Category Archives: Economics and public policy

Markets as ‘causal spread’: How the early neoliberals anticipated embodied cognition – Michael Polanyi fragment

Posted on July 4, 2020 by Nicholas Gruen

Here is the second fragment on early neoliberalism. The previous post being on Hayek, this one is on Michael Polanyi. Both built their approach to the world upon their abhorrence of the Soviet Union – which was unfashionable at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Critique, Economics and public policy | 3 Comments

What works: getting to the land of ‘how’: Part Two

Posted on July 2, 2020 by Nicholas Gruen

Cross-posted from The Mandarin In this second instalment of his three-part series, economist and forward thinker Nicholas Gruen explains more of why it is so important to understand the ‘how’ of getting things done. From the commanding heights to everyday … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Critique, Economics and public policy, Philosophy, Political theory | Leave a comment

Never let a crisis go to waste: covid-19 and democracy (Guest post from Luke Slawomirski)

Posted on July 1, 2020 by Nicholas Gruen

Dear Troppodillians, please welcome Luke Slawomirski to Troppo. I first met Luke at the OECD where I gave a paper on public-private digital partnerships with a particular focus on health policy. Luke was an Australian health economist working there and … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Economics and public policy, Health | 8 Comments

What works: getting to the land of ‘how’: Part One

Posted on July 1, 2020 by Nicholas Gruen

Cross posted from The Mandarin Premium. Government leaders understanding what they need to do when faced with impending issues is one thing. But here, in the first of a three-part series, Nicholas Gruen gets into the nitty-gritty of coming to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Critique, Economics and public policy, Education, Philosophy, Science | Leave a comment

Markets as ‘causal spread’: How the early neoliberals anticipated embodied cognition: Fragment one – Hayek

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Nicholas Gruen

My essay on the Ghost of Descartes was written by cannibalising a longer, not quite finished essay entitled “Cartesian vices, Copernican moments”. In writing something else, I find myself wanting to refer to another part of it, so I’m hastily … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Philosophy, Political theory | 2 Comments

From being to seeming: why empirical scientists failed in times of Covid.

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Paul Frijters

There have long been scientists who were celebrities in their own time. Galileo, Keppler, Goodall, Linneus, Cousteau, Darwin, Smith, Leeuwenhoek, Da Vinci, Ibn Khaldhun, Curie, and many others in the last 800 years were followed and admired. They in many … Continue reading →

Posted in Coronavirus crisis, Cultural Critique, Democracy, Economics and public policy, Education, Geeky Musings, Health, Life, Philosophy, Politics - national, Religion, Science, Social Policy, Society, Theatre | 15 Comments

Public servants and political partisanship

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Nicholas Gruen

Every now and again I’m asked to contribute to The Mandarin as part of their Brains Trust. Here’s my latest contribution in seeking to answer this question: Where is the boundary between their designated public duty and the apparent expectation … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Critique, Democracy, Economics and public policy | 1 Comment