Discover the importance of the Cantillon Effect. Why being closest to the money spout is a source of inequality, and whether anything can fix it.
The Cantillon Effect & the privilege of proximity to the money spout
Blog
What is the Circular Economy & can we realistically achieve it?
The idea of a Circular Economy is increasingly promoted as the solution to our mounting environmental and social problems. But what does the term mean, and is it achievable?
10 of history’s strangest forms of money
The evolution of money has taken some surprising turns, so we’ve gathered 10 of history’s strangest forms of money from salt to shells and giant doughnut-shaped rocks.
Use it or lose it: Demurrage currency, money with an expiry date
How would you feel if your money expired like milk turning sour? Money with an expiry date, aka demurrage currency, might seem nuts, but could soon be coming to a central bank near you.
What’s driving the rising popularity of metal detecting?
What’s driving the rise in popularity of metal detecting, and how likely is an amateur detectorist to be doing a gold dance after just a few sweeps of the coil?
The Litter Lotto – Should we offer rewards for picking up rubbish?
The premise of the Litter Lotto is as simple as it sounds. Pick up litter for the chance to win cash prizes. But should we need to incentivise people to clean up their mess?
The Bullshit Job phenomenon: is most work just pointless?
David Graeber’s book, Bullshit Jobs, suggested a third of jobs are pointless. A decade later, his ideas are more relevant than ever.
What is the Tragedy of the Commons?
In 1968 Garrett Hardin coined the phrase, the Tragedy of the Commons. Almost half a century later, and we’re still fouling our own nest without a workable solution to avert tragedy.
Can you get paid to do nothing?
From Bullshit Jobs to Japan’s Rental-do-nothing-man we look at jobs that promise to pay you to do nothing. Can you get wealthy without lifting a finger?
What is rent-seeking?
What is rent-seeking? There’s a strict textbook definition of socially unproductive economic activity and a broader sense of just milking the system. The truth is somewhere in between, where Covid contract VIP lanes meet secondary ticket markets.