As regular readers here know, immigration is an issue that even people who are libertarians - or who say they are (often an important caveat) - disagree about. The nub of the issue can be expressed thus: immigration+welfare state+weak indigenous culture = social discord. Or: immigration+free market capitalism+strong sense of civil society = strong, dynamic country. Over at the CATO think tank in W...

A key political battleground now exists around the issue of creating a fairer system of capitalism. Ed Miliband initiated this agenda and now both David Cameron and Nick Clegg have said they want a move away from ‘crony capitalism’ to ‘responsible capitalism’. What we need are some strong ideas to make capitalism fairer – and here are five that can achieve this...

The Kenster’s on sparkling form in today’s Guardian. Here he is exploring the finer points of responsible capitalism: The mayoralty has quite limited powers. But it's a very powerful [voice] you have for advocacy. Equally, because I have been around...

Ed Miliband MP, Leader of the Opposition, writing on his blog today, said: Having returned from the meeting of business, media and politics in Davos to the storm around RBS bonuses, I would like to offer some broader perspective on this debate. It was only my second time in Davos, but what struck me was that – even there - the issue of how to make capitalism more responsible is firmly on the...

At the ASI. Turns out this Anglo Saxon style of capitalism, with it’s emphasis on public markets for equities, does have some advantages over Rhineland capitalism after all.

Here are some posts made on Spectator.co.uk during the past week: Fraser Nelson tells Tristram Hunt that capitalism is just what Britain does, and says Osborne owes Darling an apology. James Forsyth thinks the Tories will be delighted to see the battle over the benefit cap prolonged, and says Alex Salmond's strategy is both subtle and dangerous. Peter Hoskin watches Vince Cable teach Chuka Um...

Nick Clegg’s Mansion House speech on “a more responsible capitalism” gathered publicity, particularly for his widely-reported call for employees to be given the right to ask for shares in the company they work for. I am still puzzling over how people can be given a right they already have. Anyone can ask for shares at

So what questions are they asking the future governors of China? Marx was convinced capitalism was not sustainable. But 160 years later, it's still around. How do you explain that? I should say that they want an answer, and at...

We have seen the government turning to pension funds as a source of capital to fuel the economic recovery through infrastructure investment. Combined with the agenda for 'responsible capitalism', it is clear that the way pension funds invest is no longer, "a minority sport", but a matter of acute national concern.

One example of a speculative bubble that gets mentioned sometimes is the Dutch Tulip Bubble of the 17th Century. I have occasionally come across the argument that says that this bubble, like some others, cannot be blamed on expansion of the money supply, ergo, those hairshirt Austrians banging on about the evils of elastic money are wrong, there are sometimes bad things that happen in capitalism a...