Category
Explanations
UK Economy - Does a rising current account deficit matter?
The UK's external trade accounts are looking quite poorly at the moment. The latest forecast is a current account deficit of over £150 billion in 2023 which would be above 6% of the UK's GDP. To...
Externalities - Why Nobody Knows How Much Methane Is Leaking
This Bloomberg clip looks at the notion that natural gas is an environmentally-friendly 'bridge fuel' - however, is this really true?
Why do Banks Fail?
In this short video, we explore some of the reasons behind the failure of banks such as Silicon Valley Bank, Credit Suisse, Northern Rock and Lehman Bros.
Has the spread of social media and the virality of the speed at which communication happens today contributed to the 2023 banking crisis? have cyber flash-mobs helped create the problem afflicting...
High Gas Prices - Effects on Businesses and the UK Economy
In this video we look at how high gas prices can impact businesses and also affect some of the key UK macroeconomic objectives. We also work through how to show this using an AS-AD diagram in case...
Why are insulin prices so high in the United States?
The high price of insulin has resulted in many individuals with diabetes struggling to afford the medication they need to manage their condition, leading to serious health consequences. Efforts to...
Comparative Advantage: How did Helsinki become the mobile gaming capital of the world?
This is an awesome short video from the BBC that covers key concepts such as human capital, external economies of scale, dynamic efficiency and much more besides. Finland has become home to some of...
Why are the oil giants making such big (supernormal) profits?
This BBC article looks at the profits being made by the big oil companies and attempts to explain them.
Import Substitution - Senegal fights to end dominance of imported rice
This Reuters video clip highlights one of the disadvantages of free trade - it exposes economies to global economic shocks - and in this case, food shortages in India, and restrictions on its...
Marginal Cost - Why are Olympic Curling Stones so expensive?
Business Insider provide us with another luxury good video, this time curling stones, with each stone costing over $600.
Inter-connections that help explain the crisis
This BBC clip from the excellent Ros Atkins looks at how the cost of living has been precipitated by a variety of factors - climate change, Covid and Russia's war in Ukraine - all of which have...
This Economist video looks at how the war in Ukraine is precipitating a global food crisis, with 800m people going to bed hungry every night.
How a Vietnamese Village Makes 50,000 Incense Sticks A Day
This Business Insider clip looks at Vietnamese incense sticks. There's lots of economics here - including trade protectionism and branding.
Congestion Externalities - Is Road Pricing the Way Forward?
Could road pricing could be the answer to both environmental concerns and serve as a way of replacing fuel duty and road tax?
Just in Time - why we keep running out of everything
Here is a short Guardian film looking at how the adoption of 'Just in Time' manufacturing and highly sophisticated global supply chains has, for the moment, resulted in a world economy marked by...
Circular Economy: Insect and Hydroponic Farming
This World Bank clip looks at two ways that food production might increasingly become part of the circular economy.
How Airlines Quietly Became Banks
How do airlines make money? Increasingly, it isn't by flying.
Mining and Development - Pathways to Sustainable & Inclusive Growth
This video clip is well worth a look - mining has a role to play in development but only if it is properly managed.
Understanding Prices - Why Hasselblad Cameras Are So Expensive
Another excellent Business Insider look at a luxury good - this time the Hasselblad camera.
Economies of scale, the role of research and increasing capital intensity of production are key features of this short video which pays a visit to the Navigator paper company in Portugal.