In Ms. McCloskey's view, this shift in perceptions was central to the economic take-off of the West.

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Their (occasional) efforts to do so impoverish already destitute people, and blight their hopes of economic take-off.

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The sooner we improve workers' wages, the sooner we'll see the economic recovery take off and our prolonged unemployment crisis fade.

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Their disagreements laid out, Mr Clinton flew home via Ukraine, where he saw lots of American flags but little sign of an economic take-off.

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But as economic growth tumbles, inflation will take off (see chart).

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Before we answer this, one needs to revisit the American Economic Historian W.W. Rostow who in the sixties had suggested that countries passed through 5 stages of economic development as Traditional Society, Transitional Stage, Take-off, Drive to Maturity and High Mass Consumption.

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When trying to divine future employment in the small-business sector from surveys of business owners, policy makers and economic analysts need to take entrepreneurial optimism into account or their predictions will be off the mark.

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Eventually productivity did take off--but even the Bush Administration's own Council of Economic Advisers dates the beginning of that takeoff to 1995.

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And so even as we were dealing with the economic crisis, we tried not, over the last three years, to take our eye off the larger purpose of rebuilding an economy that has a firmer foundation.

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We had to take some very difficult steps to deal with that mess, to stave off an even greater economic catastrophe.

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This may further take the shine off Mr Brown's government but, paradoxically, voters who fear an economic slowdown may be less inclined to trust an untested team of young Conservative leaders rather than the man who, as chancellor, oversaw many years of sustained growth.

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