Argentina looks to re-enter world capital markets
The new government in Argentina has made an offer to the hedge funds holding heavily discounted Argentinian sovereign debt in a bid to resolve the long-running dispute between Argentina and western...
Are economics degrees fit for purpose?
The Post-Crash Economics Society (PCES) has produced a report condemning the state of economics teaching in many universities, supported by economists at the Bank of England - less of the...
Zambian economy and the OCR F585 paper
As part of the Beyond the Bike project, I have been putting together learning resources to support the BtB journey - but many of these are also useful for teachers covering the OCR F585 June 2016...
TPP is signed! What do trade agreements do?
The signing of the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement in Auckland, New Zealand in February 2016 raises once again the topical issue of trade agreements and their economic and social benefits...
Three-O2 Merger Plans Under Scrutiny
The Three-O2 merger is at a very delicate stage: it's clear that OFCOM have serious reservations about the merger largely because of its effects on concentration in the mobile market. However,...
A Eurosceptic View - Roger Bootle on the Trouble with Europe
Roger Bootle is a well-known economist with euro sceptic views on the future of the European Union. In this one hour lecture delivered at the University of Leeds in the spring of 2015, he outlines...
The gender price gap battle continues
The "pink pricing" outrage that has hit consumers over the last week seems to be ramping up, with more examples coming to light of consumers paying more for the 'feminised' version of products.
The power of drug cartels
This TED talk on the power of drug cartels in Mexico is a combination of fascinating and dark material - a powerful insight into the externalities associated with the drug market, as well as an...
GoPro's revenue growth is slowing as rivals enter the market
Perhaps it was inevitable. The phenomenal success of the GoPro product has been much heralded in the last couple of years and the business went public with an IPO in 2014. But there is evidence...
Sainsburys agrees a deal with Home Retail (Argos)
What are the commercial / strategic factors behind the agreed deal between Sainsburys and Home Retail? A takeover has been agreed that values Home Retail, the owner of Argos, at about £1.3bn. But...
Does UK government spending help the poorest – or the middle class?
Economists often recommend subsidies or other forms of government expenditure to help address the chronic problem of income inequality and other forms of market failure. But do these transfers...
Micro experiments - If it costs nothing, is it worth anything?
Most of us hate our banks. We have all experienced the unanswered letter, the seemingly interminable waits on hold before being put through to someone who gives the impression of auditioning for...
Happiness in the UK - a new version of the Higher or Lower Game
Anyone who knows me will also know that if a set of ranking stats comes out I love to turn it into the 'beloved' Higher and Lower game. It's a simple idea - in this example, students just have to...
Stellios opens his easyFoodstore with 25p offers!
Just when the incumbents felt that the discounters had started to become really annoying, this happened. The undoubted king of the discounters, Stelios Haji-Ioannou decided it was time to join the...
Behavioural economics: making poor financial decisions
Behavioural economics tries to offer realistic insights into decision making. Traditional economics assumes people make rational decisions and consistent choices based on effective computation.
What makes us feel good about work?
The importance of wages and other pecuniary advantages to work is at the heart of labour market economics, but economists are also aware of the importance of the many non-pecuniary advantages of...
Youtube and Contestability - The Fine Brothers nearly changed the game
Here's a story that got me thinking about Youtube and concepts of Perfect Competition and contestability. Examples of perfect competition are thin on the ground and we talk much more about...
As the WHO declares mosquito borne Zika fever a major health emergency, scientists claim that we now have the knowledge to make extinct the species of mosquito which carry disease.
Salmon Supply and Sushi
This is no fishy story. Salmon prices have reached a 30-year high as a result of supply issues from the major Norwegian salmon producers.
How worrying is Britain’s current account deficit?
Almost all of the talk of "the deficit" is in reference to the fiscal deficit, which is the balance of tax revenues and public spending. But what about the "other deficit"?