At this seminar, Jonathan Portes, director of the National Institute for Economic and Social Research, looked at the policy of austerity, pursued in many countries after the financial crisis, and which is often used as a reason for not spending more on environmental projects. Participants were introduced to the relevant economic concepts and the economic arguments for and against the policy. Jonathan also discussed where we stand at the moment, given that the long-awaited recovery appears to be underway.

This event was one of five in our 2014-15 economics seminar series.