Focusing on the persistent issue of poverty in wealthy nations, this study delves into the production and distribution of income and wealth over two centuries of capital accumulation. Drawing on David Ricardo's theories, it traces the evolution of economic laws from ancient Babylon to today's statistics. By challenging contemporary fiscal myths, the book equips readers with conceptual tools to better understand economics and encourages active participation in the democratic process, offering insights into both historical context and future implications.
Fred Harrison's thesis is that land speculation is the major cause of depressions. He shows how the land market functions as a junction box which regulates the power flowing between Labour and Capital. And how land speculation periodically throws the switches on the productive power of men and machines, causing economic stagnation. This theory was acknowledged by philosophers such as Adam Smith and Karl Marx, and social reformers ranging from Winston Churchill to Leo Tolstoy, but it has been forgotten by today's economists and policy-makers. The hypothesis is tested against the historical facts and the recent booms and slumps, and is found to offer a powerful explanation for postwar trends in unemployment and the distribution of income.
Revealing the mystery of persistent economic failure, this book explains how the distorted view of economics has protected vested interests and prevented a more efficient economy, more equitable distribution of wealth and greater protection for the environment.This book is for those who know there is something wrong with our current system and want to discover more about what this is and what can be done to put it right.
Based on a study of property markets over the last 200 years, Harrison warns
of the danger to banks, business and jobs of ignoring a remarkably regular
18-year cycle. He accuses Gordon Brown of giving people a false sense of
security by his repeated claim, last made in his 2007 Budget speech, that 'we
will never return to the old boom and bust'
Through case studies of organized violence, including wars and organized crime, the book presents a theory explaining the use of force in society. It argues against the notion that violence stems from human nature, instead attributing it to laws and institutions that promote rent-seeking behavior and unequal property rights. By exploring themes like genocide and economic disparity, the work advocates for policy changes aimed at redistributing power and dismantling incentives that lead to violence, ultimately promoting a more equitable society.
The book explores how historical economic structures have hindered modern governments from effectively addressing crises like housing bubbles and unemployment. Author Fred Harrison argues that a "culture of cheating," rooted in the 16th-century feudal aristocracy's coup against monarchy, has led to the misappropriation of social revenues. As a result, governments resorted to taxing earned incomes, which has negatively impacted productivity and contributed to contemporary social issues. Harrison presents a critical view of the systemic failures in financial governance.
The book critiques UK tax policies and their impact on economic balance and individual prosperity, asserting that Theresa May cannot fulfill her economic promises. Economist Fred Harrison warns of a looming property market collapse by 2026 unless tax reforms are implemented. It highlights the significant financial losses attributed to inefficient taxes, with a focus on VAT's impact across Europe. The author proposes a fiscal strategy aimed at revitalizing the EU and ensuring the UK’s trade autonomy, addressing the broader implications of taxation on migration and economic stability.
To overcome the economic aftermath of Covid-19 and empower people to "build back better", our world needs a new social paradigm. That model would need to launch humanity on to a moral growth path by enabling societies to survive the looming existential crises which, Fred Harrison reveals, will converge as a result of the peak in house prices in 2026. That paradigm exists, explains the author, in the form of a financial anti-dote to what economists call "rent seeking". In testing his thesis, the author discovered that the world's systemic crises originated in a single cause. Free riding is an anti-social form of behaviour that incubated the social, demographic and environmental threats to life on Earth. A single financial reform would deliver the synergy to simultaneously neutralise the cannibalistic phase into which free riding has consigned our world. It would do so by transforming governance to serve the common good. The author provides an enriched theory of evolution, which reveals the blueprint that would empower people to reframe behaviour and heal the damage inflicted on nature and society.
Eine der Hauptfunktionen von Regierungen ist es, wirtschaftliche Stabilität zu sichern, damit Unternehmer und Hauseigentümer Vertrauen in das Sparen und Investieren haben. Der Autor argumentiert jedoch, dass in jedem kapitalistischen System destabilisierende Mechanismen existieren, die oft ignoriert werden. Fred Harrison sagte die Rezession der 1990er Jahre bereits zehn Jahre zuvor voraus und prognostizierte 2005, dass die Immobilienblase innerhalb von drei Jahren platzen würde. Seine Vorhersagen schienen 2006 in den USA und Großbritannien Realität zu werden. Für 2010 sieht er eine weltweite Rezession vor, die von einem Kollaps der Verbrauchernachfrage getrieben wird. In den USA begann die Hypothekenkrise 2006, als Banken zunehmend riskante Kredite an weniger finanzkräftige Haushalte vergaben. Dies führte zu einem dramatischen Rückgang der Immobilienpreise und dem Wert der abgesicherten Kredite. In England war die Northern Rock Bank betroffen, die aufgrund von Kreditausfällen und Spekulationen in Schwierigkeiten geriet, was zu einem Vertrauensverlust bei Anlegern führte. In Deutschland meldeten mehrere Banken ebenfalls enorme Verluste. Diese Entwicklungen in einer global vernetzten Wirtschaft könnten bald überall spürbar werden und zu einer globalen Rezession führen. Harrison schlägt Anlegern geeignete Modelle vor und weist Politiker auf Möglichkeiten hin, wie durch ein passendes Steuermodell Blasen neutralisiert werden können
