— Features economic analyses and commentary from the Barrys Economics Press series, covering diverse financial topics. —
The established economic order, built upon decades of globalisation and neoliberal policies, is now threatened by its own success in generating extreme inequality. A consensus is forming among mainstream economists that the central problem facing modern economies is not a lack of productivity but an
When the UK government passed a law requiring six days' police notification for any demonstration within a half-kilometre of Parliament, activists led by Mark Thomas responded not with defiance, but with overwhelming compliance. They systematically flooded police with notifications for thousands of
Dutch researchers have found that wealth and power are linked to reduced activity in the brain's mirror neuron system, the neural architecture for empathy. When this biological tendency is combined with homophily—the natural inclination to associate with similar people—it creates a powerful structur
A startling overrepresentation of the privately educated elite governs UK public life, creating a dangerous uniformity in thought. While only 7% of the population attends private schools, research from the Sutton Trust shows they comprise roughly 40% of leaders in politics, media, and high-level pub
Research from sociologist Michael Kraus reveals a stark "attribution bias" dividing the rich and poor. Wealthier individuals overwhelmingly explain outcomes through personal traits like talent and hard work, whereas those with fewer resources are far more likely to point to contextual factors—struct