Category
In the News
Economics Weekly Quiz - 12 January 2018
Here's this week's Economics news quiz. Good luck!
Is the current consumer debt boom a bubble waiting to burst?
As questions on the causes of the Financial Crash of 2007/08 and subsequent policies to avoid a repeat may well appear on this summer's Economics exams, I was intrigued to read this report in the...
Byron in financial trouble seeks cuts in rents
The restaurant chain Byron is in financial trouble and is seeking to negotiate reductions in rent on a sizeable number of their leased properties in a bid to reduce fixed costs and losses.
UK bans microbeads
A really good example of government intervention. A ban has come into force for the use of microbeads in products such as shampoo and toothpaste. Other countries are following suit including Canada.
Bank closures and local communities
Hundreds of branch closures have been announced in 2017. Newsnight visits Holywell to consider some of the effects on local communities and the economy when the last bank in town disappears.
Economics Weekly Quiz - 5 January 2018
Happy New Year to all our quizzers! Here's 2018's first edition of our weekly quiz from the world of economics. Good luck.
Latte Levy - a surcharge for use of takeaway paper cups
MPs are calling for a law that would introduce a surcharge of 25p for the use of takeaway paper cups used for hot drinks purchased from coffee shops.
Waitrose bans sale of energy drinks to under-16s
Corporate Social Responsibility and Information Economics in action! Waitrose has announced a ban on sales of energy drinks to under-16s. Will other supermarkets follow suit? Only a small...
'Fat Cat Thursday' - 04 January 2018
If you weren't aware, today is classified as 'Fat Cat Thursday' by Think Tank High Pay Centre. The concept exists to show how, by comparing the average wage of the CEOs of the FTSE 100 companies...
Brexit - Could the UK join TPP?
One of the oddest Brexit stories of 2018: will the UK seek to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership? It seems to me to be strange that we're admitting the economic benefits of a regional economic...
Accompanied by suitable health warnings, 2018 looks like the year when the longstanding relationship between capital and labour looks set to change.
Contestable Markets: Challenges and Opportunities from Open Banking
Here is a revealing interview with the CEO of Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banking Group which highlights the possible impact of new Open Banking rules that come into force in January 2018.
China bans imports of plastic waste
The decision by the Chinese to block imports of low-grade plastic waste could have huge ramifications for many countries including the UK. For some it will provide yet more impetus in the search...
Evaluating the rise in rail fares
Most of us returning to work or preparing for another term will very quickly realise that the annual fare rises maybe causing us to make a few austerity cuts of our own.
UAE introduces VAT
Tax reform in the United Arab Emirates as VAT of 5% on most goods and services has been introduced from the 1st of January 2018.
Katine - Nurturing Change in Rural Africa
Co-operatives, incremental improvements to the capital stock, the potential of micro-finance, attempts to build resilience to shocks - there is a lot of development economics in this article.
Pay-per-mile scheme considered for non-British lorries
A pay per mile scheme is being considered for non-British lorries using UK roads according to news reports.
Driverless Cars - A Road to Nowhere?
The transport economist Christian Wolmar has a new book out from the London Publishing Partnership exploring the hype and the reality of the rise of autonomous vehicles.
Robots will transform fast food
This long read from the Atlantic is good on some of the benefits and costs of introducing digitisation and robotics into the fast food industry. Robots are getting better at cooking burgers and...
Negative externalities: The growing mountain of electronic waste
A new report from the United Nations highlights the enormous environmental impact of the fast-growing mountain of discarded electronic waste - a negative externality from consumption.