YouTube super-stars and controlling the band-wagon effect
The stars of social media such as YouTube have to strike a careful balance to maintain and boost their popularity: uploading enough new material for ‘attention-volatile’ consumers, while not...
Confusing pairs of key phrases in A Level Economics - have a go at our 'Test Yourself' Activities
Here's a fantastic activity from our team of contributors who have identified the key phrases that are often misused during A Level Economics exams. As promised in February, we are now making the...
London's new Ultra Low Emissions Zone
Recently we have seen the introduction of the new Ultra Low Emissions Zone in London, designed to charge the owners of the most polluting vehicles an extra £12.50 for entering the area, in addition...
Solving the plastic packaging paradox
An excellent piece here from Tim Harford - looking at the paradox of plastic packaging. Packaging is a complex issue, but this article deconstructs some of the paradoxes associated with the use of...
Thanks to the large cuts to working-age benefits and tax credits made as part of the UK government’s austerity programme, the tax and benefit system is now less effective at protecting households...
Economics Weekly Quiz - 5 April 2019
Here's this week's economics news quiz, including the new 'classroom mode' for teachers using the activity in class.
Community Grain Banks and Basic Development
One of the central tenets of economics is that uncertainty reduces efficiency. Nowhere is that more true than in development economics, where uncertainty about incomes, and meeting basic needs -...
Development Economics - Universal Health Care
A very powerful World Health Organisation clip looking at universal healthcare. The important take-away: one-half of the global population don't have access to the healthcare that they need. That...
Here is a classic and topical example of the unintended consequences of regulatory intervention. The reduction in the stake for fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) has seen the bookmakers respond,...
Debt crisis warning for poorest countries
The Jubilee Debt Campaign are worried about rising levels of government debt that combined with falling commodity prices and rising US interest rates have increased the poorest countries' debt...
The New Economic Foundation's Aidan Harper argues here that we should be looking at the possibility of introducing a four-day working week, not just for its mental health benefits, but for its...
The Triple-Power of Infrastructure Spending
A great reminder in these topical examples that targeted infrastructure spending is tripled powered - driving higher levels of AD, long run aggregate supply and competitiveness.
Economics Weekly Quiz - 29 March 2019
Here's this week's economics news quiz, including the new 'classroom mode' for teachers using the activity in class.
Economics Weekly Quiz - 22 March 2019
Here's this week's economics news quiz, including the new 'classroom mode' for teachers using the activity in class.
Economics Weekly Quiz - 15 March 2019
Here's this week's economics news quiz. From this week on, we've included a 'Classroom mode'. Now teachers can show all 10 questions in a classroom environment before revealing the answers. Be sure...
Distributional effects of the Right to Buy Scheme
The Right to Buy Scheme was introduced by Mrs.Thatcher in 1980 and was designed to get council house tenants on the housing ladder. I should know: my grandparents bought their house this way.
Hammond's Spring Statement 2019 - a summary on Powerpoint
For anyone wishing to have an in-class discussion or analysis of today's Spring Statement delivered by Chancellor Philip Hammond, here is a Powerpoint summary of the key points. The information is...
The Economics of Knife Crime
Economics does not pretend to provide all the answers. But, perhaps surprising to some, it has a lot of useful insights to offer on crime.
Alexa joins the Consumer Price Index!
Smart speakers are in and envelopes are out of the revised basket of goods and services used to calculate the consumer price index.
Will Brexit hurt the Kenyan flower trade?
Another Brexit story - but with a remarkable angle this time. This BBC piece looks at the potential impact of Brexit on the Kenyan flower trade, not a link that's immediately obvious.