Category
In the News
Live Nation increases market domination of the festival sector
Here is a fascinating example of a firm developing increasing market dominance, with the market share of the vertically-integrated Live Nation in the market for music festivals causing concern...
Do consumers benefit from the sports rights battle?
How contestable is the market for broadcasting sports rights?
Alcohol - how vested interests shape policy-making
An insight here into how vested interests shape policymaking. Academics from the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) and the University of Sheffield Alcohol Research Group are arguing that if all...
Tourist Overload and Rational Choice Theory
I am in Edinburgh for a few days at the Festival, where even Jeremy Corbyn has appeared. Disappointingly, he was not playing the role of Carmela Soprano, the mafia don’s wife who is always present...
What is the most convenient way to provide the public loo?
This article from the BBC on the provision of public toilets struck me as an interesting talking point for students of economics (okay, you may not agree!).
How tariffs could shake-up the US car industry
The Wall Street Journal explores some of the possible effects of the tariffs on cars coming into the US and argues that lessons from the oil shocks of the 1970s and 1980s provide some important...
Amazon tax avoidance debate surfaces yet again
The issue of the amount of tax that Amazon pays is a vexed one. Profits have risen in the UK, but Amazon UK are paying less tax to the Treasury - how can this happen?
Yorkshire Day - the economy of the County of Yorkshire
Here's a bit of fun to celebrate Yorkshire Day on the 1st of August. Today is the day that the nation celebrates all things wonderful about the county of Yorkshire.
Are disposable BBQs fuelling deforestation?
The provenance of products is increasingly important for consumers - consider for example growing demand for fish caught from sustainable sources. But what about the origin of the charcoal in your...
Growing number of working homeless
Take a moment to consider what the term 'working homeless" means in the context of Britain in 2018. These are people with a job, often full-time but on well below median earnings. According to a...
Economics Weekly Quiz - 20 July 2018
Here's this week's economics news quiz. Good luck!
Google fined €4.3bn for reducing consumer choice
Yesterday’s ruling from the European Commission that will result in Google receiving a record-breaking fine of €4.3bn for unfair practices is an absolute goldmine of a case study for students...
Economics Weekly Quiz - 13 July 2018
Here's this week's economics news quiz. Good luck!
Relative poverty in San Francisco
Here's an interesting article from the BBC for anyone wishing to illustrate the concept of relative poverty. The article, which highlights a report from the US Department of Housing and Urban...
ONS to publish GDP data on a monthly basis
As of this week, the ONS is to start publishing GDP data for the UK economy on a monthly rather than quarterly basis. Although this change seems relatively minor, the availability of data is...
Economics Weekly Quiz - 6 July 2018
Here's this week's economics news quiz. Good luck!
Thailand afflicted by mountains of electronic waste
Unusual story this, with the waste from electronic items such as computers increasingly ending up in other parts of South-East and East Asia, rather than China, after the latter banned waste imports.
Economics Weekly Quiz - 29 June 2018
Here's this week's economics news quiz. Good luck!
Contestable markets: Amazon buys online pharmacy PillPack
Shares in pharmacy retail chains plunged when news broke that Amazon is entering the online pharmacy market with the acquisition of PillPack. Creative destruction at work in the retail space....
Vertical integration: BP buys Chargemaster
Expect a lot more of this as petroleum companies adjust their sights to the rapid growth of electric vehicles. BP has acquired Chargemaster which is the UK's largest car charging firm which...