'The End of a Perfect Day': 'Horses for Courses' and Policy Proposals

Abstract

I 'retire' in September 1998; so, in this paper I try to put a structure on my approach to economics, especially when formulating policy, and relate it to the various influences on my development over the years: religious, political and economic. I call the approach 'horses for courses': each issue is treated as situation-specific, that is to say, there are no preconceived ideas or general theory about underlying structural relationships and their interrelationships. I illustrate the approach by reference to various policy proposals and political activities with which I have been associated over the past 40 years and more.