Two Hundred Years of Muddling Through: The surprising story of Britain's economy from boom to bust and back again

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The great reform act of 1832 changed the structure of the House of Commons and ended the dominance of the aristocracy. There was a general strike in 1926 and the election of 1929 was fought largely on macroeconomics and democracy. During WW1 the state intervened demanding munitions, nationalising industries and introducing rationing. He pans out from the trees we've become so accustomed to squinting at to show us a vast, wild and unpredictable wood.

Two Hundred Years of Muddling Through: The Surprising S…

All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Alys Denby or their podcast platform partner.From then on it becomes more of a quick whistle through post WWII history, with a weird lack of judgments attached (I can see that being the case for post-2010, but is there really no more that can be said around the impact of different reforms in the 70s and 80s)? High levels of inequality within a country provide fewer profitable investment opportunities for the wealthy to invest in. Rapid population decline is not what governments want, as like Spain in the 1930, there are not enough people to harvest the corn. I was expecting a bit more given the focus in the intro on path dependence on the institutions (BoE, HMT) that have tried to steer it. This text is essential reading for understanding the issues that have haunted the UK economy, such as poor relations between labour and capital.

TWO HUNDRED YEARS OF MUDDLING THROUGH: THE SURPRISING STORY

Examples from history include the QUERTY keyboard which despite its current drawbacks is still the industry standard. Supposedly modern concerns about the impacts of new technology on jobs and inequality date back to at least Captain Swing and Ned Ludd. The UK and German economies were roughly the same size but GDP per person was higher in the UK, who could therefore sustain war. A great little book going through the economic history of the UK since the Industrial Revolution, covering the issues of each time and the ideas driving decision making of the politicians in power.After reading this book I feel like I have a decent handle on these concepts, and I at least understand what the major arguments in economics are about. In season 3 of The Wilderness, Jon Favreau talks to voters in the midterm battleground states who will determine the future of democracy.

Two Hundred Years of Muddling Through: The Surprising Story

The suggestion that Britain is uniquely disposed to ´muddling through´ isn't really proven, beyond a theme of the Treasury view from as far back as William Gladstone limiting government's hand, mixed with a certain tradition of British labour politics which prized flexibility and individualism. Jim and Chris have an enjoyable, longer than usual, but highly entertaining chat with Duncan Weldon about his new book, ‘Two Hundred Years of Muddling Through.But this is an excellent book to keep on hand when for when other authors claim to have all the answers.

Two Hundred Years of Muddling Through by Duncan Weldon Two Hundred Years of Muddling Through by Duncan Weldon

The only slightly negative notes I would make: I wasn’t sure that the book and its conclusions lived up to the grand title. The program explores complex economic issues and empowers listeners with information to analyze not only their own financial situation but the economy at large. After WW1, there was huge debt, high inflation (as supply chains were destroyed but growth increased at the end of WW1.Nonetheless, after hearing an interview with him on Patrick Wyman's podcast, Tides of History, I figured I'd give his book a shot. At the very least it would have been good to establish the economics arguments as to why that is, rather than be left to assume it’s because it’s too complex to get into. If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for 65 € per month. The money France received helped fund their war, while France also needed clothing from the UK, which helped fund the UK war. Weldon also emphasises 'path dependency', which he says 'is perhaps best thought of as the idea that the route one took to arrive somewhere is just as important as the destination'.