Social science

Article — 14 January 2009 — 1,234 words

The nasty side of human nature

Business — Personal — Social science — Society

The final month or so of working at Woolworths was without doubt the strangest. It was certainly an experience. The bright new posters, along with the masses of media publicity surrounding the problems Woolworths faced, attracted a different kind of customer. As friendly Woolies regulars browsed the aisles, the vultures started circling alongside them. I […]

Article — 13 January 2009 — 993 words

The beginning of the end

Business — Economics — Society

Work: Woolworths

On 5 November, a poster appeared in the staff area at Woolworths. “Remember remember the 5th of November”, it proclaimed. The copy went on to outline how Woolworths would celebrate 100 years on Britian’s High Streets on 5 November 2009, and to look out for the celebrations the company would be having throughout the year. […]

Article — 25 October 2008 — 299 words

The paradox of the paradox of voting

Economics — Politics

I wrote my dissertation about the paradox of voting, which is the problem that rational choice theorists have in explaining why people vote. You are more likely to be killed on the way to the polling station than affect the result once you’re inside it — so why vote? The puzzle interested me as soon […]

Article — 4 August 2006 — 158 words

Not just about money II

Economics — Media — Technology

This Economist article asks why so many economists blog for free when they could be making money. Like millions of others, economists from circles of academia and public policy spend hours each day writing for nothing. The concept seems at odds with the notion of economists as intellectual instruments trained in the maximisation of utility […]

Linknote — 3 August 2006 — 83 words

Economics

Economics everywhere — Piers Parry-Crooke — BBC - The Editors

There is a post on the BBC’s Editors blog pointing out Evan Davies’ report on how the recent hot weather has been affecting the economy in so many different ways. Having been working inside a boiling shop for the past few weeks in this extreme weather, I’ve seen that in action. Even a Saturday was pretty dead. The post ends by tackling the misconception that economics is just all about money issues, which I was recently trying to explain to a sceptical colleague.