Vodafone in east Africa - elite rent-seeking exposed
Ethics and MNCs - This Observer investigation into the rise of Vodafone in east Africa has done an awful lot to benefit the political elite and commensurately less for the ordinary citizen. It...
Brazil’s contaminated river Doce
A short video revealing the long term economic and social damage from the contamination of a river following the bursting of an iron ore waste dam burst in the town of Mariana, Brazil.
Economics Weekly News Quiz - 10 November 2017
Here's this week's economics news quiz. Good luck!
A living diagram
I promised my students that before their exam today I would try and grow an Economics diagram....
Money for Nothing? Economics of Robots and Basic Income
More than ten million UK workers are at risk of having their jobs replaced by robots in the next decade. Could a universal basic income be a radical but effective approach in the face of...
What is your economics superhero name?
Courtesy of this tweet from Jon Inge I can confirm my name is Supernormal Surplus! What is your economics superhero name?
UK House Prices and Living Standards - "A-maze-balls" activity
According to the Halifax, house prices continue to rise in the UK (4.5% on average in the year till October) and will carry on doing so in the near future. The value of houses are an important...
Diesel car sales fall by almost one third
There's been a precipitous decline in sales of diesel cars, of nearly a third, putting pressure on the car industry and, according to the article "the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders...
Tax Avoidance - try this 'Reach the Peak' activity
So, tax avoidance is back in the news with the ongoing investigations surrounding the 'Paradise Papers'. Economics students will know the difference between tax evasion (which is illegal) and tax...
Supply side economics - how to shift the PPF
New economics students are probably familiar by now with the Economic Problem, the four Factors of Production, and the PPF, and the concept that in order to increase potential output, you need to...
China's Zombie Business Privatisation Policy
This clip is fascinating documenting how one Chinese province, Liaoning, has started to privatise 'zombie' companies in the hope of returning them to profitability, rather than continuing to prop...
The Broken Phillips Curve and Missing Pay Rises
Really interesting conceptual article about the conduct of monetary policy in the UK, with Larry Elliott arguing that the setting of interest rates is predicated upon a broken economic model, which...
Ten Things We've Learned from from Edexcel Economics CPD (Updated)
Here is some feedback that is worth bearing in mind when teaching Edexcel Economics drawing on reports from recent Edexcel events looking back at the 2017 exam series.
Economics Weekly Quiz - 3 November 2017
Here's this week's news quiz on the world of economics. Good luck!
Mr Proud's homemade Phillips Machine
What a fantastic achievement from Charles Proud at the Perse School in Cambridge. He has engineered and completed his own Phillips Machine!
Why the Bank of England has raised interest rates
Inevitably there has been a deluge of media coverage of the first base rate rise for a decade - albeit a tiny step! Here is our curation of some of the best articles.
Interest Rates - play the 'Reach the Peak' Activity
Here's a great lesson starter or plenary if your are looking for an activity to stimulate discussion about the change in interest rates announced by the BoE.
Inequality and Social Gradients - Deprivation and cause of Death
New evidence from the ONS finds that men in the Hampshire town of Hart, the least deprived local authority in England, outlive men in the most deprived area, Blackpool, by almost eight years.
London Gateway and Britain's Shopping Obsession
I like the many stories behind London Gateway - it represents a boost for Britain's supply-side and reflects changing consumer tastes, particularly a rise in internet retailing too. There's also...
Tesla scales back production target
It's proving a rough ride for Tesla as they look to produce the Model 3 at scale, with the firm admitting that they're currently well behind production targets, and facing a number of bottlenecks.