On 13th November Martin Wolf gave the 2013 Wincott Lecture. Robert Skidelsky provided the comment. You can read Martin Wolf's lecture, and access charts for this comment, at http://www.wincott.co.uk/lectures/2013 I propose to comment on Martin’s excellent lecture under three heads which all point to the central issue of how sustainable is the welcome recovery now … Continue reading Comment on the Wincott Lecture
Category: Speeches
How Much Is Enough? – a speech at the Bruno Kreisky Forum, October 2013
When we experience a great shock - when our world, the world - goes off an unpleasant, unforeseen tangent - it is natural to try to interrogate our situation. Why did it happen? What were we doing wrong? Perhaps we were on the wrong track? We also search for new wisdom from half-forgotten fragments of … Continue reading How Much Is Enough? – a speech at the Bruno Kreisky Forum, October 2013
St Paul’s Institute debate series: The City and the Common Good
In May 2013 Lord Skidelsky spoke in a debate for the St Paul's Institute's lecture series on The City and the Common Good. Now you can listen to the debate at: audioboo.fm/boos/1922083-the-city-and-the-common-good-good-money-with-robert-skidelsky-2013
Leveson Inquiry
Leveson Inquiry Speech, Friday 11th January 2013 My Lords, almost everything that there is to say has already been said, not least by the noble Lord, Lord Prescott, so I will just concentrate on two points. First, there is the ingenuity of Leveson, which recognises that voluntary self-regulation via the almost toothless Press Complaints Commission … Continue reading Leveson Inquiry
Keynes, Hobson, Marx
I. President Lyndon Johnson asked John Kenneth Galbraith to write him a speech on economic policy. After glancing at it LBJ said 'You know Ken, the trouble with economics is it's like peeing in your pants. It feels hot to you, but leaves everyone else cold'. I felt a lot of sympathy with LBJ this … Continue reading Keynes, Hobson, Marx
Keynes for the 21st century, Renner Institute
Vienna, 18th March 2011 I am deeply honoured by the invitation of the Renner Institute to address you this evening at the conclusion of the conference on Austro-Keynesianism. i. ‘When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?’ Keynes is supposed to have said, but almost certainly didn’t. This is a … Continue reading Keynes for the 21st century, Renner Institute
Comments on the state of economics
Government Economics Service Conference In 1931 Keynes remarked of a book by Hayek, ‘It is an extraordinary example of how, starting with a mistake, a remorseless logician can end in Bedlam’. If one thinks this through, it tells one all one needs to know about what’s wrong with economics. Economics is an axiomatic discipline. It … Continue reading Comments on the state of economics
Austerity v Stimulus
The Northern Ireland Economic Conference, Belfast I. How much do people mind the deficit? Do they lie awake at night worrying about it? Do they have nightmares about it? I tended to dismiss such thoughts as fanciful. Households and businesses, I thought, naturally worried about their own budgets, but not about the government’s budget. I … Continue reading Austerity v Stimulus
Europe’s Debt Crisis and Implications for Policy
Keynote Speech at FT Conference in Amsterdam In its latest briefing note the IMF warned that world growth would slow in the second half of 2010 and the first half of 2011. Meanwhile the cost of Greek government debt has shot up again, despite the ECB rescue-package, and the IMF will soon inject another 2.5bn … Continue reading Europe’s Debt Crisis and Implications for Policy
Russia in the World
Speech at EBRD Business Forum, May 21st 2007 Russia’s integration into the world economy has been based on energy. Energy is predominant both in its domestic economy and foreign trade. In 2006, oil and gas made up 40% of GDP, and 60% of Russia’s exports. Since 2000 rising oil export revenues have been the main … Continue reading Russia in the World
Robert Skidelsky 