Is Germany’s current account surplus a major problem?
A new survey of leading economists across Europe has found strong support for the argument that the large, persistent and growing current account surplus in Germany is a significant problem for the...
Mapping Africa's Natural Resource Wealth
Here is an updated chart on the main natural resources for African countries - great when teaching resource traps, primary product dependency and related topics.
The Sweatshop Dilemma
The perennial debate about whether low-wage, arduous and often hazardous work in light manufacturing is beneficial to those employed in such jobs has been given a new twist.
Vodafone fined for breaches of consumer protection rules
Vodafone have been fined £4.6m by regulator Ofcom for what has been classified as 'serious' breaches of consumer protection rules. These breaches include failing to top up some accounts of Pay As...
Patel threatens to cut the UK overseas aid budget
Britain's new international development secretary Priti Patel has said that multinational aid funding from the UK may be cut unless it provides better value for money.
Heathrow airport expansion gets government approval
It take many years - perhaps a decade or more - for the Heathrow expansion plan to be completed, but the Government has finally made a decision.
Economics News quiz - week ending 21 October 2016
Here's this week's Economics news quiz, comprising of 6 multi-choice questions.
Bangladesh: A Path Toward Prosperity
A short (perhaps rose-tinted) video from the World Bank on the success of Bangladesh in improving growth and development outcomes. But useful as a primer for some of the strategies that - from the...
Electric cars threaten oil corporations
This FT clip looks at the implications of electric cars for the oil industry - what is the nature of the cross price elasticity of demand for electric and petrol-powered vehicles? - and the...
Sterling's value as a macro shock absorber
Is the almost twenty per cent depreciation in the sterling effective exchange rate index a significant shock absorber for the British economy? MPC member Ben Broadbent (formerly of Goldman Sachs)...
Competition rather than central bankers have kept inflation low
Tempers are fraying at the highest levels of economic policy making in the UK. Theresa May, at the Conservative Party conference, emphasised the “bad side effects” for savers of the Bank...
Netflix subscriber numbers soar - is 'video streaming' still a highly contestable market?
Here at tutor2u we've often quoted the video streaming market as one that could be classed as a good example of a highly contestable market. This is on the grounds that the market contains some of...
Will the pound's fall help the UK economy rise?
Larry Elliott's piece here in the Guardian looks at the implications of Brexit, both for the pound in the short-term and the whole economy in the longer term. He reiterates the view that the...
200 Years On - How Relevant is Ricardo?
It has been an article of faith amongst economists and policy makers that free trade is a Good Thing. Trade liberalisation was a key feature of the world economic order enforced by the United...
Tragedy of the commons for Mauritanian fishermen
Here is an excellent illustration of the 'Tragedy of the Commons' - where a common resource is over-exploited and eventually used up, this BBC clip looks at fishing off the coast of Mauritania,...
South Korea's corporate fiefdoms
The South Korean economy remains dominated by family/clan run conglomerates. Is this a barrier to the economy continuing to operate on the technological frontier and cementing itself as an...
Gender pay gap widest when people are in their fifties
The TUC have analysed the gender pay gap and discovered that it exists at all ages, but is most marked when women are in their 50s, largely as a result of caring for elderly relatives or children.
Power Blackouts and Elasticity of Supply
The National Grid have assured everyone that there's enough spare capacity to ensure that the lights won't go out this winter.
Economics News quiz - w/e 14 October
Here's a 6 question quiz on economics news stories from the week as a starter your upcoming lessons.
Monopoly versus Monopsony as Unilever takes on Tesco
This is a battle between Britain's biggest food retailer and one of the world's largest consumer products manufacturing businesses that has economics teachers salivating!