A striking representation of the three kings in the CSMVS museum in Mumbai. Happy Christmas from India.

Pleased to see my essay on "Deindustrialization as world history" in this excellent Handbook.

FREE TO READ: Economic historian @jimtomlinson45.bsky.social subjects the influential right-wing policy paper "Foundations" to a thorough fisking, highlighting the analytical flaws and bad history behind its neo-Thatcherite prescriptions renewal.org.uk/articles/bui...

From this morning's Guardian. Beavers building infrastructure is a new move? A re-imagining of growth and animal spirits?

A striking testimony to the mutability of economic arguments. For decades the British trade deficit was used as evidence of British economic weakness. Now Starmer uses our deficit with the USA to argue we should be exempt from tariffs...

Extremely sensible advice from @dsmitheconomics.bsky.social "Economic policy is not supposed to be about scrabbling around for small savings in pursuit of a distant target viewed through the cloudiest of telescopes. There are bigger fish to fry." www.thetimes.com/article/ef85...

Pleased to say my new book with Bloomsbury is now out.

With Farage enthusing about Elon Musk's activities, can we assume that Reform will embrace large public subsidies for electric vehicles, a key foundation of Musk's fortune?

Christmas in Kolkata. As they will tell you, Bengalis love a festival!

Here in Kolkata the book trade seems to be thriving.

Today's Times of India reports for first time Indian service exports exceed goods exports. Some significance forr debate on "service path to development"?

Very interesting… “In an economy where only 8% of workers are employed in manufacturing, a policy that promises to restore the middle class by bringing manufacturing back home is not only unrealistic; it also rings hollow...”

Thanks @jdportes.bsky.social, and I agree. Here are some proposals on these good jobs policies for the UK economy2030.resolutionfoundation.org/wp-content/u... and for France (in Section 4) drodrik.scholar.harvard.edu/sites/schola....

I have joined the defectors from X. Gives me a chance to "re-announce" that my book with Chris Whatley has just come out!