
Applying the Dismal Science
When Economists Give Advice to Governments
Palgrave Macmillan (Publisher)
Published on 16. December 2005
Book
Hardback
XI, 231 pages
978-1-4039-9458-5 (ISBN)
Description
In this exciting collection, Iain McLean and Colin Jennings bring together some of the most eminent social scientists to have advised British governments since 1964. Successive chapters show what went wrong in UK economic policy making in the 1960s and 1970s, what goes better now, and what still goes wrong. The editors explain how recent developments in economic theory have improved economic policy making. Contributors include two former Chief Economic Advisers at HM Treasury, and the co-designer of the successful '3G spectrum auction'.
Reviews / Votes
'That is the great strength of this book: it forces us to ask why we do economics, not from a purely abstract set of values, but rather from the perspective of those who have had to wrestle with these issues on a day-to-day basis.' - Roger Vickerman, Public Administration
More details
Edition
2005 ed.
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Palgrave USA
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
XI, 231 p.
Dimensions
Height: 227 mm
Width: 141 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
404 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4039-9458-5 (9781403994585)
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
12/2005
Palgrave Macmillan
€106.99
Shipment within 10-20 days
Persons
CHRISTOPHER ALLSOPP Fellow of New College, and Reader in Economic Policy, Oxford University, UK
ED BALLS MP for Normanton, UK since 2005 and formerly Chief Economic Adviser to the Treasury, 1997-2004
SIR ALLAN BUDD Formerly Chief Economic Adviser to the Treasury, 1991-1997
SIR CHRISTOPHER FOSTER Professor of Economics, and a Special Advisor on Transport and Local Government Finance
PETER JAY Formerly Chief Economics Correspondent, The Times, UK Ambassador to the USA and Economics Editor, BBC, UK
PAUL KLEMPERER Edgeworth Professor of Economics, Oxford University, UK
MARK H. ROBSON Formerly Economic Adviser to the Board of Inland Revenue, 1985-90, Principal Administrator in the Fiscal Affairs Division of the OECD 1993-5, and Senior Manager at the Bank of England, UK, 1995-2003
MARTIN WOLF Associate Editor and Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times
Content
List of Figures and Tables Foreword; M.Wolf Preface Notes on Contributors Introduction: Public Finance, Public Choice and Political Economy; I.McLean & C.Jennings 1964-79; P.Jay Fiscal Policy in the United Kingdom; A.Budd The Use and Abuse of Economics and Social Science with Special Reference to Transport Policy; C.Foster New Labour and New Social Democracy; I.McLean Stability, Growth and Labour's Macroeconomic Policy; E.Balls Macroeconomic Policy: Theory and Institutional Practice; C.Allsopp The United Kingdom as Monetary and Fiscal Union; M.H.Robson Using and Abusing Economic Theory; P.Klemperer Conclusion; C.Jennings & I.McLean References Index