Comments on: Budget Boosts Level of Activity

By: Ciaran O'Hagan

Ciaran O'Hagan — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:28:18 +0000

CONGRATULATIONS… A great initiative. It requires, I am sure, quite some dedication and effort to maintain the blog, and far beyond even performance related pay.

By: Veronica

Veronica — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 11:50:59 +0000

Richard Tol,

If extending your reputation and influence is what you’re after, then I think you and your colleagues may take it you have already succeeded admirably in both those objectives!

The hell with ‘performance related’ pay and other such daft management concepts. It depends on which elements of ‘performance’ you’re going to reward, doesn’t it? And look where picking the wrong ones got the banks and whole subsets of other institutions and companies as well.

By: Myles Duffy

Myles Duffy — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:45:24 +0000

The malign leadership of the banks received another few deserved swipes in the course of the Budget. Before Ireland was blessed with a Financial Regulator there was a long-standing formula for defining house loan: two and a half times sustainable income + an amount equating to the sustainable earnings of a spuse or partner, if relevant. Not more than 90% of the house value was advanced>

Is there a view that a return to such a straightforward approach is necessary as an antidote to the unsustainable practices of the property bubble era?

By: Christopher Sibley

Christopher Sibley — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:08:23 +0000

Well done Philip!

You could make money out of this blog - the contents would make excellent material for an undergraduate textbook on the Irish Economy. I don’t know if Brendan or JOH are doing further editions.

Greg Mankiw been using his blog to update his book and sell it afterwards!

By: Richard Tol

Richard Tol — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:49:03 +0000

@Veronica
Most of us are on fixed salaries anyway. We can only aim to improve our reputation and influence. I bet this blog would be the first victim of performance related pay for academics.

(This is a safe bet as performance related pay is a not going to happen soon.)

By: Pat Donnelly

Pat Donnelly — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:28:03 +0000

Well done!
Thank you for a chance to devlop arguments to improve awareness of Austrian
school of economics!

By: Veronica

Veronica — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 06:33:03 +0000

The analysis and commentary of key economic issues on this blog is far superior to anything else available in the Irish media, so its success is hardly surprising when most of us ordinary folks are desperate to find a context that will explain the trouble we’re in and how we might go about getting out of it. You’re providing an invaluable public service but curiously, for a bunch of economists, you’re also doing it for free!

By: Enda

Enda — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 22:48:21 +0000

A great initiative that helps bridge the divide between public debate and the ivory tower. It’s refreshing to get regular commentary from people other than Jim Power and David MacWilliams.

Well done, Prof. Lane.

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 22:29:42 +0000

Looks like you’ll be closing higher than the ISEQ today then…