Good Local Economics

Too often policy has little empathy toward the poorest.  We already know that the policy default settings, such as trickle down and a ‘rising economic tide will lift all boats’ are just not strong enough to tackle poverty, even in times of growth.  But increasingly, some policy seems alarmingly detached from the plight of the poorest.

Ed Miliband’s proposal to link the national minimum wage to median earnings is at first sight a sure seller. With the Labour lead in the polls steadily narrowing, last week was a good time to reveal his offer to the UK’s squeezed wage-earners.