The Paula Principle

Men and the PP

Basic incomes surface in Davos – no longer marginal

Back in Aug 2014 I wrote a post on the idea of a citizen's income.  The idea of guaranteeing a basic income is PP-relevant because it would help people - especially women -  move in and out of formal employment without looking like deviant marginals. I said: The CI has been around for a long time. It has generally been dismissed as either cranky or ok in theory but unworkable. But when it was first being discussed 20 or so years ago, the labour market was very different..... As a political sell, it’s a tough one. Many will have an instinctive reaction against the unconditional something-for-nothing proposal....But as Iain Duncan…
Read More

Reduced working hours: linking the PP to inequality and to climate change

The primary conclusion of The Paula Principle  is that women's competences stand a chance of being fully recognised only if men's work and career patterns change to a more 'mosaic' model.  Central to this is the need for us to recognise that careers, at whatever level, should not require people to work full time or continuously (hence the mosaic image of different pieces put together in a variety of patterns, rather than a vertical career ladder). In this post I want to make the link between this and two items: a. new analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies which shows how inequalities in incomes have been increased because lower-wage men increasingly…
Read More

Kevin Roberts and vertical ambition

I doubt that I share much of a worldview with Kevin Roberts, who recently resigned as chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi.  That's a powerful position - but S&S is now owned by a parent company, Publicis, and they effectively showed him the door after his remarks about the low numbers of women in senior positions in advertising being 'not a problem'.  (All six of the big advertising agencies have male CEOs.)  'The fucking debate is all over' was apparently his verdict. "Kevin Roberts has an international reputation for an uncompromisingly positive, inspirational leadership style, and an ability to generate ideas and emotional connections that accelerate extraordinary value" is how Kevin's…
Read More

Graduates and non-graduates: RF & HEPI

Two reports have come out in the last few days which complement each other well. The first is from the Resolution Foundation, and focuses on the much-neglected group of people who have some qualifications but are not graduates.  This is the RF exactly fulfilling its remit of shedding light on what is happening to the middle segments of our society - squeezed or not.   Given the number of people who hold vocational qualifications, and the number of times we hear about the UK's lack of intermediate skills, it's absurd that we pay so little attention to them. The report produces quite a neat typology of non-graduates:  from 'ladder climbers'…
Read More

Adam Smith’s dinner: man-made?

Two PP-relevant books to report on. Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner has a chirpy title  and a distinctive style.  Katrina Marçal is a Swedish journalist who lays about her with relish.  Her main target is homo economicus, beginning with the eponymous Scottish original.  The answer to the title's question is 'his mother', and Marçal's treatment of AS is characteristic of her general approach:  vigorous, often amusing, landing some good heavy punches, but not exactly even-handed.  Old Adam gets labelled as an advocate of every=man-for-himself, with not much nuance about it, which is a tad simplistic. It's an enjoyable and stimulating book, and many economists deserve the mauling they get.  When it…
Read More

EQ and PP

Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, caused quite a stir last week with his speech to the TUC on how many jobs might be taken over by robots.  This was a typical report, from The Times: "The robots are coming - and they may take 15 million British jobs, says the Bank of England's chief economist. Andy Haldane told the Trade Union Congress yesterday that millions of jobs could be at risk of automation, with those most vulnerable working in the administrative, clerical and production sectors and among the low paid." Having also scared the accountants in the audience (though not many owned up to being in this…
Read More

Silos and Slaughter

I've been reading Gillian Tett's new book, The Silo Effect. The basic argument is very simple: organisations fail because people work in silos which prevent them from sharing knowledge and ideas.  Tett illustrates this with examples from diverse corners of the business world:  the New York Fire Department, Sony, Apple and the Bank of England. Her overall argument is compelling, and most of us who have worked in organisations will recognise its application. ( This is one of the reasons why the Peter Principle was so successful - people nod their heads in acknowledgement of a broad generalisation to their own experience.)   Sometimes, the silo construction is deliberate.  This does…
Read More

AsSumptions: progress and pace

High Court judge Jonathan Sumption has given his views to the Evening Standard on how fast the legal profession can or should move towards greater gender balance.  In his view it will take a long time (perhaps 50 years, see below), and cannot be rushed without great damage to  the system.  I'm only going by the ES piece, which is risky.  But assuming that the interview is a fair representation of Mr Sumption's views, I think it raises some very interesting questions. First, and most important, is the general issue of how far working practices - in this case, amongst the judiciary - are somehow fixed because of the nature…
Read More

Men learning – in sheds or not

    I've been reading a collection which focusses on how and why men do or don't learn as adults.    It's a basic component of the Paula Principle picture that men appear more reluctant to engage in learning, formal and informal, across most OECD countries.   The PP looks at the consequences  of this (or lack of them) for women ;   Men Learning Through Life  asks what this reluctance means for men.   It is not an exhibition of 'moral panic' about male disadvantage, but a good research-based look at a distinctive issue and what might be done about it.   The book draws its inspiration from pioneering studies…
Read More

Gaps

A quick post following a good meeting yesterday organised by UCU, on widening access to higher education, in the august surrounding's of the Dean's Yard Westminster.  (My last post came from the even more distinguished crypt of St Paul's - where will I find myself next?). Two key issues struck me.  One was 'trends in gaps'.    Helen Thornley of UCAS gave details of the latest figures on applications and entries to universities.    The gap between those from the most and least advantaged backgrounds is diminishing - though not very fast, and not o the 'high tariff' (i.e. elite) universities.  At the same time, the gap between female and…
Read More

Basic incomes surface in Davos – no longer marginal

Back in Aug 2014 I wrote a post on the idea of a citizen's income.  The idea of guaranteeing a basic income is PP-relevant because it would help people - especially women -  move in and out of formal employment without looking like deviant marginals. I said: The CI has been around for a long time. It has generally been dismissed as either cranky or ok in theory but unworkable. But when it was first being discussed 20 or so years ago, the labour market was very different..... As a political sell, it’s a tough one. Many will have an instinctive reaction against the unconditional something-for-nothing proposal....But as Iain Duncan…
Read More

Reduced working hours: linking the PP to inequality and to climate change

The primary conclusion of The Paula Principle  is that women's competences stand a chance of being fully recognised only if men's work and career patterns change to a more 'mosaic' model.  Central to this is the need for us to recognise that careers, at whatever level, should not require people to work full time or continuously (hence the mosaic image of different pieces put together in a variety of patterns, rather than a vertical career ladder). In this post I want to make the link between this and two items: a. new analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies which shows how inequalities in incomes have been increased because lower-wage men increasingly…
Read More

Kevin Roberts and vertical ambition

I doubt that I share much of a worldview with Kevin Roberts, who recently resigned as chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi.  That's a powerful position - but S&S is now owned by a parent company, Publicis, and they effectively showed him the door after his remarks about the low numbers of women in senior positions in advertising being 'not a problem'.  (All six of the big advertising agencies have male CEOs.)  'The fucking debate is all over' was apparently his verdict. "Kevin Roberts has an international reputation for an uncompromisingly positive, inspirational leadership style, and an ability to generate ideas and emotional connections that accelerate extraordinary value" is how Kevin's…
Read More

Graduates and non-graduates: RF & HEPI

Two reports have come out in the last few days which complement each other well. The first is from the Resolution Foundation, and focuses on the much-neglected group of people who have some qualifications but are not graduates.  This is the RF exactly fulfilling its remit of shedding light on what is happening to the middle segments of our society - squeezed or not.   Given the number of people who hold vocational qualifications, and the number of times we hear about the UK's lack of intermediate skills, it's absurd that we pay so little attention to them. The report produces quite a neat typology of non-graduates:  from 'ladder climbers'…
Read More

Adam Smith’s dinner: man-made?

Two PP-relevant books to report on. Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner has a chirpy title  and a distinctive style.  Katrina Marçal is a Swedish journalist who lays about her with relish.  Her main target is homo economicus, beginning with the eponymous Scottish original.  The answer to the title's question is 'his mother', and Marçal's treatment of AS is characteristic of her general approach:  vigorous, often amusing, landing some good heavy punches, but not exactly even-handed.  Old Adam gets labelled as an advocate of every=man-for-himself, with not much nuance about it, which is a tad simplistic. It's an enjoyable and stimulating book, and many economists deserve the mauling they get.  When it…
Read More

EQ and PP

Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, caused quite a stir last week with his speech to the TUC on how many jobs might be taken over by robots.  This was a typical report, from The Times: "The robots are coming - and they may take 15 million British jobs, says the Bank of England's chief economist. Andy Haldane told the Trade Union Congress yesterday that millions of jobs could be at risk of automation, with those most vulnerable working in the administrative, clerical and production sectors and among the low paid." Having also scared the accountants in the audience (though not many owned up to being in this…
Read More

Silos and Slaughter

I've been reading Gillian Tett's new book, The Silo Effect. The basic argument is very simple: organisations fail because people work in silos which prevent them from sharing knowledge and ideas.  Tett illustrates this with examples from diverse corners of the business world:  the New York Fire Department, Sony, Apple and the Bank of England. Her overall argument is compelling, and most of us who have worked in organisations will recognise its application. ( This is one of the reasons why the Peter Principle was so successful - people nod their heads in acknowledgement of a broad generalisation to their own experience.)   Sometimes, the silo construction is deliberate.  This does…
Read More

AsSumptions: progress and pace

High Court judge Jonathan Sumption has given his views to the Evening Standard on how fast the legal profession can or should move towards greater gender balance.  In his view it will take a long time (perhaps 50 years, see below), and cannot be rushed without great damage to  the system.  I'm only going by the ES piece, which is risky.  But assuming that the interview is a fair representation of Mr Sumption's views, I think it raises some very interesting questions. First, and most important, is the general issue of how far working practices - in this case, amongst the judiciary - are somehow fixed because of the nature…
Read More

Men learning – in sheds or not

    I've been reading a collection which focusses on how and why men do or don't learn as adults.    It's a basic component of the Paula Principle picture that men appear more reluctant to engage in learning, formal and informal, across most OECD countries.   The PP looks at the consequences  of this (or lack of them) for women ;   Men Learning Through Life  asks what this reluctance means for men.   It is not an exhibition of 'moral panic' about male disadvantage, but a good research-based look at a distinctive issue and what might be done about it.   The book draws its inspiration from pioneering studies…
Read More

Gaps

A quick post following a good meeting yesterday organised by UCU, on widening access to higher education, in the august surrounding's of the Dean's Yard Westminster.  (My last post came from the even more distinguished crypt of St Paul's - where will I find myself next?). Two key issues struck me.  One was 'trends in gaps'.    Helen Thornley of UCAS gave details of the latest figures on applications and entries to universities.    The gap between those from the most and least advantaged backgrounds is diminishing - though not very fast, and not o the 'high tariff' (i.e. elite) universities.  At the same time, the gap between female and…
Read More

Basic incomes surface in Davos – no longer marginal

Back in Aug 2014 I wrote a post on the idea of a citizen's income.  The idea of guaranteeing a basic income is PP-relevant because it would help people - especially women -  move in and out of formal employment without looking like deviant marginals. I said: The CI has been around for a long time. It has generally been dismissed as either cranky or ok in theory but unworkable. But when it was first being discussed 20 or so years ago, the labour market was very different..... As a political sell, it’s a tough one. Many will have an instinctive reaction against the unconditional something-for-nothing proposal....But as Iain Duncan…
Read More

Reduced working hours: linking the PP to inequality and to climate change

The primary conclusion of The Paula Principle  is that women's competences stand a chance of being fully recognised only if men's work and career patterns change to a more 'mosaic' model.  Central to this is the need for us to recognise that careers, at whatever level, should not require people to work full time or continuously (hence the mosaic image of different pieces put together in a variety of patterns, rather than a vertical career ladder). In this post I want to make the link between this and two items: a. new analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies which shows how inequalities in incomes have been increased because lower-wage men increasingly…
Read More

Kevin Roberts and vertical ambition

I doubt that I share much of a worldview with Kevin Roberts, who recently resigned as chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi.  That's a powerful position - but S&S is now owned by a parent company, Publicis, and they effectively showed him the door after his remarks about the low numbers of women in senior positions in advertising being 'not a problem'.  (All six of the big advertising agencies have male CEOs.)  'The fucking debate is all over' was apparently his verdict. "Kevin Roberts has an international reputation for an uncompromisingly positive, inspirational leadership style, and an ability to generate ideas and emotional connections that accelerate extraordinary value" is how Kevin's…
Read More

Graduates and non-graduates: RF & HEPI

Two reports have come out in the last few days which complement each other well. The first is from the Resolution Foundation, and focuses on the much-neglected group of people who have some qualifications but are not graduates.  This is the RF exactly fulfilling its remit of shedding light on what is happening to the middle segments of our society - squeezed or not.   Given the number of people who hold vocational qualifications, and the number of times we hear about the UK's lack of intermediate skills, it's absurd that we pay so little attention to them. The report produces quite a neat typology of non-graduates:  from 'ladder climbers'…
Read More

Adam Smith’s dinner: man-made?

Two PP-relevant books to report on. Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner has a chirpy title  and a distinctive style.  Katrina Marçal is a Swedish journalist who lays about her with relish.  Her main target is homo economicus, beginning with the eponymous Scottish original.  The answer to the title's question is 'his mother', and Marçal's treatment of AS is characteristic of her general approach:  vigorous, often amusing, landing some good heavy punches, but not exactly even-handed.  Old Adam gets labelled as an advocate of every=man-for-himself, with not much nuance about it, which is a tad simplistic. It's an enjoyable and stimulating book, and many economists deserve the mauling they get.  When it…
Read More

EQ and PP

Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, caused quite a stir last week with his speech to the TUC on how many jobs might be taken over by robots.  This was a typical report, from The Times: "The robots are coming - and they may take 15 million British jobs, says the Bank of England's chief economist. Andy Haldane told the Trade Union Congress yesterday that millions of jobs could be at risk of automation, with those most vulnerable working in the administrative, clerical and production sectors and among the low paid." Having also scared the accountants in the audience (though not many owned up to being in this…
Read More

Silos and Slaughter

I've been reading Gillian Tett's new book, The Silo Effect. The basic argument is very simple: organisations fail because people work in silos which prevent them from sharing knowledge and ideas.  Tett illustrates this with examples from diverse corners of the business world:  the New York Fire Department, Sony, Apple and the Bank of England. Her overall argument is compelling, and most of us who have worked in organisations will recognise its application. ( This is one of the reasons why the Peter Principle was so successful - people nod their heads in acknowledgement of a broad generalisation to their own experience.)   Sometimes, the silo construction is deliberate.  This does…
Read More

AsSumptions: progress and pace

High Court judge Jonathan Sumption has given his views to the Evening Standard on how fast the legal profession can or should move towards greater gender balance.  In his view it will take a long time (perhaps 50 years, see below), and cannot be rushed without great damage to  the system.  I'm only going by the ES piece, which is risky.  But assuming that the interview is a fair representation of Mr Sumption's views, I think it raises some very interesting questions. First, and most important, is the general issue of how far working practices - in this case, amongst the judiciary - are somehow fixed because of the nature…
Read More

Men learning – in sheds or not

    I've been reading a collection which focusses on how and why men do or don't learn as adults.    It's a basic component of the Paula Principle picture that men appear more reluctant to engage in learning, formal and informal, across most OECD countries.   The PP looks at the consequences  of this (or lack of them) for women ;   Men Learning Through Life  asks what this reluctance means for men.   It is not an exhibition of 'moral panic' about male disadvantage, but a good research-based look at a distinctive issue and what might be done about it.   The book draws its inspiration from pioneering studies…
Read More

Gaps

A quick post following a good meeting yesterday organised by UCU, on widening access to higher education, in the august surrounding's of the Dean's Yard Westminster.  (My last post came from the even more distinguished crypt of St Paul's - where will I find myself next?). Two key issues struck me.  One was 'trends in gaps'.    Helen Thornley of UCAS gave details of the latest figures on applications and entries to universities.    The gap between those from the most and least advantaged backgrounds is diminishing - though not very fast, and not o the 'high tariff' (i.e. elite) universities.  At the same time, the gap between female and…
Read More

Basic incomes surface in Davos – no longer marginal

Back in Aug 2014 I wrote a post on the idea of a citizen's income.  The idea of guaranteeing a basic income is PP-relevant because it would help people - especially women -  move in and out of formal employment without looking like deviant marginals. I said: The CI has been around for a long time. It has generally been dismissed as either cranky or ok in theory but unworkable. But when it was first being discussed 20 or so years ago, the labour market was very different..... As a political sell, it’s a tough one. Many will have an instinctive reaction against the unconditional something-for-nothing proposal....But as Iain Duncan…
Read More

Reduced working hours: linking the PP to inequality and to climate change

The primary conclusion of The Paula Principle  is that women's competences stand a chance of being fully recognised only if men's work and career patterns change to a more 'mosaic' model.  Central to this is the need for us to recognise that careers, at whatever level, should not require people to work full time or continuously (hence the mosaic image of different pieces put together in a variety of patterns, rather than a vertical career ladder). In this post I want to make the link between this and two items: a. new analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies which shows how inequalities in incomes have been increased because lower-wage men increasingly…
Read More

Kevin Roberts and vertical ambition

I doubt that I share much of a worldview with Kevin Roberts, who recently resigned as chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi.  That's a powerful position - but S&S is now owned by a parent company, Publicis, and they effectively showed him the door after his remarks about the low numbers of women in senior positions in advertising being 'not a problem'.  (All six of the big advertising agencies have male CEOs.)  'The fucking debate is all over' was apparently his verdict. "Kevin Roberts has an international reputation for an uncompromisingly positive, inspirational leadership style, and an ability to generate ideas and emotional connections that accelerate extraordinary value" is how Kevin's…
Read More

Graduates and non-graduates: RF & HEPI

Two reports have come out in the last few days which complement each other well. The first is from the Resolution Foundation, and focuses on the much-neglected group of people who have some qualifications but are not graduates.  This is the RF exactly fulfilling its remit of shedding light on what is happening to the middle segments of our society - squeezed or not.   Given the number of people who hold vocational qualifications, and the number of times we hear about the UK's lack of intermediate skills, it's absurd that we pay so little attention to them. The report produces quite a neat typology of non-graduates:  from 'ladder climbers'…
Read More

Adam Smith’s dinner: man-made?

Two PP-relevant books to report on. Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner has a chirpy title  and a distinctive style.  Katrina Marçal is a Swedish journalist who lays about her with relish.  Her main target is homo economicus, beginning with the eponymous Scottish original.  The answer to the title's question is 'his mother', and Marçal's treatment of AS is characteristic of her general approach:  vigorous, often amusing, landing some good heavy punches, but not exactly even-handed.  Old Adam gets labelled as an advocate of every=man-for-himself, with not much nuance about it, which is a tad simplistic. It's an enjoyable and stimulating book, and many economists deserve the mauling they get.  When it…
Read More

EQ and PP

Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, caused quite a stir last week with his speech to the TUC on how many jobs might be taken over by robots.  This was a typical report, from The Times: "The robots are coming - and they may take 15 million British jobs, says the Bank of England's chief economist. Andy Haldane told the Trade Union Congress yesterday that millions of jobs could be at risk of automation, with those most vulnerable working in the administrative, clerical and production sectors and among the low paid." Having also scared the accountants in the audience (though not many owned up to being in this…
Read More

Silos and Slaughter

I've been reading Gillian Tett's new book, The Silo Effect. The basic argument is very simple: organisations fail because people work in silos which prevent them from sharing knowledge and ideas.  Tett illustrates this with examples from diverse corners of the business world:  the New York Fire Department, Sony, Apple and the Bank of England. Her overall argument is compelling, and most of us who have worked in organisations will recognise its application. ( This is one of the reasons why the Peter Principle was so successful - people nod their heads in acknowledgement of a broad generalisation to their own experience.)   Sometimes, the silo construction is deliberate.  This does…
Read More

AsSumptions: progress and pace

High Court judge Jonathan Sumption has given his views to the Evening Standard on how fast the legal profession can or should move towards greater gender balance.  In his view it will take a long time (perhaps 50 years, see below), and cannot be rushed without great damage to  the system.  I'm only going by the ES piece, which is risky.  But assuming that the interview is a fair representation of Mr Sumption's views, I think it raises some very interesting questions. First, and most important, is the general issue of how far working practices - in this case, amongst the judiciary - are somehow fixed because of the nature…
Read More

Men learning – in sheds or not

    I've been reading a collection which focusses on how and why men do or don't learn as adults.    It's a basic component of the Paula Principle picture that men appear more reluctant to engage in learning, formal and informal, across most OECD countries.   The PP looks at the consequences  of this (or lack of them) for women ;   Men Learning Through Life  asks what this reluctance means for men.   It is not an exhibition of 'moral panic' about male disadvantage, but a good research-based look at a distinctive issue and what might be done about it.   The book draws its inspiration from pioneering studies…
Read More

Gaps

A quick post following a good meeting yesterday organised by UCU, on widening access to higher education, in the august surrounding's of the Dean's Yard Westminster.  (My last post came from the even more distinguished crypt of St Paul's - where will I find myself next?). Two key issues struck me.  One was 'trends in gaps'.    Helen Thornley of UCAS gave details of the latest figures on applications and entries to universities.    The gap between those from the most and least advantaged backgrounds is diminishing - though not very fast, and not o the 'high tariff' (i.e. elite) universities.  At the same time, the gap between female and…
Read More

Basic incomes surface in Davos – no longer marginal

Back in Aug 2014 I wrote a post on the idea of a citizen's income.  The idea of guaranteeing a basic income is PP-relevant because it would help people - especially women -  move in and out of formal employment without looking like deviant marginals. I said: The CI has been around for a long time. It has generally been dismissed as either cranky or ok in theory but unworkable. But when it was first being discussed 20 or so years ago, the labour market was very different..... As a political sell, it’s a tough one. Many will have an instinctive reaction against the unconditional something-for-nothing proposal....But as Iain Duncan…
Read More

Reduced working hours: linking the PP to inequality and to climate change

The primary conclusion of The Paula Principle  is that women's competences stand a chance of being fully recognised only if men's work and career patterns change to a more 'mosaic' model.  Central to this is the need for us to recognise that careers, at whatever level, should not require people to work full time or continuously (hence the mosaic image of different pieces put together in a variety of patterns, rather than a vertical career ladder). In this post I want to make the link between this and two items: a. new analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies which shows how inequalities in incomes have been increased because lower-wage men increasingly…
Read More

Kevin Roberts and vertical ambition

I doubt that I share much of a worldview with Kevin Roberts, who recently resigned as chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi.  That's a powerful position - but S&S is now owned by a parent company, Publicis, and they effectively showed him the door after his remarks about the low numbers of women in senior positions in advertising being 'not a problem'.  (All six of the big advertising agencies have male CEOs.)  'The fucking debate is all over' was apparently his verdict. "Kevin Roberts has an international reputation for an uncompromisingly positive, inspirational leadership style, and an ability to generate ideas and emotional connections that accelerate extraordinary value" is how Kevin's…
Read More

Graduates and non-graduates: RF & HEPI

Two reports have come out in the last few days which complement each other well. The first is from the Resolution Foundation, and focuses on the much-neglected group of people who have some qualifications but are not graduates.  This is the RF exactly fulfilling its remit of shedding light on what is happening to the middle segments of our society - squeezed or not.   Given the number of people who hold vocational qualifications, and the number of times we hear about the UK's lack of intermediate skills, it's absurd that we pay so little attention to them. The report produces quite a neat typology of non-graduates:  from 'ladder climbers'…
Read More

Adam Smith’s dinner: man-made?

Two PP-relevant books to report on. Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner has a chirpy title  and a distinctive style.  Katrina Marçal is a Swedish journalist who lays about her with relish.  Her main target is homo economicus, beginning with the eponymous Scottish original.  The answer to the title's question is 'his mother', and Marçal's treatment of AS is characteristic of her general approach:  vigorous, often amusing, landing some good heavy punches, but not exactly even-handed.  Old Adam gets labelled as an advocate of every=man-for-himself, with not much nuance about it, which is a tad simplistic. It's an enjoyable and stimulating book, and many economists deserve the mauling they get.  When it…
Read More

EQ and PP

Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, caused quite a stir last week with his speech to the TUC on how many jobs might be taken over by robots.  This was a typical report, from The Times: "The robots are coming - and they may take 15 million British jobs, says the Bank of England's chief economist. Andy Haldane told the Trade Union Congress yesterday that millions of jobs could be at risk of automation, with those most vulnerable working in the administrative, clerical and production sectors and among the low paid." Having also scared the accountants in the audience (though not many owned up to being in this…
Read More

Silos and Slaughter

I've been reading Gillian Tett's new book, The Silo Effect. The basic argument is very simple: organisations fail because people work in silos which prevent them from sharing knowledge and ideas.  Tett illustrates this with examples from diverse corners of the business world:  the New York Fire Department, Sony, Apple and the Bank of England. Her overall argument is compelling, and most of us who have worked in organisations will recognise its application. ( This is one of the reasons why the Peter Principle was so successful - people nod their heads in acknowledgement of a broad generalisation to their own experience.)   Sometimes, the silo construction is deliberate.  This does…
Read More

AsSumptions: progress and pace

High Court judge Jonathan Sumption has given his views to the Evening Standard on how fast the legal profession can or should move towards greater gender balance.  In his view it will take a long time (perhaps 50 years, see below), and cannot be rushed without great damage to  the system.  I'm only going by the ES piece, which is risky.  But assuming that the interview is a fair representation of Mr Sumption's views, I think it raises some very interesting questions. First, and most important, is the general issue of how far working practices - in this case, amongst the judiciary - are somehow fixed because of the nature…
Read More

Men learning – in sheds or not

    I've been reading a collection which focusses on how and why men do or don't learn as adults.    It's a basic component of the Paula Principle picture that men appear more reluctant to engage in learning, formal and informal, across most OECD countries.   The PP looks at the consequences  of this (or lack of them) for women ;   Men Learning Through Life  asks what this reluctance means for men.   It is not an exhibition of 'moral panic' about male disadvantage, but a good research-based look at a distinctive issue and what might be done about it.   The book draws its inspiration from pioneering studies…
Read More

Gaps

A quick post following a good meeting yesterday organised by UCU, on widening access to higher education, in the august surrounding's of the Dean's Yard Westminster.  (My last post came from the even more distinguished crypt of St Paul's - where will I find myself next?). Two key issues struck me.  One was 'trends in gaps'.    Helen Thornley of UCAS gave details of the latest figures on applications and entries to universities.    The gap between those from the most and least advantaged backgrounds is diminishing - though not very fast, and not o the 'high tariff' (i.e. elite) universities.  At the same time, the gap between female and…
Read More

Basic incomes surface in Davos – no longer marginal

Back in Aug 2014 I wrote a post on the idea of a citizen's income.  The idea of guaranteeing a basic income is PP-relevant because it would help people - especially women -  move in and out of formal employment without looking like deviant marginals. I said: The CI has been around for a long time. It has generally been dismissed as either cranky or ok in theory but unworkable. But when it was first being discussed 20 or so years ago, the labour market was very different..... As a political sell, it’s a tough one. Many will have an instinctive reaction against the unconditional something-for-nothing proposal....But as Iain Duncan…
Read More

Reduced working hours: linking the PP to inequality and to climate change

The primary conclusion of The Paula Principle  is that women's competences stand a chance of being fully recognised only if men's work and career patterns change to a more 'mosaic' model.  Central to this is the need for us to recognise that careers, at whatever level, should not require people to work full time or continuously (hence the mosaic image of different pieces put together in a variety of patterns, rather than a vertical career ladder). In this post I want to make the link between this and two items: a. new analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies which shows how inequalities in incomes have been increased because lower-wage men increasingly…
Read More

Kevin Roberts and vertical ambition

I doubt that I share much of a worldview with Kevin Roberts, who recently resigned as chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi.  That's a powerful position - but S&S is now owned by a parent company, Publicis, and they effectively showed him the door after his remarks about the low numbers of women in senior positions in advertising being 'not a problem'.  (All six of the big advertising agencies have male CEOs.)  'The fucking debate is all over' was apparently his verdict. "Kevin Roberts has an international reputation for an uncompromisingly positive, inspirational leadership style, and an ability to generate ideas and emotional connections that accelerate extraordinary value" is how Kevin's…
Read More

Graduates and non-graduates: RF & HEPI

Two reports have come out in the last few days which complement each other well. The first is from the Resolution Foundation, and focuses on the much-neglected group of people who have some qualifications but are not graduates.  This is the RF exactly fulfilling its remit of shedding light on what is happening to the middle segments of our society - squeezed or not.   Given the number of people who hold vocational qualifications, and the number of times we hear about the UK's lack of intermediate skills, it's absurd that we pay so little attention to them. The report produces quite a neat typology of non-graduates:  from 'ladder climbers'…
Read More

Adam Smith’s dinner: man-made?

Two PP-relevant books to report on. Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner has a chirpy title  and a distinctive style.  Katrina Marçal is a Swedish journalist who lays about her with relish.  Her main target is homo economicus, beginning with the eponymous Scottish original.  The answer to the title's question is 'his mother', and Marçal's treatment of AS is characteristic of her general approach:  vigorous, often amusing, landing some good heavy punches, but not exactly even-handed.  Old Adam gets labelled as an advocate of every=man-for-himself, with not much nuance about it, which is a tad simplistic. It's an enjoyable and stimulating book, and many economists deserve the mauling they get.  When it…
Read More

EQ and PP

Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, caused quite a stir last week with his speech to the TUC on how many jobs might be taken over by robots.  This was a typical report, from The Times: "The robots are coming - and they may take 15 million British jobs, says the Bank of England's chief economist. Andy Haldane told the Trade Union Congress yesterday that millions of jobs could be at risk of automation, with those most vulnerable working in the administrative, clerical and production sectors and among the low paid." Having also scared the accountants in the audience (though not many owned up to being in this…
Read More

Silos and Slaughter

I've been reading Gillian Tett's new book, The Silo Effect. The basic argument is very simple: organisations fail because people work in silos which prevent them from sharing knowledge and ideas.  Tett illustrates this with examples from diverse corners of the business world:  the New York Fire Department, Sony, Apple and the Bank of England. Her overall argument is compelling, and most of us who have worked in organisations will recognise its application. ( This is one of the reasons why the Peter Principle was so successful - people nod their heads in acknowledgement of a broad generalisation to their own experience.)   Sometimes, the silo construction is deliberate.  This does…
Read More

AsSumptions: progress and pace

High Court judge Jonathan Sumption has given his views to the Evening Standard on how fast the legal profession can or should move towards greater gender balance.  In his view it will take a long time (perhaps 50 years, see below), and cannot be rushed without great damage to  the system.  I'm only going by the ES piece, which is risky.  But assuming that the interview is a fair representation of Mr Sumption's views, I think it raises some very interesting questions. First, and most important, is the general issue of how far working practices - in this case, amongst the judiciary - are somehow fixed because of the nature…
Read More

Men learning – in sheds or not

    I've been reading a collection which focusses on how and why men do or don't learn as adults.    It's a basic component of the Paula Principle picture that men appear more reluctant to engage in learning, formal and informal, across most OECD countries.   The PP looks at the consequences  of this (or lack of them) for women ;   Men Learning Through Life  asks what this reluctance means for men.   It is not an exhibition of 'moral panic' about male disadvantage, but a good research-based look at a distinctive issue and what might be done about it.   The book draws its inspiration from pioneering studies…
Read More

Gaps

A quick post following a good meeting yesterday organised by UCU, on widening access to higher education, in the august surrounding's of the Dean's Yard Westminster.  (My last post came from the even more distinguished crypt of St Paul's - where will I find myself next?). Two key issues struck me.  One was 'trends in gaps'.    Helen Thornley of UCAS gave details of the latest figures on applications and entries to universities.    The gap between those from the most and least advantaged backgrounds is diminishing - though not very fast, and not o the 'high tariff' (i.e. elite) universities.  At the same time, the gap between female and…
Read More

Basic incomes surface in Davos – no longer marginal

Back in Aug 2014 I wrote a post on the idea of a citizen's income.  The idea of guaranteeing a basic income is PP-relevant because it would help people - especially women -  move in and out of formal employment without looking like deviant marginals. I said: The CI has been around for a long time. It has generally been dismissed as either cranky or ok in theory but unworkable. But when it was first being discussed 20 or so years ago, the labour market was very different..... As a political sell, it’s a tough one. Many will have an instinctive reaction against the unconditional something-for-nothing proposal....But as Iain Duncan…
Read More

Reduced working hours: linking the PP to inequality and to climate change

The primary conclusion of The Paula Principle  is that women's competences stand a chance of being fully recognised only if men's work and career patterns change to a more 'mosaic' model.  Central to this is the need for us to recognise that careers, at whatever level, should not require people to work full time or continuously (hence the mosaic image of different pieces put together in a variety of patterns, rather than a vertical career ladder). In this post I want to make the link between this and two items: a. new analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies which shows how inequalities in incomes have been increased because lower-wage men increasingly…
Read More

Kevin Roberts and vertical ambition

I doubt that I share much of a worldview with Kevin Roberts, who recently resigned as chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi.  That's a powerful position - but S&S is now owned by a parent company, Publicis, and they effectively showed him the door after his remarks about the low numbers of women in senior positions in advertising being 'not a problem'.  (All six of the big advertising agencies have male CEOs.)  'The fucking debate is all over' was apparently his verdict. "Kevin Roberts has an international reputation for an uncompromisingly positive, inspirational leadership style, and an ability to generate ideas and emotional connections that accelerate extraordinary value" is how Kevin's…
Read More

Graduates and non-graduates: RF & HEPI

Two reports have come out in the last few days which complement each other well. The first is from the Resolution Foundation, and focuses on the much-neglected group of people who have some qualifications but are not graduates.  This is the RF exactly fulfilling its remit of shedding light on what is happening to the middle segments of our society - squeezed or not.   Given the number of people who hold vocational qualifications, and the number of times we hear about the UK's lack of intermediate skills, it's absurd that we pay so little attention to them. The report produces quite a neat typology of non-graduates:  from 'ladder climbers'…
Read More

Adam Smith’s dinner: man-made?

Two PP-relevant books to report on. Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner has a chirpy title  and a distinctive style.  Katrina Marçal is a Swedish journalist who lays about her with relish.  Her main target is homo economicus, beginning with the eponymous Scottish original.  The answer to the title's question is 'his mother', and Marçal's treatment of AS is characteristic of her general approach:  vigorous, often amusing, landing some good heavy punches, but not exactly even-handed.  Old Adam gets labelled as an advocate of every=man-for-himself, with not much nuance about it, which is a tad simplistic. It's an enjoyable and stimulating book, and many economists deserve the mauling they get.  When it…
Read More

EQ and PP

Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, caused quite a stir last week with his speech to the TUC on how many jobs might be taken over by robots.  This was a typical report, from The Times: "The robots are coming - and they may take 15 million British jobs, says the Bank of England's chief economist. Andy Haldane told the Trade Union Congress yesterday that millions of jobs could be at risk of automation, with those most vulnerable working in the administrative, clerical and production sectors and among the low paid." Having also scared the accountants in the audience (though not many owned up to being in this…
Read More

Silos and Slaughter

I've been reading Gillian Tett's new book, The Silo Effect. The basic argument is very simple: organisations fail because people work in silos which prevent them from sharing knowledge and ideas.  Tett illustrates this with examples from diverse corners of the business world:  the New York Fire Department, Sony, Apple and the Bank of England. Her overall argument is compelling, and most of us who have worked in organisations will recognise its application. ( This is one of the reasons why the Peter Principle was so successful - people nod their heads in acknowledgement of a broad generalisation to their own experience.)   Sometimes, the silo construction is deliberate.  This does…
Read More

AsSumptions: progress and pace

High Court judge Jonathan Sumption has given his views to the Evening Standard on how fast the legal profession can or should move towards greater gender balance.  In his view it will take a long time (perhaps 50 years, see below), and cannot be rushed without great damage to  the system.  I'm only going by the ES piece, which is risky.  But assuming that the interview is a fair representation of Mr Sumption's views, I think it raises some very interesting questions. First, and most important, is the general issue of how far working practices - in this case, amongst the judiciary - are somehow fixed because of the nature…
Read More

Men learning – in sheds or not

    I've been reading a collection which focusses on how and why men do or don't learn as adults.    It's a basic component of the Paula Principle picture that men appear more reluctant to engage in learning, formal and informal, across most OECD countries.   The PP looks at the consequences  of this (or lack of them) for women ;   Men Learning Through Life  asks what this reluctance means for men.   It is not an exhibition of 'moral panic' about male disadvantage, but a good research-based look at a distinctive issue and what might be done about it.   The book draws its inspiration from pioneering studies…
Read More

Gaps

A quick post following a good meeting yesterday organised by UCU, on widening access to higher education, in the august surrounding's of the Dean's Yard Westminster.  (My last post came from the even more distinguished crypt of St Paul's - where will I find myself next?). Two key issues struck me.  One was 'trends in gaps'.    Helen Thornley of UCAS gave details of the latest figures on applications and entries to universities.    The gap between those from the most and least advantaged backgrounds is diminishing - though not very fast, and not o the 'high tariff' (i.e. elite) universities.  At the same time, the gap between female and…
Read More

Basic incomes surface in Davos – no longer marginal

Back in Aug 2014 I wrote a post on the idea of a citizen's income.  The idea of guaranteeing a basic income is PP-relevant because it would help people - especially women -  move in and out of formal employment without looking like deviant marginals. I said: The CI has been around for a long time. It has generally been dismissed as either cranky or ok in theory but unworkable. But when it was first being discussed 20 or so years ago, the labour market was very different..... As a political sell, it’s a tough one. Many will have an instinctive reaction against the unconditional something-for-nothing proposal....But as Iain Duncan…
Read More

Reduced working hours: linking the PP to inequality and to climate change

The primary conclusion of The Paula Principle  is that women's competences stand a chance of being fully recognised only if men's work and career patterns change to a more 'mosaic' model.  Central to this is the need for us to recognise that careers, at whatever level, should not require people to work full time or continuously (hence the mosaic image of different pieces put together in a variety of patterns, rather than a vertical career ladder). In this post I want to make the link between this and two items: a. new analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies which shows how inequalities in incomes have been increased because lower-wage men increasingly…
Read More

Kevin Roberts and vertical ambition

I doubt that I share much of a worldview with Kevin Roberts, who recently resigned as chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi.  That's a powerful position - but S&S is now owned by a parent company, Publicis, and they effectively showed him the door after his remarks about the low numbers of women in senior positions in advertising being 'not a problem'.  (All six of the big advertising agencies have male CEOs.)  'The fucking debate is all over' was apparently his verdict. "Kevin Roberts has an international reputation for an uncompromisingly positive, inspirational leadership style, and an ability to generate ideas and emotional connections that accelerate extraordinary value" is how Kevin's…
Read More

Graduates and non-graduates: RF & HEPI

Two reports have come out in the last few days which complement each other well. The first is from the Resolution Foundation, and focuses on the much-neglected group of people who have some qualifications but are not graduates.  This is the RF exactly fulfilling its remit of shedding light on what is happening to the middle segments of our society - squeezed or not.   Given the number of people who hold vocational qualifications, and the number of times we hear about the UK's lack of intermediate skills, it's absurd that we pay so little attention to them. The report produces quite a neat typology of non-graduates:  from 'ladder climbers'…
Read More

Adam Smith’s dinner: man-made?

Two PP-relevant books to report on. Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner has a chirpy title  and a distinctive style.  Katrina Marçal is a Swedish journalist who lays about her with relish.  Her main target is homo economicus, beginning with the eponymous Scottish original.  The answer to the title's question is 'his mother', and Marçal's treatment of AS is characteristic of her general approach:  vigorous, often amusing, landing some good heavy punches, but not exactly even-handed.  Old Adam gets labelled as an advocate of every=man-for-himself, with not much nuance about it, which is a tad simplistic. It's an enjoyable and stimulating book, and many economists deserve the mauling they get.  When it…
Read More

EQ and PP

Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, caused quite a stir last week with his speech to the TUC on how many jobs might be taken over by robots.  This was a typical report, from The Times: "The robots are coming - and they may take 15 million British jobs, says the Bank of England's chief economist. Andy Haldane told the Trade Union Congress yesterday that millions of jobs could be at risk of automation, with those most vulnerable working in the administrative, clerical and production sectors and among the low paid." Having also scared the accountants in the audience (though not many owned up to being in this…
Read More

Silos and Slaughter

I've been reading Gillian Tett's new book, The Silo Effect. The basic argument is very simple: organisations fail because people work in silos which prevent them from sharing knowledge and ideas.  Tett illustrates this with examples from diverse corners of the business world:  the New York Fire Department, Sony, Apple and the Bank of England. Her overall argument is compelling, and most of us who have worked in organisations will recognise its application. ( This is one of the reasons why the Peter Principle was so successful - people nod their heads in acknowledgement of a broad generalisation to their own experience.)   Sometimes, the silo construction is deliberate.  This does…
Read More

AsSumptions: progress and pace

High Court judge Jonathan Sumption has given his views to the Evening Standard on how fast the legal profession can or should move towards greater gender balance.  In his view it will take a long time (perhaps 50 years, see below), and cannot be rushed without great damage to  the system.  I'm only going by the ES piece, which is risky.  But assuming that the interview is a fair representation of Mr Sumption's views, I think it raises some very interesting questions. First, and most important, is the general issue of how far working practices - in this case, amongst the judiciary - are somehow fixed because of the nature…
Read More

Men learning – in sheds or not

    I've been reading a collection which focusses on how and why men do or don't learn as adults.    It's a basic component of the Paula Principle picture that men appear more reluctant to engage in learning, formal and informal, across most OECD countries.   The PP looks at the consequences  of this (or lack of them) for women ;   Men Learning Through Life  asks what this reluctance means for men.   It is not an exhibition of 'moral panic' about male disadvantage, but a good research-based look at a distinctive issue and what might be done about it.   The book draws its inspiration from pioneering studies…
Read More

Gaps

A quick post following a good meeting yesterday organised by UCU, on widening access to higher education, in the august surrounding's of the Dean's Yard Westminster.  (My last post came from the even more distinguished crypt of St Paul's - where will I find myself next?). Two key issues struck me.  One was 'trends in gaps'.    Helen Thornley of UCAS gave details of the latest figures on applications and entries to universities.    The gap between those from the most and least advantaged backgrounds is diminishing - though not very fast, and not o the 'high tariff' (i.e. elite) universities.  At the same time, the gap between female and…
Read More

Basic incomes surface in Davos – no longer marginal

Back in Aug 2014 I wrote a post on the idea of a citizen's income.  The idea of guaranteeing a basic income is PP-relevant because it would help people - especially women -  move in and out of formal employment without looking like deviant marginals. I said: The CI has been around for a long time. It has generally been dismissed as either cranky or ok in theory but unworkable. But when it was first being discussed 20 or so years ago, the labour market was very different..... As a political sell, it’s a tough one. Many will have an instinctive reaction against the unconditional something-for-nothing proposal....But as Iain Duncan…
Read More

Reduced working hours: linking the PP to inequality and to climate change

The primary conclusion of The Paula Principle  is that women's competences stand a chance of being fully recognised only if men's work and career patterns change to a more 'mosaic' model.  Central to this is the need for us to recognise that careers, at whatever level, should not require people to work full time or continuously (hence the mosaic image of different pieces put together in a variety of patterns, rather than a vertical career ladder). In this post I want to make the link between this and two items: a. new analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies which shows how inequalities in incomes have been increased because lower-wage men increasingly…
Read More

Kevin Roberts and vertical ambition

I doubt that I share much of a worldview with Kevin Roberts, who recently resigned as chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi.  That's a powerful position - but S&S is now owned by a parent company, Publicis, and they effectively showed him the door after his remarks about the low numbers of women in senior positions in advertising being 'not a problem'.  (All six of the big advertising agencies have male CEOs.)  'The fucking debate is all over' was apparently his verdict. "Kevin Roberts has an international reputation for an uncompromisingly positive, inspirational leadership style, and an ability to generate ideas and emotional connections that accelerate extraordinary value" is how Kevin's…
Read More

Graduates and non-graduates: RF & HEPI

Two reports have come out in the last few days which complement each other well. The first is from the Resolution Foundation, and focuses on the much-neglected group of people who have some qualifications but are not graduates.  This is the RF exactly fulfilling its remit of shedding light on what is happening to the middle segments of our society - squeezed or not.   Given the number of people who hold vocational qualifications, and the number of times we hear about the UK's lack of intermediate skills, it's absurd that we pay so little attention to them. The report produces quite a neat typology of non-graduates:  from 'ladder climbers'…
Read More

Adam Smith’s dinner: man-made?

Two PP-relevant books to report on. Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner has a chirpy title  and a distinctive style.  Katrina Marçal is a Swedish journalist who lays about her with relish.  Her main target is homo economicus, beginning with the eponymous Scottish original.  The answer to the title's question is 'his mother', and Marçal's treatment of AS is characteristic of her general approach:  vigorous, often amusing, landing some good heavy punches, but not exactly even-handed.  Old Adam gets labelled as an advocate of every=man-for-himself, with not much nuance about it, which is a tad simplistic. It's an enjoyable and stimulating book, and many economists deserve the mauling they get.  When it…
Read More

EQ and PP

Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, caused quite a stir last week with his speech to the TUC on how many jobs might be taken over by robots.  This was a typical report, from The Times: "The robots are coming - and they may take 15 million British jobs, says the Bank of England's chief economist. Andy Haldane told the Trade Union Congress yesterday that millions of jobs could be at risk of automation, with those most vulnerable working in the administrative, clerical and production sectors and among the low paid." Having also scared the accountants in the audience (though not many owned up to being in this…
Read More

Silos and Slaughter

I've been reading Gillian Tett's new book, The Silo Effect. The basic argument is very simple: organisations fail because people work in silos which prevent them from sharing knowledge and ideas.  Tett illustrates this with examples from diverse corners of the business world:  the New York Fire Department, Sony, Apple and the Bank of England. Her overall argument is compelling, and most of us who have worked in organisations will recognise its application. ( This is one of the reasons why the Peter Principle was so successful - people nod their heads in acknowledgement of a broad generalisation to their own experience.)   Sometimes, the silo construction is deliberate.  This does…
Read More

AsSumptions: progress and pace

High Court judge Jonathan Sumption has given his views to the Evening Standard on how fast the legal profession can or should move towards greater gender balance.  In his view it will take a long time (perhaps 50 years, see below), and cannot be rushed without great damage to  the system.  I'm only going by the ES piece, which is risky.  But assuming that the interview is a fair representation of Mr Sumption's views, I think it raises some very interesting questions. First, and most important, is the general issue of how far working practices - in this case, amongst the judiciary - are somehow fixed because of the nature…
Read More

Men learning – in sheds or not

    I've been reading a collection which focusses on how and why men do or don't learn as adults.    It's a basic component of the Paula Principle picture that men appear more reluctant to engage in learning, formal and informal, across most OECD countries.   The PP looks at the consequences  of this (or lack of them) for women ;   Men Learning Through Life  asks what this reluctance means for men.   It is not an exhibition of 'moral panic' about male disadvantage, but a good research-based look at a distinctive issue and what might be done about it.   The book draws its inspiration from pioneering studies…
Read More

Gaps

A quick post following a good meeting yesterday organised by UCU, on widening access to higher education, in the august surrounding's of the Dean's Yard Westminster.  (My last post came from the even more distinguished crypt of St Paul's - where will I find myself next?). Two key issues struck me.  One was 'trends in gaps'.    Helen Thornley of UCAS gave details of the latest figures on applications and entries to universities.    The gap between those from the most and least advantaged backgrounds is diminishing - though not very fast, and not o the 'high tariff' (i.e. elite) universities.  At the same time, the gap between female and…
Read More

Basic incomes surface in Davos – no longer marginal

Back in Aug 2014 I wrote a post on the idea of a citizen's income.  The idea of guaranteeing a basic income is PP-relevant because it would help people - especially women -  move in and out of formal employment without looking like deviant marginals. I said: The CI has been around for a long time. It has generally been dismissed as either cranky or ok in theory but unworkable. But when it was first being discussed 20 or so years ago, the labour market was very different..... As a political sell, it’s a tough one. Many will have an instinctive reaction against the unconditional something-for-nothing proposal....But as Iain Duncan…
Read More

Reduced working hours: linking the PP to inequality and to climate change

The primary conclusion of The Paula Principle  is that women's competences stand a chance of being fully recognised only if men's work and career patterns change to a more 'mosaic' model.  Central to this is the need for us to recognise that careers, at whatever level, should not require people to work full time or continuously (hence the mosaic image of different pieces put together in a variety of patterns, rather than a vertical career ladder). In this post I want to make the link between this and two items: a. new analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies which shows how inequalities in incomes have been increased because lower-wage men increasingly…
Read More

Kevin Roberts and vertical ambition

I doubt that I share much of a worldview with Kevin Roberts, who recently resigned as chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi.  That's a powerful position - but S&S is now owned by a parent company, Publicis, and they effectively showed him the door after his remarks about the low numbers of women in senior positions in advertising being 'not a problem'.  (All six of the big advertising agencies have male CEOs.)  'The fucking debate is all over' was apparently his verdict. "Kevin Roberts has an international reputation for an uncompromisingly positive, inspirational leadership style, and an ability to generate ideas and emotional connections that accelerate extraordinary value" is how Kevin's…
Read More

Graduates and non-graduates: RF & HEPI

Two reports have come out in the last few days which complement each other well. The first is from the Resolution Foundation, and focuses on the much-neglected group of people who have some qualifications but are not graduates.  This is the RF exactly fulfilling its remit of shedding light on what is happening to the middle segments of our society - squeezed or not.   Given the number of people who hold vocational qualifications, and the number of times we hear about the UK's lack of intermediate skills, it's absurd that we pay so little attention to them. The report produces quite a neat typology of non-graduates:  from 'ladder climbers'…
Read More

Adam Smith’s dinner: man-made?

Two PP-relevant books to report on. Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner has a chirpy title  and a distinctive style.  Katrina Marçal is a Swedish journalist who lays about her with relish.  Her main target is homo economicus, beginning with the eponymous Scottish original.  The answer to the title's question is 'his mother', and Marçal's treatment of AS is characteristic of her general approach:  vigorous, often amusing, landing some good heavy punches, but not exactly even-handed.  Old Adam gets labelled as an advocate of every=man-for-himself, with not much nuance about it, which is a tad simplistic. It's an enjoyable and stimulating book, and many economists deserve the mauling they get.  When it…
Read More

EQ and PP

Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, caused quite a stir last week with his speech to the TUC on how many jobs might be taken over by robots.  This was a typical report, from The Times: "The robots are coming - and they may take 15 million British jobs, says the Bank of England's chief economist. Andy Haldane told the Trade Union Congress yesterday that millions of jobs could be at risk of automation, with those most vulnerable working in the administrative, clerical and production sectors and among the low paid." Having also scared the accountants in the audience (though not many owned up to being in this…
Read More

Silos and Slaughter

I've been reading Gillian Tett's new book, The Silo Effect. The basic argument is very simple: organisations fail because people work in silos which prevent them from sharing knowledge and ideas.  Tett illustrates this with examples from diverse corners of the business world:  the New York Fire Department, Sony, Apple and the Bank of England. Her overall argument is compelling, and most of us who have worked in organisations will recognise its application. ( This is one of the reasons why the Peter Principle was so successful - people nod their heads in acknowledgement of a broad generalisation to their own experience.)   Sometimes, the silo construction is deliberate.  This does…
Read More

AsSumptions: progress and pace

High Court judge Jonathan Sumption has given his views to the Evening Standard on how fast the legal profession can or should move towards greater gender balance.  In his view it will take a long time (perhaps 50 years, see below), and cannot be rushed without great damage to  the system.  I'm only going by the ES piece, which is risky.  But assuming that the interview is a fair representation of Mr Sumption's views, I think it raises some very interesting questions. First, and most important, is the general issue of how far working practices - in this case, amongst the judiciary - are somehow fixed because of the nature…
Read More

Men learning – in sheds or not

    I've been reading a collection which focusses on how and why men do or don't learn as adults.    It's a basic component of the Paula Principle picture that men appear more reluctant to engage in learning, formal and informal, across most OECD countries.   The PP looks at the consequences  of this (or lack of them) for women ;   Men Learning Through Life  asks what this reluctance means for men.   It is not an exhibition of 'moral panic' about male disadvantage, but a good research-based look at a distinctive issue and what might be done about it.   The book draws its inspiration from pioneering studies…
Read More

Gaps

A quick post following a good meeting yesterday organised by UCU, on widening access to higher education, in the august surrounding's of the Dean's Yard Westminster.  (My last post came from the even more distinguished crypt of St Paul's - where will I find myself next?). Two key issues struck me.  One was 'trends in gaps'.    Helen Thornley of UCAS gave details of the latest figures on applications and entries to universities.    The gap between those from the most and least advantaged backgrounds is diminishing - though not very fast, and not o the 'high tariff' (i.e. elite) universities.  At the same time, the gap between female and…
Read More