Category
In the News
WeCrashed - WeWork Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Big business news today! WeWork has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in the USA to help it deal with a mountain of debt. WeWork expanded rapidly post 2010 and spent billions acquiring leases on...
Economic inactivity - Mothers quit work because of childcare
The Fawcett Society has reported that the costs of childcare are a major deterrent to women returning to the workforce, with their data suggesting that around a quarter of a million women have left...
Monopsony Power - Boohoo's Broken Promises
If you are studying the economics of ethical business models and the consequences of monopsony power in labour and product markets, the criticisms of Boohoo are deep-rooted and hugely important....
India’s Obesity Time Bomb
The negative externalities of obesity are increasingly a global problem, and this Bloomberg clip looks at how its affecting the Indian economy, where 1 in 4 Indians are now overweight or obese.
Maersk cuts 10,000 jobs as shipping demand falls
Lots of lovely economics in this BBC piece: demand and supply, to explain the recent collapse in the price of shipping; derived demand, in that the demand for shipping is derived from the demand...
City of Edinburgh Declares Housing Emergency
The City of Edinburgh has declared a housing emergency. There are record homelessness figures along with a severe shortage of social rented homes and spiralling private rental costs. Some also...
Economics Weekly Quiz | 03 November 2023
Here's this week's economics news quiz.
Amazon's Profits Triple
If you are teaching economies of scale and scope (and diseconomies of scale) then Amazon provides a rich vein of information and market analysis.
Economics Weekly Quiz | 27 October 2023
Here's this week's economics news quiz.
Consumer Subsidies - Heat pump grant boosted by 50%
Here is an example of a subsidy in action, although you might also use this article to reflect upon price elasticity of demand. Today the government are increasing the subsidy for the installation...
UK's Real Living Wage Rises to £12 per hour
The Real Living Wage - a voluntary commitment by firms - is rising to £12 per hour today (£!3.15 in London) , a rise of 10%.So far this covers 14,000 employers and 460,000 workers, so why do firms...
Has baby boomer spending kept inflation high in the UK?
This is a fascinating article, highlighting a potential reason why inflation is staying high: high levels of expenditure from baby boomers who've benefitted from economic circumstances.
Meet Digit - Amazon's Customer Fulfilment Robot
Amazon has been a pioneer in implementing automation. They have stated that the goal is not to replace employees but to improve efficiency. The arrival of Digit in fulfilment warehouses reported...
Economics Weekly Quiz | 20 October 2023
Here's this week's economics news quiz.
Economics Weekly Quiz | 13 October 2023
Here's this week's economics news quiz.
Effects and Responses to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
This lengthy Economist clip looks at the extent to which plastic waste, including the Great Pacific Garbage Patch as it is called, poses a threat to the environment, and, as a consequence, the...
Debt burdens threaten progress in cutting absolute poverty
The incoming head of the World Bank, Ajay Banga, has spoken out about the extent to which the debt burdens of developing economies impinge upon their developmental prospects. He argues that unless...
Claudia Goldin wins the 2023 Economics Nobel
To widespread acclaim, Claudia Goldin has been awarded the 2023 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel “for having advanced our understanding of women’s labour...
Drag on Incomes from Fiscal Drag equivalent to a 5% tax rise
Another outing for the concept of fiscal drag, with the Resolution Foundation quantifying the effects of freezing income tax thresholds, noting that as a result, by 2028 the Treasury can expect to...
Liverpool is going to follow Manchester's lead, reverse deregulation of buses, and bring them back under public control, via franchising.