Giles Conway-Gordon
Author, writer on economics, finance and politics
Book
I have just published a book on the inherent failings of macroeconomics: Shamanomics: A Short Guide to the Failure, Fallacies and Future of Macroeconomics.
Kirkus Reviews: ‘impressively accessible’, ‘as sober as it is provocative’
For details see the website: www.shamanomics.info.
Some Issues I Write About:
• Macroeconomics: Theory, Policies, and Failings
• Economics of the European Union & Eurozone: Structure & Democratic Legitimacy
• Voting Systems with focus on failings of Proportional Representation
• Constitutional Monarchy vs. Republics
• Ethical Basis of Inequality and Mechanics of Redistribution.
Articles
•‘The Euro Crisis – Time for a Reset‘ , Advisor Perspectives blog, March, 2013.
• ‘Alice in Euroland’, Advisor Perspectives blog, September, 2012.
Giles Conway-Gordon
Published Letters: Selection
Macroeconomics
• Diversity in Economics’, Financial Times, January 26th, 2024
• ‘History of economics is a succession of experiments’, Financial Times, February 23rd, 2022.
• ‘Keynes knew that nothing was as good as gold, Financial Times, August 20th, 2021.
• ‘Inflation the historical solution to excess debt’, Financial Times, September 30th, 2017.
• ‘Dire need for a replay of the 1970s’, Financial Times, September 16th, 2016.
• ‘QE and negative interest rates’, Financial Times, August 26th, 2016.
• ‘Trusted models struggle to fend off economic storm’, Financial Times, December 29th, 2015.
• ‘Randomized trials would lead nowhere’, Financial Times, November 21st, 2013.
• ‘Complex economy will test Beijing’, Financial Times, January 25th, 2010.
Capitalism and Employment
Inequality
Liberty & Law
Electoral Systems
Monarchy vs Republics
European Union, Eurozone & Brexit
• ‘Euro membership is a one-size-fits-all Shirt of Nessus’, Financial Times, April 27th, 2020.
• ‘The bloc needs to focus on boosting weak economies’, Financial Times, September 17th, 2019.
• ‘Anything less European is difficult to imagine’, Financial Times, March 28th, 2019.
• ‘Brussels cannot adapt to economic stagnation’, Financial Times, January 22nd, 2019.
• ‘The EU’s inflexibility made Brexit inevitable’, Financial Times, September 29th, 2018.
• ‘Unsustainability of EU imbalances’, Financial Times, April 20th, 2018.
• ‘EU lack of democratic accountability’, Financial Times, July 20th, 2017
• ‘The crucial EU concern is politics’, Financial Times, June 19th, 2014.
• ‘It is Germany that should quit the Eurozone’, Financial Times, March 28th, 2014.
• ‘Germany may be booming but its neighbours are suffering’, Financial Times, September 20th, 2013.
• ‘One-way street to default’, Financial Times, April 23rd, 2013.
• ‘More austerity is a bad mistake’, Financial Times, August 21st, 2012.
• ‘Demolish EU’s rigid bureaucracy’, Financial Times, March 7th, 2011.
• ‘Medieval EU is no surprise’, Financial Times, August 12th, 2002.
Bio and Background of Giles Conway-Gordon
My bio and background and the origin of my interest in the subjects which are the focus of this blog are as follows:
UK citizen. Resident in UK from 1940-1994, present residence: a small ranch in western Montana, USA.
Education
Oxford University, 1959-62. M.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. I enjoyed philosophy but even then found economics conceptually flawed, in particular the unresolved and unacknowledged conflict and contradiction between abstract economic theory and the real world.
Career
Initially mostly investment banking in London and Paris. Recently: investment management: 1987-1994 Director, Global Asset Management, London; 1994-2006 CEO, Optima Asset Management, Bermuda; 2006-2013 Managing Partner, Cogo Wolf Asset Management, San Francisco, USA.
Interests
Birdwatching (5000 species), racquet games (squash, real and lawn tennis, racquets).