Marc Robinson Blog

Population Aging & Health Spending

- July 30, 2020 - Marc Robinson comment

There is a widespread notion that demographic aging will be the most important single factor driving health expenditure up over coming decades – or that, at a minimum, its impact on spending will be as…

Government Expenditure

Bioscience Revolution To Drive Health Spending Up

- July 24, 2020 - Marc Robinson comment

In Bigger Government: The Future of Government Expenditure in Advanced Economies I show that government spending is set to increase greatly over the coming three decades in all advanced countries because of powerful external forces…

Fiscal policy / Government Expenditure

Post-Pandemic Fiscal Consolidation?

- July 21, 2020 - Marc Robinson comment

Impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the budget deficits of advanced economies are projected to reach 15 percent of GDP on average this year. Debt, already high, is set to increase by more than 20 percent…

Fiscal policy / Government Expenditure

“Bigger Government” Podcast

- July 15, 2020 - Marc Robinson comment

To mark the publication today of Bigger Government: The Future of Government Expenditure in Advanced Economies, I am releasing a two episode podcast. The podcast is can be heard by clicking on this link, or…

Fiscal policy / Government Expenditure

Is Austerity to Blame?

- June 2, 2020 - Marc Robinson comment

In many advanced countries, the parlous condition of public hospitals – due largely to inadequate funding – has been thrown into sharp relief by the coronavirus crisis. The United States, France and the United Kingdom…

Government Expenditure

No, Increasing Poverty and Precarity Won’t Force Spending…

- April 29, 2020 - Marc Robinson comment

There are many who think that income support – welfare benefits such as unemployment benefits, income supplements and tax credits for the working poor, and child benefits – is a key area where governments will…

Government Expenditure

Health Care: The Biggest Growth Area

- April 28, 2020 - Marc Robinson comment

By far the most important reason why government expenditure can be expected to increase greatly over coming decades is growing health expenditure. There are strong grounds to expect that government health expenditure will grow by…

Government Expenditure

Why Government Will Get Bigger

- April 25, 2020 - Marc Robinson comment

Government spending has dramatically increased everywhere in response to the coronavirus pandemic and the savage recession which it has triggered. In the wake of this, the debate about the size of the state has gained…