Madrid bans polluting cars from the city centre
Another solution to urban congestion problems is being rolled out in Madrid today: only zero emissions cars are going to be allowed to travel in the city centre, with various exceptions for lorries...
External costs of fast fashion
How can retailers sell T-shirts and dresses at rock bottom prices? Well, in the first place because they're made in bulk in places with exceptionally low wages - and similarly low H&S standards...
Why are economics textbooks so expensive?
A short video exploring some of the reasons for rapid inflation in the price of college textbooks in the United States - but an issue with wider appeal to students here! The textbook industry is an...
Inside the Ocean Spray Cranberry Cooperative
Business Insider visits a cranberry farm to explore how over 200 billion cranberries are harvested each year. Ocean Spray Cranberry farms are a part of a cooperative established in 1933 that...
Unintended consequences of inflation targets
Just fascinating - this article looks at the purpose and consequences of inflation targets, arguing that they don't always promote stability as intended but might actually increase uncertainty, and...
Deforestation in Brazil is the worst for ten years
Between August 2017 and July 2018, approximately 7,900 square kilometers (3,050 square miles) of rainforest in Brazil was destroyed equivalent to an area of a million football pitches or five times...
Economies of Ale - Changes to the UK Pub Industry
More than 11,000 pubs have closed in the UK in the last decade – a fall of almost a quarter. Many smaller pubs have closed as the industry has consolidated towards the larger-scale chains. The ONS...
Human development - why do billions still lack basic sanitation?
This BBC article highlights an oft-overlooked aspect of development: the need for basic sanitation. Over 2 billion people lack access to basic toilets, despite technological advances in toilets...
Kenya banned plastic bags - should the UK do the same?
Remarkably, Kenya has the world's most stringent legislation banning plastic bags - but has it worked? This BBC clip investigates, looking at a range of issues, the impact on a variety of...
Economics Weekly Quiz - 23 November 2018
Here's this week's Economics Quiz. Good luck!
ERC's 'Clash of the Titans' - a superb competition for Economics Students
If you're looking for a competition to get your students thinking about applying their economic knowledge to the real world then you should give the Economic Research Council's 'Clash of the...
Economics Weekly Quiz - 16 November 2018
Here's this week's Economics Quiz. Good luck!
Monopsony power - should car washes be licenced?
This is an interesting article, because it counters the prevailing wisdom. For the most part, we talk about removing regulation - i.e. deregulation - to increase efficiency. However, in this case...
Should people be paid for donating blood?
If you want an ethical issue to discuss, then this might be it? Should we pay people for donating blood. This raises all sorts of concerns - there's clearly an opportunity cost for donors, but...
Infrastructure - Why is China so good at building railways?
Wendover Productions with another fantastic clip - this time looking at China's ability to build high-speed rail. China now has more high-speed rail links than the rest of the world put together,...
Why have so many pubs closed?
Back in the mists of time, an exam Data Response question looked at whether the government should intervene to protect Britain's pubs from closure. This is the perfect example of why such a policy...
Lessons of Quantitative Easing
This is a US centric video clip but carries some pertinent evaluation points about the impact of quantitative easing on the US economy a decade on from the launch of this "unconventional monetary...
Inside the Amazon Warehouse - Monopsony under Scrutiny
BBC Newsnight pays a visit to the huge Amazon logistics facility in Rugeley, Staffordshire to look at working conditions. Has it successfully replaced the jobs lost when the Staffordshire coal...
Economics Weekly Quiz - 9 November 2018
Here's this week's Economics Quiz. Good luck!
Optimum “health tax” for meat calculated
There has been lots of interest in this new research from Oxford University which makes the claim that a health tax on red and processed meat could prevent more than 220,000 deaths and save over...