Economic nationalism in 'public health'

Some 'public health' academics have given a surprising endorsement to economic nationalism, as I discuss in The Critic...

 

After botching their modelling on minimum pricing, the Sheffield Addictions Research Group have turned their hands to economics. In a paper published in the journal Addiction this week, they accidentally invented mercantilism, the zero-sum misunderstanding of the economy that was discredited by Adam Smith 250 years ago. 

The authors say that the British government should do more to stop us spending money on “tobacco, gambling and sweets” because “shifting that spending toward domestic sectors like retail, recreation or trades, money stays within the UK for longer.” This, apparently, is the path to prosperity. 

By the same logic, the government should announce a crackdown on foreign holidays. That would undoubtedly make money “stay within the UK”, but it would come at the cost of preventing people from doing what they want to do. From the perspective of the Sheffield Addictions Research Group, preventing people from doing what they want to do is the whole point, but they can’t say that out loud so they have resorted to a weirdly jingoistic approach to economic planning. 

 

Read it all.

 

What I don't mention in the article is that although they reckon that less spending on gambling, tobacco and sweets will boost the UK economy, the reverse is true of alcohol. So enjoy the weekend in the pub with a clear, patriotic conscience.