IMF downgrades UK growth forecast
The IMF has published a sober assessment of the near-term prospects for the UK economy despite global economic conditions continuing to strengthen.
Sky and BT sign content sharing deal
This isn't a merger between BT and Sky, instead it is a sharing option that reduces competition between the two and might reduce the cost of bidding for sports events in the future. The other...
RIP Calestous Juma
Africa’s leading innovation scholar and Harvard professor, Calestous Juma, has sadly passed away. His work has been hugely influential in shaping policies towards innovation as a driver of economic...
Walt Disney buys Fox for $52bn
Disney has agreed to buy Fox Entertainment for $52.4 billion creating a media empire with a remarkably diverse portfolio of assets, from film studios, via cable television channels to intellectual...
North-South divide set to widen
Brace yourselves for greater regional inequality - perhaps Birmingham and Manchester apart - if the latest Ernst & Young figures are true. Their report flags up the differences in value added...
Living Standards - Material and social deprivation in the EU in 2016
In March 2017, the EU adopted a new indicator of ‘material and social deprivation. The EU has just published their latest statistics on the scale and extent of material and social deprivation...
Economics Christmas Lesson Activities for 2017
Here is Present Drop Challenge - the tutor2u Economics Christmas game for 2017!
Brexit - The Possible Impact on Cornish Tourism
This Newsnight clip looks at the impact of Brexit on the Cornish economy, notably the hospitality sector.
The Presource Curse
This article from the December 2017 edition of Finance and Development (published by the IMF) will be of interest and value to students and teachers for whom development economics and policy is a...
Resources for teaching trade
With Theme 4 teaching awaiting after the Christmas break, I’ve started to review my materials for teaching trade. Section 4.1.3 of the Edexcel A specification requires students to learn ‘Factors...
Apple acquires Shazam
Apple is acquiring the music recognition app Shazam in a deal reportedly worth $400m. Shazam was launched in the UK but - after a difficult period - recovered strongly once their app became widely...
Could an energy price cap stifle competition?
Using examples of unintended consequences is a great way of building evaluation. The Telegraph highlights an unintended consequence of a price cap in the energy sector: a reduction in competition.
Behavioural Economics: Category Size Bias
Here is a good example to use when discussing behavioural biases, specifically the problems people have in estimating probability and the exaggerated importance of category size when people...
Externalities - What a photo!
With festive thanks to Phil Holden for flagging up this photo on his twitter account. Are the externalities purely negative?
Using the negative externalities of plastic as practice of exam technique
AS Geoff has just highlighted on the Blog, the issue of the harm caused by plastics, particularly in our oceans, is receiving some high profile coverage at the moment, perhaps particularly in the...
Seven charts that explain the plastic pollution problem
One of THE defining issues of the age and one that consumers, producers, governments and supra-national bodies are (not before time) starting to address.
EU agrees biggest free trade deal with Japan
Two of the largest players in adopting bilateral trade deals - the EU and Japan - have concluded another trade deal which is expected to liberalise almost all trade between the two. This was...
Which countries give and receive the most foreign aid?
This Economist clip looks at the scale of foreign aid. It notes that whilst in absolute terms, the US gives the most of the £140bn, in relative terms, it's 0.17% of national income is a paltry sum...
Adapt to survive in an intangible world
The Guardian's John Harris writes here on 'platform capitalism', with a large nod in the direction of Haskel and Westlake's new book "Capitalism Without Capital". It makes for fascinating reading,...