Helen Disney

Free marketeers have been thrown into confusion by the collapse of the banks. But the Conservatives are hoping they have found a political way out Read more

This US presidential election has attracted a higher profile in the European media than ever before. Read more

Welfare-to-work or ‘workfare’ was once a novel concept in the UK. Just a decade ago, in the heyday of New Labour, the idea of using private firms to encourage back into work people who have been unemployed for years was still considered too radical — or at least too American — for British tastes. Read more

As this issue of Public Finance went to press, Gordon Brown was facing the first real electoral test of his premiership, with Labour expected to take a hammering in local elections and with the London mayoral race looking too close to call. Read more