In the stage musical and film 'Evita', Eva Peron sings "Screw the middle classes! I will never accept them." A recent study in the United States indicates that the middle classes are being screwed and squeezed as never before - click here to see NY Times coverage of the report. This squeezing of the middle classes is also happening in other economies - click here to see a recent Economist piece on the issue. Three questions spring to mind. Why is this happening? Will the middle class disappear? What is the long-term effect of this squeezing of the middle classes? The squeezing of the middle classes is a worrying trend which has major consequences for the future of Western civilisation.
My colleague and former PhD student Gareth Campbell has created a website about the British Railway Mania - click here . This episode has been described by the Economist as probably the greatest bubble in human history. Gareth's website provides background on the Mania and posits some explanations for the 'bubble'. In his explanation of why the bubble happened, Gareth places a lot of emphasis on investor myopia regarding future dividends and uncalled capital. His study of investors during the episode does not support the view that this episode was fuelled by naive and irrational investors.