Amazon enters the business supplies market
Economies of scope and scale, contestable markets, monopsony power and the power of brand all come together with this news from Amazon.
SEZ and Hot Property in China
Really interesting China story here about the expansion of SEZs, and the impact that this has had on property prices in a part of Hebei province. It combines D&S, on the one hand, a broader...
Robots and artificial intelligence (AI) seem to be in the news all the time. Breakthroughs are announced regularly. Last year, it was an AI programme which beat the world champion at Go, a game...
BT handed biggest ever fine from Ofcom
An industry regulator bares their teeth! BT has been handed a record fine of £42m by regulator Ofcom and has agreed to pay industry rivals up yo £300m after it admitted to breaching rules by...
BA launches Level to take on Norwegian Airlines
This is an interesting article looking at whether the low-cost model can be applied to long-haul travel. Norwegian Airlines have had success in flying to the US, such that IAG who own British...
Safe Clean Water Remains a Development Barrier in Africa
The World Bank clip looks at how recent demographic change in Africa hasn't been matched by utility companies who've been unable to respond to increased urbanisation by investing in infrastructure....
Creative Destruction - What Could Threaten Amazon?
The Economist looks in this short video at the expectations of Amazon shareholders and the extent to which it has already met them and the future regulatory challenges that may remain. It really is...
Zimbabwe's cash-strapped farmers
The BBC's Shingai Nyoka reports from Harare where Zimbabwean farmers are struggling to make ends meet. Tobacco is the country's second largest export, after gold, however, prices have declined to...
Regressive effects of high-cost credit
If you are looking for extra contextual examples of financial market failure then this BBC article will provide grist to the mill.
Inequality: are we measuring the right things?
Here is a really thought-provoking blog post from Jonathan Athow at the Office for National Statistics that looks at how we measure inequality and whether we look at the right things or not. There...
Longer-Term Implications of Brexit
Ahead of the pressing of Article 50, in this lecture, Jonathan Portes, professor at King's College London and one of the most widely cited experts on Brexit and migration issues in British public...
CPI and CPIH Measures of Inflation
This article from BBC news provides a handy summary of the differences between CPI and CPIH as a measure of price inflation in the UK.
The Balance of Recovery
President Trump’s administration has made many criticisms of Germany. One of the more important was by his top trade advisor, Peter Nabarro. He accused the Germans of using a “grossly undervalued”...
Two very different cartoons on inequality.
These two cartoon strips tackle inequality and the poverty cycle from two very different angles. Both have elements of truth in them and are very useful for promoting discussion on the different...
2017 OECD Review of Chinese Economy
This is an important publication - the latest assessment of the transition process for China from economists at the OECD. Helpfully, they make their slides available online for teachers and...
New Paths to Profit for Nigerian Fish Farmers
This World Bank clip looks at the extent to which the Nigerian demand for fish offers opportunity for its fish farmers - however, in the past, a lot of the factors required were imported and profit...
UK CPI Inflation Surges to 2.3%
The jump in the annual rate of CPI inflation from 1.8% last month to 2.3% this month is a strong indication of the lagged effects of the post-Brexit depreciation of sterling. Some economists...
How to take the perfect penalty
Game theory is explored in this short video from the FT on academic research into the strategies that might be optimum when taking a penalty kick! To fool the keeper, unpredictability is essential.
World Happiness Index 2017 - An interactive activity
The latest version of the World Happiness Index has been released, showing the 'happiness' levels in countries around the world. The key point about this index for students of economics is that the...
What is a 1983 £1 coin worth?
For a different take on how inflation erodes the value of money, calculating 'real' values for nominal values, and considering different forms of investment, this short article on the BBC website...