Contestable Markets - Small Firms Embrace the Cloud
A terrific short article here looking at how the development of cloud computing has enabled small firms to compete to a greater degree.
Businesses put their own price on carbon
The number of businesses who are voluntarily putting a price on their carbon emissions is rising rapidly. For some it is part and parcel of their deep-rooted commitment to sustainability as a...
Business Responses to the "new" UK Living Wage
How are businesses responding to the introduction of George Osborne's self-styled living wage?
UK Treasury's Analysis of Brexit
The UK Treasury has produced a lengthy document outlining the economic case for remaining inside of the European Union. Naturally the publication led to a fierce debate about the accuracy of their...
Options for Trade Deals if the UK Leaves the EU
What kind of trade deal would the UK be able to negotiate with the European Union in the event of a BREXIT vote? BBC Newsnight investigates
Revealed Preference, Taxation and the Panama Papers
The Panama papers made headlines everywhere. They are rather like a quantitative version of Hello! magazine. Read all about the vast amount of money a particular celeb has got stashed away....
A History of Money in Five Objects
This is a lovely clip showing the nature of money over the centuries and perhaps provoking thought about the nature of money
Risks from Over-Specialisation - China's Underwear Town
This is an absolutely fascinating insight into China's one-trick industrial towns - underwear accounts for 80% of the Gurao's output. If that statistic isn't 'pants', I don't know what is! But is...
Chinese businesses continue their overseas acquisitions
There's been a recent spate of Chinese acquisitions of foreign assets: with the growth in activity having increased by around 300%. In part, this is a response to lower levels of demand in the...
70th Anniversary of the death of John Maynard Keynes
On this day (21st April) in 1946 John Maynard Keynes, often credited as the father of modern macroeconomics, passed away. Some of our main resources on Keynesian economics can be found here
Google accused of anti-competitive behaviour in the app industry
"We believe that Google’s behaviour denies consumers a wider choice of mobile apps" so says the European Union competition authority when launching a new case against the web search giant today....
The Economics of Vinyl
In the last few years we have seen the revival of vinyl records, with sales passing a million in 2014 (the first time since 1996), and growth is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. So...
Will OPEC agree an output squeeze to raise crude prices?
A number of oil producers - both OPEC and non-OPEC members are meeting in Qatar to discuss what to do about levels of production. At the moment there's only one agenda item: whether or not to agree...
Shifting Gears for the Chinese Economy
The FT's James Kynge argues in this video that the Chinese economy can be compared to a hybrid vehicle - with two engines, an old one - predicated upon investment in infrastructure and real estate...
Banking contestability - more consumers are switching
This story suggests that there are the first signs of increased contestability in the retail banking sector, a sector renowned for its inertia.
Here's a fun lesson starter from the furtive imagination of regular contributor Scott Thomas. This one is a variation on our Higher and Lower game that involves the whole class. The class are...
State of the UK Economy in 2016
What shape is the UK economy in as economics students prepare for their summer 2016 exams?
Dolmio and Uncle Ben's advise customers to buy less!
Pasta joke or an extraordinary act of corporate social responsibility? Dolmio and Uncle Ben's - two of the world's biggest food brands (both under the ownership of Mars) - has issued a warning to...
Vanilla Ice Cream and Elasticity
We've been warned that the price of vanilla ice-cream could rocket as bad harvests mean a shortage of vanilla pods. But as good economists will know, the key word is "could". So what are the...
Is government intervention beneficial to an economy? Do you agree with Keynesian or Austrian Economists - which side gets your support? Here's a superb infographic on the great battle of ideologies...