In the struggle to get Britain working, the long shadow of austerity could be part of the problem

By Guilherme Klein Martins, Lecturer in Economics, University of Leeds

Austerity is an unusual economic concept. While it is one of the economic terms that attracts the most interest from the public, it remains controversial in policy debates. Advocates argue that reducing government deficits through spending cuts and tax increases restores confidence and stabilises economies. Critics, however, warn that these policies just deepen downturns.

My recent research, using data from 16 countries over several decades, provides new evidence supporting the second view. That…

Read complete article

~	‘American dream? No, Latin American dream.’ The poem that is capturing the hearts of immigrants

~	Breaking the cycle of crisis and restoring stability in Africa's Lake Chad region

~	How to find climate data and science the Trump administration removed from government websites

~	Evolving intelligent life took billions of years − but it may not have been as unlikely as many scientists predicted

~	Belarus: Violations remain ‘widespread and systematic’, says independent expert group

~	UN rights office condemns continuing Israeli military operation in West Bank

~	Most of the world has long feared US power. Now its allies do too.

~	Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy – our favourite frazzled English woman is back but life’s more complicated

~	Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says antidepressants are harder to quit than heroin – is he right?

~	White Lotus does Thailand dirty