I am pleased to note that Prof Andrew Baker of Sheffield University and I were today awarded the Cambridge University Press Award for Excellence in Social Policy Scholarship for our article "Modern Monetary Theory and the Changing Role of Tax in Society" in the academic Social Policy Association's 2021 Awards round.
A description of the award is available here.
I am pleased with the award for a number of reasons. First, it reflects a lot of work that Andrew and I have been doing together, which looks like it will continue for some time to come.
Second, it is a relatively rare foray for modern monetary theory into UK academic writing.
Third, it emphasises the crucial role of tax in MMT, which too little MMT writing does.
Fourth, it emphasises the role of MMT as an enabler of policy rather than as being policy in itself.
Fifth, it highlights the fundamental role tax can play in shaping society, which I have suggested for a long time.
So, good news to have the work highlighted. And fun to get.
The prize is, think, a book token. I am not sure of the value. But that's not the point in any case.
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Great stuff – “If you want to achieve something, you build the basis for it.” You keep doing this.
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Sometimes, as Andrew said when accepting the award, it seems like hard work though! But we are winning 🙂
What wine did they give you?
None….a book token is, I believe, the reward, but I am not much worried about that
Congratulations Richard!
There is still a long way to go to educate and convince people about MMT – the ‘taxpayers’ money’ and ‘credit card limit’ language is well entrenched and will take some shifting (imagine the Daily Mail headline if a political party manifesto adopted an MMT-based approach to creating a better society!) – so every paper, every article, every interview will help.
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Many congratulations, of course, but will this lead to any of the press reading and understanding MMT, let alone mentioning it? Lots of regurgitation of the ‘tax rise or spending cut’ trope over the last few weeks in both print and broadcast media, and it is never questioned by anybody.
It will help work I am now doing with major agencies
Excellent news, Richard. Well deserved.
Congratulations on this. From what I know of similar awards in other academic spheres a big reason for your success is probably the influence this article has had, as measured by citations from others; if so it is particularly gratifying for you.
And I enjoyed reading the article itself, which isn’t always the case in unfamiliar fields, your writing benefited from the academic rigour required. You certainly convinced me that the impact of the different way of thinking about tax under MMT may actually be its biggest potential contribution to practical policy.
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The article is now underpinning work I am doing with GIFT and the World Bank
The impact will, I hope, be ongoing
Congratulations Richard! That is great news.
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Colleagues tell me this is pretty cool
Congratulations! Don’t spend the book token all at once! Some holiday reading?
The pile is already embarrassingly big……
Well done Richard. Very pleased for you and MMT. I believe you are a railway enthusiast. Have you got the “Illustrated History of British Marshalling Yards”? Sounds a cracker!
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I am a railway enthusiast
That one may not be my bag
‘The potato railways of Lincolnshire’ may be my most obscure book: about the railways that one took potatoes from the fields to the early crisp factories
I recommend it
Congratulations, Richard.
This is great news and another step on the way.
Statements made by established politicians and recent bye-election candidates that demonstrate an undying faith in “government-as-household” explanations of the public finances show that much still needs to be done in some quarters.
But all honours due to you and your colleagues for certainly doing your bit to improve the levels of understanding and discourse in this area.
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We are taking it forward
Well done. We’ll deserved. More power to your elbow.
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Well done, old boy. 🙂
May your success long continue.
Thanks Ivan
When I think of all the nasty comments you get calling you some sort of fake economist because you haven’t taken the orthodox, forelock tipping route to economic credibility (and are therefore more heterodox as a result – Thank God!!) I am really pleased that you have got this award (shared of course with a colleague).
Well done to both of you and to you Richard whom I have followed for some time. I look forward to reading the paper.
I have to admit that this aspect does amuse me
This is my second academic award for a paper in just over two years
Those who have been in the habit of saying I am not a proper academic may need to think gain
I am delighted for you, Richard, and your colleague, Prof Andrew Baker; congratulations! Please keep pushing the message!
Thanks Peter
We will
We are doing much more on this
Congratulations Richard and Andrew!
Continued power to your elbows 😀
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He’s underplaying this a bit. We get a certificate too!
The last award I won was vision athletic first team player of the year award 2005 at the Indian summer end of my amateur football career. Made the scar tissue inflicted by loyalist paramilitary opposition players all worth it.
Will place the certificate alongside the dusty football trophies. They don’t come along very often so to be savoured I guess. There’s definitely more prestige attached to this award, but the last one got reported in the Sunday world, which is not a newspaper of high repute and standing. I don’t think this one will be!
Thanks Andrew
I never got a sporting award, ever
Except maybe for the slowest ever mile swim at my school
So this is novel……
Just to clarify, I value this award far more highly than the football one and working with Richard was far more rewarding and less painful than competing against connected, heavies. Just in case any regular readers of this blog were in doubt!
🙂
Congratulations Richard. Apart from the valuable MMT stuff, your blogging on all things economic and related stuff etc must be unique in the sheer volume and quality of the content.
So many academics are compromised by the need to kow tow to govt,to grant- givers etc -the truly independent thought here is precious indeed.
Donations help that
I am increasingly determined to be free from funding constraints to say what is really necessary
Congratulation &c, both of you.
I believe no one has mentioned the bleedin’ obvious (perhaps that’s why!) …
under the current regime the book token would be taxable as a benefit in kind; no cruise for you after all, lol
I will include its value in my income
On the other hand, if I buy work related books I might also include the cost of them as an expense
And for the record, I always err on the side of caution when making expense claims
You are getting noticed for the right reasons, and making a difference. Well done.
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Congratulations to you and to Prof. Andrew Baker and thanks for all the work.
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Bravo!
Congratulations Richard, well deserved for all the work you do. I don’t know how you do it but thanks for the education.
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Well done both of you. It’s a long hard grind, chipping away at the orthodoxy but you are making progress.
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WELL DONE. Richly deserved.
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Wow, a book token? Must have been a really serious and credible award!
Precisely. It was. And is
Congrats on the recognition, love you MMT work on YouTube and the Scottish finance explanation.
Hope they take it onboard and consult you.
You should use the book voucher and treat yourself to Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy, if only for the description of Zaphod Beeblebrox who bears an uncanny resemblance to a PM we’re having to endure.
Many congratulations to you and Prof Baker on your well-earned award and for your great efforts to spread the word on MMT. My oldest grandchild has recently reached the grand old age of 16, which entitles him to vote in elections in Scotland. Among other things, I’m giving him a copy of The Deficit Myth so that he can understand what actually happens in money creation and identify clueless politicians – how I wish it had been available when I was a student! As the others reach 16, they’ll be getting a copy too.
Good one Ken
One of my sons has read it