Fascinating new Institute for Fiscal Studies paper finds that the closure of 70% of police stations in London was not cost effective and led to higher crime levels, with particularly negative impacts on the poor

ifs.org.uk/sites/default/…

I think it's a tough call to claim privatisation didn't boost ridership. Sure, it increased costs and it might have increased fragmentation in certain areas too, but I'm dead sure it boosted passenger numbers. Here's why 👇🧵

There are some well-connected locations where London Mayor regulation requires they be used as biscuit factories and Deliveroo depots. They can’t be used for homes even though they’d rent for 5x or 10x more. This should be changed.

The Great Diamond Hoax of 1872 is the subject of Terra Nullius this week. It’s the story of how two miners fooled America and made millions in the process.

terranullius.world/p/the-great-di…

Another nice chart here: modal share (% of total passenger miles done via rail). Chart starts just after nationalisation.

If you're 18-22 years old, consider applying for Works in Progress's summer school in August.

It features Saloni Dr Anton Howes Stuart Ritchie 🇺🇦, and others, on topics like the causes of the Industrial Revolution and the dysfunctions of modern science.

worksinprogress.news/p/apply-to-com…

The parenthood pay gap.

No wonder birth rates are collapsing.

How the Japanese monarchy survived to become the world's oldest eggrollshogunate.substack.com/p/king-and-emp…

In 2020, Italy's low fertility rate meant the population declined by 384,000. That’s like if all the residents of a town bigger than Coventry disappeared.

But one part of Italy is consistently defying the nation’s birth dearth, and we've written about it Boom. 1/4

I always love reading Sam Enright’s ‘links and what I’ve been reading’ posts and this one is absolutely no exception. reasonalone.substack.com/p/links-and-wh…

Interesting comment I just received on my Substack. (This account actually appears to have been created to post two negative comments on my posts, comments which it also liked 😎.)

From 1919 to 1920, there was a tiny country on the Adriatic that became the world capital of radicalism and cocaine consumption.

Government ministers taught yoga and karate, while food supplies were acquired through piracy.

I tell the story of Fiume:

terranullius.world/p/the-country-…

The problem with monopolies is that they don’t make enough money 😔 economicforces.xyz/p/monopolies-d…

Check out these adverts for houses built in the 1930s (in the USA)

Amazing chart in new brilliant Tim Leunig post on creative arts degrees. They are bad value for the taxpayer AND the student.

Immigration is useful to help with the challenges of an ageing society. But some argue that we can forget about having any children at all – it doesn't matter because we can just replace the lost children with working-age foreigners. This thread explains why that won't work.

In 1762 two British naval ships captured a Spanish frigate carrying loot that would be worth £10 billion today if it was the same fraction of the economy. (They were given 30 years of wages as a reward.) terranullius.world/p/x-marks-the-…