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Democratic Audit:
A howl for the past rather than a serious fight for the future: Corbyn and the political economy of nostalgia

17 August 2015

Article by John Van Reenen
Voting for Jeremy Corbyn as leader is a gut reaction to Labour's electoral defeat. Corbyn does point to some real economic problems facing Britain but his policies are based largely on the kind of wishful thinking that is endemic in UK politics and both blights Labour's past. His popularity lies in Labour's failure to defend its own record in government. The party needs to learn from its successes as well as its evident recent failures if it wants to re-build, writes John Van Reenen.

This article was published online by Democratic Audit on August 17, 2015
Link to article here

Related publications
Should we stay or should we go?, Swati Dhingra, Gianmarco Ottaviano and Thomas Sampson, CEP Election Analyses 2015, March 2015

Productivity and Business Policies, Isabelle Roland and Anna Valero, CEP Election Analyses 2015, March 2015
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  • Investing for Prosperity: Skills, Innovation and Infrastructure, LSE Growth Commission in partnership with the Institute for Government and the Centre for Economic Performance, John Van Reenen et al., January 2013
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  • Related links
    Swati Dhingra webpage
    Gianmarco Ottaviano webpage
    Isabelle Roland webpage
    Thomas Sampson webpage
    Anna Valero webpage
    John Van Reenen webpage
    Globalisation Programme webpage
    Productivity and Innovation Programme webpage

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