Category
In the News
Could UK inflation fall below 2% in 2023?
It seems inevitable that inflation is going to fall rapidly in 2023, but how far will it fall?
Government Failure - Trains in Spain
One for your government failure revision notes! Spain’s secretary of state for transport and the head of the state rail company have stepped down due to growing public and political backlash over...
Marginal Cost - Pret Ditches the Smoothie!
Can you hear Pret customers tearing up their monthly subscriptions? Pret-a-Manger is to stop selling shakes and smoothies because they can't afford it and instead will offer iced-drinks.
Does a Four-Day Week Lift Productivity?
A trial involving 61 firms and over 3,000 workers has seemed to validate the notion that a four-day working week has helped boost productivity at the margin.
Supply and demand in action - why the price of milk has soared in the UK
Why did milk prices reach an all-time wholesale price record in December?
One Year Universal Free School Meals Programme for London
What a story to start a new week. The Mayor of London is drawing on higher than expected tax revenues from business rates to fund a one-year universal programme offering free meals to all primary...
Leprechaun Economics - How real is Ireland's super-fast economic growth?
A debate is raging about whether we can truly believe the super-charged economic growth that is taking place in the Irish economy. Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman has labelled the rapid...
Nestle to raise prices (again)
Some excellent revision material here for Year 13 Economics students; Nestle have announced that continued cost rises mean that they are going to have to increase prices again.
Economics Weekly Quiz | 17 February 2023
Here's our weekly economics news quiz.
McDonald's Raises Prices Again
The decision by McDonald's to raise prices on five core menu items brings into play many aspects of business economics such as the likely PED, the effect of rising costs, food price inflation, the...
Brexit has dealt a blow to UK investment according to MPC member
One of the external members of the Monetary Policy Committee, Jonathan Haskel, has estimated that Brexit has effectively imposed a productivity penalty equivalent to £29 billion on the UK economy....
Social Capital and Resource Management - Reforestation in Nepal
A half term hat tip to Prairna Sharma for spotting this timely article from Eric Solheim lauding Nepal for their success in increasing forest cover. This is a great example of Elinor Ostrom's work...
Market Power - OFCOM investigates mobile phone and broadband suppliers over pricing
OFCOM have decided to investigate mobile phone and broadband suppliers who introduce price increases mid-contract.
Rocket and Feather Pricing - Britain’s biggest gas supplier accused of ‘profiteering’
Norwegian state-owned energy firm, Equinor is accused of following 'rocket and feather' pricing and exploiting consumers. As a result, it posted annual earnings of £62bn and is intending to hand...
Externalities and Market Failure - Councils urged to keep vapes out of sight of children
This news story from the health section of BBC News offers a terrific opportunity to A level economists and teachers to open up the economic analysis and policy toolbox to address an important...
How about this for a synoptic exam question? Assess the possible microeconomic and macroeconomic effects of the UK government increasing spending to fund subsidies for free childcare for infants.
UK Economy - Business leaders must innovate again
Here is a Larry Elliott article that should be essential reading for everyone taking a post-16 examination this summer about the importance of productivity to helping the British economy out of its...
Economics Weekly Quiz | 10 February 2023
Here's our weekly economics news quiz.
Is the Bank of England set to issue a digital pound?
A truly fascinating headline in the Financial Times today! The UK Treasury and Bank of England are launching a consultation on plans to design a “digital pound” that could supplant banknotes by...
Are Britain's mobile phone and broadband companies exploiting their dominant market positions? Certainly that's the implication of this Observer article that notes the extent to which they've...