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Showing posts from May, 2013

Why The Three Lions Won’t Have too Many More Good Players: The Dutch Disease

Until recently, England were never short on talent. The Man United Class of 92 saw the birth of quite a lot of talent like Scholes, Beckham, and the Nevilles. The Academy of Football (also known as the West Ham academy) fabricated players such as Carrick, Lampard, and Joe Cole. They also have stars like Rooney, Ashley Cole and Gerrard. But these talents are either retired or aging, and the new breed of stars don’t look like they are half as good as the generation they are replacing. What’s happening to them? In Economics, it is problem called Dutch Disease. Dutch Disease is a term coined by The Economist to refer to the decline in Dutch manufacturing after the exploitation of a large oil reserve in the North Sea. The large revenue generated from oil export made the Gulden stronger to a point where their manufacturing output became uncompetitive in foreign markets. The Dutch Disease has been an issue anywhere there is a large inflow of money towards a country due to a sudden ev

Why Fuel Subsidies Might Actually be Pro-Poor

Just a simple thought that flashed through my mind after hearing many people say that fuel subsidies in Indonesia is pro-rich. Yes, I know that more than half of the subsidies is enjoyed by the top 10% income earners, the bottom 10% only get like 2-3% and yada yada yada, but come to think of it, maybe our government just believes in trickle down economics. It’s basically a tax cut to stimulate the economy, right? Here it goes: Fuel subsidy leaves middle-up people a little bit richer, giving them a little bit more disposable income. Now, the richer you are, the more you save, meaning that this extra income for the rich/middle up will lead to more national savings compared to if the money is distributed towards poorer people. Theoretically, a one rupiah increase in national savings should lower interest rates just enough to induce one rupiah additional investment. In another word, more savings also means more money there is in the money market to be borrowed to fund inves