Sully and the Gaze Heuristic
Sully directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks is a gripping and multi-layered recounting of the remarkable landing of a American Airlines plane on the icy Hudson River.
China in Transition: Call for end to the iron rice bowl
The Chinese economy has been talking about reform, and reform of the working practices of China's state-owned enterprises SOEs is an important part of this.
Are trade unions needed more than ever?
According to the Guardian, the answer is a resounding yes. They believe there is a continued need for trade unions in the modern economy, a counterweight to lots of the anti-union sentiment in...
Externalities - Gold mining in Ghana hurts farm productivity
The expansion of large-scale gold mining in Ghana has led to a big reduction in agricultural productivity and output – and a significant increase in rural poverty. Environmental pollution from the...
Is fraud the business model of the prescription drug industry?
Yes according to Democrat Bernie Sanders who is using the inter-regum between the Presidential election and the inauguration of Donald Trump to push his campaign alleging price gouging by the...
Ten Economists I Follow on Twitter
There are lots of Economists who are active in the twitter sphere. Here is my selection of ten who inform, enrich, amuse and engage in equal measure!
An age of hyper-uncertainty
Here is a pithy and thought-provoking piece from Professor Barry Eichengreen. 40 years on from JK Galbraith's Age of Uncertainty, Eichengreen argues that 2017 is riven with many more significant...
Secondary ticket markets - blessing or curse for consumers?
The secondary ticket market is one that arose strong emotions. For some it is a chance to snap up tickets for a must-see event or off-load tickets when personal circumstances change. For thousands...
Evaluating air pollution as a public hazard
Always nice to hear "The Prodigy" on the BBC and that's the backing track throughout this clip - however, the economics in this video clip are fascinating.
An unusual take on Debt Forgiveness
Back in the Cold War era, both Cuba and what was Czechoslovakia were part of the Soviet communist bloc. With no access to what were termed the 'western currencies' - dollars, sterling and so on -...
Which countries have the fastest internet speed?
A small island nation hoping to build and retain competitive advantage in digital industries would hope to be well up global league tables in terms of internet speed. Sadly the UK remains in the...
Hyperinflation in Venezuela - In Real Life
This is a superb short radio clip from Radio 4 on life in Venezuela, a country with three exchange rates and suffering from hyperinflation. Gideon Long tries not to lose all his money as he changes...
Model agencies found guilty of price fixing
Here is a model exam example of collusion in markets!
Uber defies demand to stop using self-driving cars
Uber seems prepared to flout the law with its self-driving cars - being prepared to ignore the California Attorney-General and continue to run its self-driving cars in San Francisco.
Land banks and the housing shortage
One of the reasons for the housing market being dysfunctional is the existence of substantial 'land banks' held by a variety of groups, notably the UK's largest house builders. However,...
Nurofen fined heavily for mis-leading consumers
Another instance of the regulator intervening to protect consumers from exploitation by another pharmaceutical company. In this instance, the manufacturer of Nurofen, Reckitt Benckiser, has seen...
London's lead in income per head over the regions
This Guardian article highlights the extent of regional inequality - noting that over the past decade inequality has increased, with London increasingly well ahead of other regions.
The Dichotomy of Behavioural Economics
Festive enrichment from two giants - Gerd Gigerenzer & Nassim Nicholas Taleb offer some perspectives on behavioural economics in a recording of a panel event held in December 2016.
US Fed raises interest rates driving the dollar higher
The strengthening US dollar is not perhaps what Donald Trump had in mind when he said he wanted to make America great again. It will erode the price competitiveness of manufacturing exports and...
Just Eat acquires Hungry House - Horizontal Integration at work
Horizontal integration in the fast-growing and increasing competitive home-food delivery market. Just Eat is competing with the likes of Deliveroo and, judging from the number of Deliveroo cyclists...