the social Liberal Democrats, i.e. right of centre vs left of centre.

Fiscal Multipliers, the IMF & the OBR   ToUChstone blog  A public policy blog from the TUC 10oct12 http://touchstoneblog.org.uk/2012/10/fiscal-multipliers-the-imf-the-obr/ In economics, the fiscal multiplier is the ratio of a change in national incometo the change in government spending that causes it.

FILM: Inside Job 2010 http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/inside_job_2010/

INCOME INEQUALITY in relation to growth etc: UNCTAD - Trade and Development Report 2012 United Nations - ‘Policies for inclusive and balanced growth - Report by the secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’ http://www.scribd.com/doc/108746707/UNCTAD-Trade-and-Development-Report-2012 also covers eg: The interaction between unemployment and the wage share: 1. The traditional approach: employment creation through wage restraint 2. The alternative approach: wage growth as the key determinant of demand growth. “Higher wages and lower inequality can stimulate demand and output growth …” + read Conclusions pp166-7  - versus austerity & neoliberalism! - via tweet to Monbiot by writer for www.energyroyd.org.uk - and here’s Monbiot’s related piece:

George Monbiot‘If you think we're done with neoliberalism, think again’   George Monbiot   Comment is free   The Guardian 14jan12 http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/14/neoliberal-theory-economic-failure


Ellen MacArthur Foundation http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/ - The Circular Economy - a new model for macroeconomics - products re-vamped by manufacturer recycling materials and reducing energy needs, designing out waste instead of designing in obsolesence


Adair TurnerTurner defends permanent money printing - FT.com 6apr13 by Chris Giles, Economics Editor http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/22c5d210-6fbe-11e2-956b-00144feab49a.html#axzz2PdU5jEcs
Print money to fund spending – Turner - FT.com 6feb13 Adair Turner http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1be21d54-6fb5-11e2-956b-00144feab49a.html#axzz2PgOd7t2u

'DEBT, MONEY AND MEPHISTOPHELES: HOW DO WE GET OUT OF THIS MESS?' - ADAIR TURNER
CASS BUSINESS SCHOOL 6th February 2013 http://www.fsa.gov.uk/static/pubs/speeches/0206-at.pdf in my folder

QE: ‘What is quantitative easing?’ BBC News, 7mar13  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15198789


MMT: Debt, Deficits, and Modern Monetary Theory - by Bill Mitchell is the Research Professor in Economics and the Director of the Centre of Full Employment and Equity at the University of Newcastle, Australia. The following is an edited transcript of the interview, conducted August 15, 2011. in Harvard International Review 16oct11 http://hir.harvard.edu/debt-deficits-and-modern-monetary-theory via @wonkmonk

‘Top 484 Influencers’ (twitter urls) http://altwire.utne.com/rt_influencer/economics_v3/network via @wonkmonk

@wonkmonk - worth following - Stiglitz recommends we follow her - she provides numerous links of potential interest

Nobel Prize-winning Stiglitz is a very likeable economist - in extreme contrast to the neolibs & neoclassicals

We mustn't forget Ann Pettifor - who wrote a book predicting the 2007/8 crisis. I follow her on twitter.

Frances Coppola ‏@Frances_Coppola30m
 - she is well worth following on twitter for her insightful critical questioning of ...   zzz I'm sleepy! need a break. She's also a singer, and lives in Kent.

Danny Axford ‏
@DannyAxford [keen tweeter on cycling – and economics! - maybe as a hobby?] @UnlearningEcon Politics = the compromise of unlimited wants and limited resources, Economics = theoretical routes to theoretical compromise


I have made several "economics jokes": these are just words to remind me to write them down some-time - one re Keynes versus Friedman and where they end up, and ..... forgotten it...