Weekly GFC Roll for May 29th 2009

Published in May 29th, 2009

Thanks again to blog member Evan Harris for compiling this weekly list, and for blog members passing on their suggestions. If you see any article or blog entry that you think deserves recording for posterity, send the link to gfcwrap at gmail.com.
And a reminder for any blog members in Sydney that I’ll be speaking at [...]

What a load of Bollocks

Published in May 25th, 2009

Posted by Cassander in Debtwatch

184 Comments

Two prominent economics textbook writers have recently written that the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) shows that the world needs more economics rather than less.
Writing in the New York Times, Gregory Mankiw could see some need to modify economics courses a bit in response to the GFC, but overall he felt that:
“Despite the enormity of recent [...]

The Pool Room, Week Ending May 22nd 2009

Published in May 23rd, 2009

Posted by Cassander in Debtwatch

21 Comments

Fans of the Australian movie classic “The Castle” will remember the archetypal line “This one’s going straight to the Pool Room”, uttered by the ever-optimistic Darryl Kerrigan whenever he was given a gift. If you haven’t yet seen the movie, consider setting aside a couple of hours to watch it.
Debtwatch’s “Poolroom gifts” come from the [...]

Economics Students: Join Toxic Textbooks

Published in May 16th, 2009

Posted by Cassander in Debtwatch

182 Comments

A new Facebook group dedicated to reforming economics tuition has just been established by Edward Fullbrook, the coordinator of PAECON, the Post-Autistic ECOnomics Network.
Called Toxic Textbooks, its aim is to support and coordinate student protest against neoclassical economics at universities and schools around the world. Its manifesto is:
Toxic textbooks helped cause the economic meltdown
The current economic [...]

Talk at Politics in the Pub (Newcastle)

Published in May 14th, 2009

Posted by Cassander in Debtwatch

3 Comments

I’ll be speaking on the financial crisis at the monthly “Politics in the Pub” meeting in Newcastle next week. It’s on Tuesday May 19 at 6pm at the Hamilton Station Hotel on the corner of Fern and Beaumont Streets Islington (next door to Hamilton station on the Maitland Road side of the railway line).

Talk at Politics in the Pub (Sydney)

Published in May 14th, 2009

Posted by Steve Keen in Debtwatch

3 Comments

I’ll be speaking at Politics in the Pub on Friday May 29, along with Jacob Saulwick from the SMH. The Location is the Gaelic Club, Level 1 (Tel. 9212 1587) 64 Devonshire Street Surry Hills–just 50 metres or so from the Chalmers Street exit from Central Station.
The topic will be rather apposite to the most recent blog entry: “The [...]

Budget 2009: Let’s Assume We Have a Can Opener

Published in May 13th, 2009

Posted by Cassander in Debtwatch

226 Comments

I first heard the best joke about economics in 1975. The teller was the nuclear physicist (and nuclear power advocate) Sir Phillip Baxter, and he told it in answer to a question I had asked at a public forum.
The joke is:
A physicist, a chemist and an economist are shipwrecked on a desert isle, along with [...]

Debtwatch No 34: The Confidence Trick

Published in May 4th, 2009

Posted by Cassander in Debtwatch

211 Comments

“And, at this point, confidence is what it is all about… The first thing is to maintain some confidence in ourselves and the prospects for our country over time… Unfortunately, there is no lever marked ‘confidence’ that policy-makers can take hold of. Our task is very much one of seeking to behave, across the board, [...]