INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND THE BRITISH ECONOMY IN THE 1990s: MRS THATCHER'S LEGACY

The authors challenge the view that the UK Conservative governments during the 1980s achieved important advances in industrial performance through the abandonment of corporatist policies that allowed management to regain the initiative and push through changes in work organization. The article takes issue with the idea that collective labour institutions necessarily impair economic efficiency, and it points up important connections between Thatcher's offensive against organized labour and the enduring weaknesses in human capital and technology. The article has three sections: the first examines labour markets and industrial relations; the second analyses government regulation; and the third assesses trends and prospects for the future, with emphasis on employment flexibility and labour productivity. The authors conclude with some comments on future prospects in the context of Britain's fuller integration in Europe.     

THE BRITISH EXPERIMENT

The fifth Mais Lecture by Mr. Niger Lawson, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, aroused considerable interest and has generated a sharp controversy. In this note we analyse some of the points that Mr. Lawson made, comment on the controversy about the role of budget deficits and consider what indications the Lecture provides about the future development of economic policy.     

THE ECONOMY AFTER THE ELECTION

With the election out of the way and signs of recovery tentatively in place, the Government is likely to take steps to bring the economic and political cycles back into kilter so that it does not have to fight the next election under the handicap of recession. This suggests that its first priority will be to consolidate the progress on inflation with a tight fiscal and monetary stance, deferring until 1993-4 any significant relaxation of policy. Holding the exchange rate close to its present parity will therefore take priority over interest rate cuts which may have to wait on a lead from the Bundesbank. On fiscal policy the aim will be to reduce the budget deficit, which suggests a tough approach to public expenditure in this year's spending round.     

艾伦·休格直截了当的英国富豪

在一次竞赛单元中,女选手以低胸装束和电眼、媚笑赢得顾客,休格把她们骂了个狗血淋头,“以美色做生意是非常短视的策略,我绝对不会聘请这样的员工!”     

经济走势决定写字楼复苏——京沪深甲级写字楼上半年回顾及下半年预测

与上半年如火如茶的住宅市场相比,写字楼市场要逊色得多。从目前的市场表现来看,主要一线城市写字楼租金下降明显,上半年北京、上海、广州、深圳甲级写字楼租金与2008年底相比分别下滑10．82％、9．74％、9．04％、1．26％。空置率上升,客户纷纷搬离高档办公场所;金融危机尤其对外资客户影响巨大,相对应的甲级（顶级）写字楼市场表现尤为乏力,而准甲级、乙级写字楼相对抗跌。     

HOUSE PRICES AND THE ECONOMY

UK house prices more than doubled from 1985 until 1989, with house price inflation over the previous year peaking at 34 per cent in the fourth quarter of 1988. The ratio of house prices to average incomes reached levels which surpassed even those experienced during the 1972-73 house price boom. This sharp increase in housing wealth has been a major factor in the fall in the savings ratio over the past three years. This forecast release examines the prospects for future house price movements, discusses the sources of the recent house price boom and finally considers the possible impact on consumer expenditure.     

POPULATION AND THE ECONOMY DURING THE DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION

The changes in population structure currently taking place in both developed and less‐developed nations are part of a very long‐term trend of demographic change that has yet to run its full course. The starting point of this trend is the complete rearrangement of demographic regimes characterised by significant declines in mortality coupled with widespread fertility control. This process started in a small group of European and non‐European societies during the nineteenth century and by the second half of the twentieth century had spread to much of the world. It has brought with it significant economic and social implications for societies affected which have differed by the timing of the transition but not in their basic thrust. Eventually the demographic transition promises to bring with it very rapid and widespread ageing and, within a few decades, world population decline. Some of the long‐term economic implications of this entire process are discussed in this article.     

THE ECONOMY AT A TURNING POINT

In this Forecast Release we assess the evidence from the economic indicators and the latest official statistics for the view that the economy is at a turning point. We conclude that, while last year's rapid decline in UK output is coming to an end, a broadly-based recovery of the UK economy is unlikely until the world economy starts to grow again. The business surveys suggest that the upturn in European economy is less well established than the UK recovery. It may also be delayed further by high interest rates. The world turning point is thus likely to be some months later than die UK turning point, despite the strong upswing in the US. This implies that the UK recovery could be somewhat hesitant in the coming months.     

THE MARKET ECONOMY AND THE TEACHINGS OF THE CHRISTIAN GOSPEL

The reality of the market economy is not an economy in which Christian values are generally evident. Although there are many prominent Christian capitalist writers, the real world is a world of rather more materialistic values. It does not have to be like that. It is possible for people to take Christian values out into the world of business and prosper.     

BRITISH SOCIAL HOUSING AND THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR

Housing for the poor was a thriving part of the voluntary sector in the nineteenth century, providing thousands of homes through hundreds of societies without subsidy. It was undermined by state action which has effectively driven other providers from the field.