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Graham Brownlow, FREcon

@grahambrownlow.bsky.social

Reader in Economics (from August 1) at QBS. Appointed Fellow of the Royal Economic Society December 2025. Recovering journal editor. Perhaps best known - if at all- for writing about De Lorean? Fan of Bangor FC and low brow cinema.

171 Posts2215 Follower1985 Folgt
Colm Murphy@colmpm.bsky.social · yesterday

It's nice to see P&P promoting my article as we approach the anniversary of the 1976 IMF Crisis, when unilateral protectionism was furiously debated within the bowels of the British state. It's open access and free to read via the link below.

'The Political Crisis of British Keynesianism', by Colm Murphy. Abstract: 'In histories of Western political economy in the 1970s–1980s, Keynesianism is conventionally depicted as a victim of neoliberal ascendancy. Building on revisionist scholarship, this article looks beyond neoliberalism to explain the fate of Keynesianism in the transforming political economy of the United Kingdom in its global contexts. It explores a neglected case study: the intense controversies sparked by the Keynesian policy makers Wynne Godley and Francis Cripps. Responding to stagflation and strikes, Godley and Cripps demanded sweeping import controls to forestall mass unemployment and reverse Britain’s ‘decline’. They became celebrity economists, attracting admiration and opprobrium from government ministers and officials, political parties, journalists, and the City. Their arguments raised thorny questions, not just over economic policy, but also over Britain’s domestic statecraft and geopolitical relations after empire, during the Cold War, and inside the European Community. Revisiting these debates underscores the destabilizing impact of de-industrialization. It also reveals that (geo)political calculation determined the fate of Keynesian policy making more directly than neoliberal ideology. Godley and Cripps’s failure therefore illuminates a deeper political dilemma for fin-de-siècle Keynesians across Europe: upon which territorial order could they, and should they, exercise demand management as globalization accelerated? This question continues to shape Western politics in the twenty-first century.'
Past and Present@pastpresentsoc.bsky.social · yesterday

On advance access "The Political Crisis of British Keynesianism, 1973–1983" by @colmpm.bsky.social (‪@qmpoliticsir.bsky.social‬) #OpenAccess doi.org/10.1093/past...

Graham Brownlow, FREcon@grahambrownlow.bsky.social · last wk.

The observation that post 92s are still launching new degrees in courses already offered in the same city by their more prestigious neighbours, and hiring new lecturers to admin these imitation degrees, is to me the most telling aspect of the poor quality of strategic thinking within much of UK HE.

Glen O'Hara@gsoh31.bsky.social · last wk.

All I can do to help in the present existential crisis of Britain's universities is reiterate my evidence to the Commons Education Committee. There isn't anything else.

Ben Zaranko@benzaranko.bsky.social · 2w ago

There will be lots of focus on the Number 10-Treasury relationship under Burnham and Healey. I think we should also keep an eye on the Treasury-Bank of England relationship, as the new government goes on the hunt for "flexibility" within the existing fiscal rules... observer.co.uk/news/politic...

Burnham, Healey and Haigh: prepare for a shift in fiscal ...

The relationship between No 10, the Treasury and the Bank of England is not set in stone. The new PM and his team, especially Haigh, aren’t convinced

observer.co.uk

Graham Brownlow, FREcon@grahambrownlow.bsky.social · 2w ago

The Amelia Fletcher episode of the excellent Econ to Icon podcast notes just how competitive UK supermarkets are internationally (and hence how much lower prices are). I hope cost of living policies don't take the form od distortionary price controls in the grocery market.

Paul Johnson@pjtheeconomist.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I’m lost for words. Never thought I’d see UK govt trying to set food prices. This is a hugely efficient and competitive sector. What about knock on effects on other prices, smaller shops etc And of course say they want to protect farmers. Please be serious

Graham Brownlow, FREcon@grahambrownlow.bsky.social · 2w ago

Tremendous stuff. The lobby-driven populist campaign to devolve Corporation Tax in N. Ireland, arguing it's a "silver bullet" for efficiency, reminds me of a right-leaning mirror image of the wealth tax with such a tax a "silver bullet" for equity. Alas fiscal "silver bullets" don't work.

Dan Neidle@danneidle.bsky.social · 2w ago

Had a great chat with Matt Forde - wealth taxes, good taxes, bad taxes, and the general tax mess we're in: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/m... open.spotify.com/show/2NcVxG3...