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John Myers @johnrmyers.bsky.social · Jul 18

‘Freedom is the by-product of economic surplus’ - Aneurin Bevan

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John Myers @johnrmyers.bsky.social · Jul 11

Read the full article to see where else these ideas can unblock progress:
britishprogress.org/articles/the...

The rules of the game: using mechanism design to deliver a better, fairer Britain

A new toolkit for the Government to shape markets and crowd in investment.

britishprogress.org

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John Myers @johnrmyers.bsky.social · Jul 11

Across these examples, the lesson is clear:

🏆 Great outcomes depend on how markets are shaped, and how people interact with them.

💡Mechanism design offers a valuable toolkit for building systems where the right outcomes emerge by default, not by constant firefighting.

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John Myers @johnrmyers.bsky.social · Jul 11

🏗️ In Houston, huge minimum lot sizes blocked more homes. Reform was hard, as homeowners feared change.

The solution? Let the residents that care most choose to opt out.

Most didn’t — so over 34,000 new homes got built. The default became progress.

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John Myers @johnrmyers.bsky.social · Jul 11

That shifted when ballots were introduced: renewal projects now need majority support.

The game changed: developers had to convince people their tenures were safe. Since then over 30 ballots have passed, many with enormous ‘yes’ turnouts.

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John Myers @johnrmyers.bsky.social · Jul 11

🏘️In London, estate renewal to build more homes was imposed from above.

Tenants didn’t trust developers and feared being forced away from their homes. This meant they fought, and often killed, projects that delivered more homes.

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John Myers @johnrmyers.bsky.social · Jul 11

📈 These successes are well documented, but our research found many areas where mechanism‑design thinking is inspiring fresh policy ideas 👇

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John Myers @johnrmyers.bsky.social · Jul 11

📍 Digital platforms

Before: platforms struggled to allocate scarce services in real time.

After: real‑time auctions and pricing enabled quick matching at massive scale on platforms like Google.

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John Myers @johnrmyers.bsky.social · Jul 11

📡 Spectrum licensing

Before: opaque “beauty contests”.

After: well‑designed auctions prompted truthful bids and maximised public value.

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John Myers @johnrmyers.bsky.social · Jul 11

🏫 School admissions (US)

Before: chaotic processes that lucky parents could game.

After: matching algorithms made it the best strategy for families to list true preferences, delivering fairer outcomes.

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John Myers @johnrmyers.bsky.social · Jul 11

🏥 Kidney exchange

Before: thousands of willing donors couldn’t help their loved ones.

After: exchange cycles matched pairs efficiently, unlocking life‑saving transplants.

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John Myers @johnrmyers.bsky.social · Jul 11

In policy we usually know the goal: shorter NHS waiting lists, more homes, faster green growth.

Mechanism design shows how to help get there: shaping the system to make the right thing EASY, DESIRABLE or the DEFAULT.

It’s already delivered big benefits in a range of cases…👇

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John Myers @johnrmyers.bsky.social · Jul 11

Mission‑driven government needs more than ambition:  we must rewrite the rules of the game.

Today for @britishprogress.bsky.social, Pedro and I show how mechanism design (‘ reverse game theory’) can help the Government shape markets, crowd in investment and deliver radical reform.

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John Myers @johnrmyers.bsky.social · Jun 12

This is a must read for anyone who cares about building more homes and other infrastructure. Brilliant work by
@anyamartin.bsky.social

YIMBY Alliance @yimbyalliance.org · Jun 12

NEW amazing article by @AnyaM8_ of @PricedOutUK for @WorksInProgMag: the little-known scheme that accounts for over 30% of Japanese urban development, as well as other countries including Taiwan, Korea and Germany. 🧵

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John Myers @johnrmyers.bsky.social · May 17

A fascinating and important paper showing how better state capacity (in this case justices of the peace) accelerated the Industrial Revolution. nofuturepast.wordpress.com/2025/05/13/j...

Justices of the Peace: Legal Foundations of the Industrial Revolution

How did local legal institutions power the British Industrial Revolution? In a new working paper, available here in open access, Tim Besley, Dan Bogart, Jonathan Chapman and I show that Justices of…

nofuturepast.wordpress.com

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Reposted by John Myers

YIMBY Alliance @yimbyalliance.org · Apr 23

NEW: Government reforms just announced will slash the time to deliver infrastructure! These are big changes:

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Reposted by John Myers

Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · Apr 23

According to this story, the total cost of the Lower Thames Crossing will be £10bn, and £450m, or 4.5%, is planning - on.ft.com/4jeSUUK via @financialtimes.com

An anonymous source says the planning investment will lower the risk of overruns or unexpected costs.

One-third of Lower Thames Crossing budget spent on planning documents

More than £450mn used for obtaining permission for road tunnel scheme

on.ft.com

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Reposted by John Myers

YIMBY Alliance @yimbyalliance.org · Apr 16

🚨 We’re hiring!

If you're passionate about fixing the housing crisis and want real impact — whether through policy or campaigns — we want to hear from you.

Help us build a future with more homes for all 🏘️👇

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Reposted by John Myers

YIMBY Alliance @yimbyalliance.org · Apr 11

NEW: we're looking to hire a Campaigns Officer! Do you know someone passionate about housing who would be a great fit? Please send them our way!

(link in next post)

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Reposted by John Myers

Red Brick @redbrickblog.bsky.social · Apr 10

NEW | Grey belt: the underestimated game-changer for housing

@johnrmyers.bsky.social, Director of YIMBY Alliance, outlines the homes already being unlocked by Labour’s new reforms to low-quality ‘grey belt’ land

redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/04/grey...

Grey belt: the underestimated game-changer for housing - Red Brick

John Myers, Director of YIMBY Alliance, outlines the homes already being unlocked by Labour's new reforms to low-quality 'grey belt' land

redbrickblog.co.uk

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Reposted by John Myers

Brilliant Maps @brilliantmaps.bsky.social · Apr 7

Average Home Size In US States vs Western European Countries

For size in sq Meters see: brilliantmaps.com/home-size...

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Reposted by John Myers

David Klemperer @dmk1793.bsky.social · Apr 3

This is an intriguing addition to the centre-left think tank space, with an impressively dynamic leadership - I will be interested to see the ideas they produce!

Centre for British Progress @britishprogress.org · Apr 3

💫 We’re launching the Centre for British Progress

Our founding essay: Rediscovering British Progress is a case for growth that drives shared progress, rooted in Britain's values and industrial heritage.

It all starts with a postcard from 1870 👇

britishprogress.org/articles/red...

Cover of the essay Rediscovering British Progress available at https://britishprogress.org/articles/rediscovering-british-progress

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Reposted by John Myers

Centre for British Progress @britishprogress.org · Apr 3

💫 We’re launching the Centre for British Progress

Our founding essay: Rediscovering British Progress is a case for growth that drives shared progress, rooted in Britain's values and industrial heritage.

It all starts with a postcard from 1870 👇

britishprogress.org/articles/red...

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Reposted by John Myers

YIMBY Alliance @yimbyalliance.org · Mar 26

NEW: the Office for Budget Responsibility estimates that the Government’s reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework will produce an extra 170,000 homes, raising GDP by 0.5%!

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Reposted by John Myers

Red Brick @redbrickblog.bsky.social · Mar 11

NEW | Attlee’s secret weapon to build homes: zoning

Ahead of today’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill, @johnrmyers.bsky.social looks back to the Special Development Orders used by Attlee to supercharge housebuilding:

redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/03/attl...

Attlee’s secret weapon to build homes: zoning - Red Brick

Special Development Orders in the Town and Country Planning Act not only show zoning of the past but also look to the potential of the future.

redbrickblog.co.uk

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