Applying the dismal science: when economists give advice to governments

The editors begin by providing an analysis of developments in post-war economic theory and the relation of this to developments in economic policy in the same period. A growing consensus in theory had filtered through to provide a basis for extremely significant policy initiatives. The highly distinguished contributors in this book address this them in a number of contexts. Peter jay and Alan Budd consider the policy failure of the 1960s and 1970s. Christopher Foster analyses the continuing failures within transport. Iain McLean and Stewart Wood discuss the emergence of new social democracy under John Smith and Gordon Brown. Three closely related chapters - by Ed Balls, Christopher Allsopp and Mark Robson - look at various aspects of monetary policy since Bank of England independence in 1997. The final contribution is by Paul Klemperer (one of the chief architects of the prodigiously large revenue raising action of the airwaves), who explains the use and abuse of economic theory in the design of auctions.