Brexit and Invisible Barriers to Trade
This is a very astute Larry Elliott piece highlighting the complexities of Brexit negotiations, and the fact that much of the press coverage of the issue has somewhat missed the point.
Paperbacks Fight Back!
Here is a fascinating insightinto a market that's experienced creative destruction: the market for books. However, you might be unaware that the market has been altered to such a degree that...
Economics News quiz of the week (w/e 17 March 2017)
Here's an interactive economics news quiz to either use as a quick starter in your lessons early next week or to set as a quick task if your students have access to mobile technology. The activity...
Progressive effects of low carbon drive
The Committee on Climate Change has reached an interesting conclusion in its latest report: contrary to what energy companies have been telling us, the move to low carbon fuels is saving the...
Here is a recording of today's CPD webinar which explored the challenges of preparing students taking AQA A Level Economics Paper 3 in June 2017.
Changes to the CPI Basket for 2017
Gin, cycle helmets, jigsaws, lactose-free drinks and base layer clothing is in whilst spirit-based drinks, brake pads, children's swings and the fee for stopping a cheque are out. The annual...
Can Public Sector Pay and Pensions be Afforded?
The shambles over the treatment of National Insurance has dominated the media’s reporting of the recent Budget. But only the previous week, Jeremy Corbyn made a complete horlicks of his tax return...
The Snowball of Debt
This is a superb graphic to promote discussion on the causes and effects of a country having a high public debt (in relation to GDP).
Bank of England Inflation Report - food prices
If you only use one chart from the Bank of England's February Inflation Report, this is a great one for students to analyse. You can find it on page 26 of the report, in the Costs and Prices...
On Thursday lunchtime last week, over 100 Edexcel Economics teachers tuned in to our free webinar focusing on the key skills and concepts that students will need to develop and be confident with...
On Monday lunchtime last week we had around 70 teachers logging on to our first specialist teacher webinar in our Financial Markets Trilogy. This blog post includes the presentation and some...
Free Range Milk and Profits in the Farming Industry
One of the recent farming stories of note has been the threat to the dairy sector, as monopsonistic supermarkets have put downwards pressure on prices. In this instance, though, some farmers are...
Energy Oligopoly and Profits of the Big Six
If you want the best deals in the energy market, shop around. However only 15% of customers actually actively engage with the market to switch suppliers, leaving the remaining customers vulnerable...
The Secrets to Fixing a Price
A weekend hat tip to Chris Larner for spotting this superb edition of The Bottom Line on BBC Radio 4. The discussion hosted by Evan Davis has some great links to price discrimination, information...
tutor2u in Dubai 2017
The tutor2u Economics team are bringing their hugely popular Flying Start and Grade Booster revision events to Dubai on 26th and 27th March 2017.
Mackerel as a Currency - the Secret Prison Economy
This is one of the most unusual demonstrations of the charcteristics and functions of money that I have come across. Ever. It looks at how in US prisons, mackerel - yes, you read that correctly -...
Budget 2017 - Micro and Macro effects
Following on from Jonny's blog with a great Budget starter activity, here's one for those Year 13 students who are preparing for the Synoptic paper - with thanks to my colleagues who have...
So, Phillip Hammond has delivered his first Budget and I'm sure we all 'wish him luck' going forward (I'm sure there are no great economic shocks coming in the near future!). Here is a quick...
Is the Gig economy making our roads less safe?
Is this a negative externality of the gig economy? Does the nature of the employment and the desire to drive down costs mean that delivery drivers are more likely to be involved in accidents...
What's Happening With the Government's Finances?
With the 2017 Budget imminent, Carl Emmerson from the IFS looks at the state of UK government finances. Only on 12 occasions since 1948 has the UK government run a budget surplus.