Economics Weekly Quiz | 10 May 2024
Here's our weekly economics news quiz covering stories from the UK and global economic events of the passed 7 days.
Disney and Warner to bundle streaming services
Bundling is a common feature in some markets, where there's complementarity such as broadband and TV subscription packages, mobile phones and network charges and so on. However, it's rare for...
In the News Teaching Activity – will Venice’s access fee have its desired effect? (May 2024)
This summer the City of Venice is trialling a new access fee of 5 euros to try and prevent over-tourism. Critics argue it won’t deter day trippers from visiting and is just a way of revenue-raising...
In the News Teaching Activity – why has the OECD downgraded its UK growth forecasts? (May 2024)
The OECD has just published its latest economic outlook and its forecasts for UK economic growth for 2024 have been reduced from 0.7% to 0.4%.
The opportunity cost of closing police stations
Torsten Bell with his weekly nugget in the Observer, and a lovely example of the concept of opportunity cost, as revealed by analysis of public spending on police stations. Apparently, for every...
Contestable Markets - The Rise of Shoe Brand Hoka
This Business Insider video looks at the rise of the latest on-trend shoe brand, Hoka, the producer of an increasingly prominent sports shoe. Within just over a decade of its creation, the brand...
Evidence here of the importance of a sound currency to a successful economy comes from Zimbabwe where the introduction of a new local currency has caused a degree of chaos.
Can kinder capitalism compete in ruthless retail?
This lengthy FT video clip looks at whether an employee-owned retail business, like John Lewis, can continue to thrive in an increasingly competitive retail market. But not only is the external...
The Fiscal Cost of High Interest Rates
Kenneth Rogoff writes an interesting piece here about the diminishing ability of government debt to help offer macroeconomic stability at a time of higher interest rates.
Economics Weekly Quiz | 03 May 2024
Here's our weekly economics news quiz covering stories from the UK and global economic events of the passed 7 days.
In the News Teaching Activity – is climate change a consequence of information failure? (May 2024)
Last month the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) published a report that found that the costs of not reaching net zero could be $38 trillion by 2050, far higher than the costs of...
Is China leading the electric vehicle race?
This BBC news clip looks at competition in the electric car market, with China leading the way, arguably because of high levels of government support. This clip looks at the concerns of the US and...
New post-Brexit customs checks have come into force, and represent yet another cost of Brexit. Higher prices and less consumer choice, exactly what Leave voters chose. Proof that turkeys sometimes...
Hot Topics for Paper 2 Macro in 2024
In this video, Geoff walks through a selection of important macro-economic issues that either haven't been tested fully in recent years or which are super-topical for questions on the UK and...
Hot Topics for Paper 1 Micro in 2024
In this new 8-minute video, Geoff walks through a selection of important Economic issues that either haven't been tested fully in recent years or which are super-topical for questions on market...
In the News Teaching Activity – what’s been happening to public finances? (Apr 2024)
Continuing the ‘update’ before exams, the ONS data for government borrowing and debt for the 2023-24 fiscal year has been published and the news is not that good for a government that may be...
Food versus Land - the debate about Solar
The centrality of the fundamental economic problem - scarcity - is illustrated by this Reuters clip looking at increased competition for land in the American mid-West. Increasingly, high quality...
A Médecins Sans Frontières clinical trial to develop a treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis cost less than £30m, leading some to question the cost of such trials for pharmaceutical companies -...
Venice introduces peak-time tourist tax for access to the city
Venice becomes first city to charge tourist entry fee. Day-trippers are now required to pay €5 for access. It's purpose is to internalise the negative externalities arising from over-tourism, which...
Economics Weekly Quiz | 26 April 2024
Here's our weekly economics news quiz covering stories from the UK and global economic events of the passed 7 days.