Economics News Quiz - Using our Blockbusters template
Here's a weekly news quiz to try with your students next Monday or Tuesday. It contains 20 questions relating to news stories from the world of economics over the last 10 days and comes in the...
China’s textile exports decline in 2015
Once synonymous with the Chinese export machine, China's textile and garment export industry experienced a severe decline in sales in 2015 according to data from their Ministry of Industry and...
Currencies: How sustainable is the riyal/dollar peg?
For 30 years, the Saudi riyal has been pegged in a fixed exchange rate system with the US dollar. But with oil prices dropping like a stone and edging below $30 a barrel, the export-dependent Saudi...
Price competition key to success in Supermarket market?
The final quarter and Christmas sales reports for many of the supermarkets are now beginning to emerge. The results are generally mixed, with Morrisons showing a slight increase in profits, Tesco...
Cross Price Elasticity of Demand - Music Streaming Hits Album Sales
The growing popularity of relatively low-priced music streaming from services such as Apple Music and Spotify is coming at the expense of other market segments. This is a good example of cross...
Chinese slowdown hits African exports
This brief BBC piece highlights the extent to which Africa is dependent upon China but not vice versa: the Chinese slowdown has seen African exports to China fall by nearly 40%, equally Chinese...
Surge in minicabs increases journey times
Another interesting insight here from the Guardian about the ongoing debate about the effect of Uber in the market for cabs: this time private hire firm, Addison Lee, claim that the rising number...
Martin Wolf on upheaval in the Chinese economy
The FT's Martin Wolf offers his opinion on the current state of affairs in China and counsels against the fixation with the immediate, suggesting that the recent devaluation of the currency and the...
Ofwat and Regulatory Failure
The Commons' Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has criticised the UK water regulator Ofwat for poor oversight of the water companies it is meant to be regulating, resulting in households paying too...
Science does not always make sense
The story of the week for many people was the new alcohol guidelines issued by the UK’s chief medical officers. In 1995, the recommended weekly upper limit for men was set at 21 units, or around...
Shire to combine with Baxalta in £22bn deal
More merger activity in the pharmaceutical sector as Shire and Baxalta confirm their £22billion merger, creating a giant market leader in the treatment of rare diseases.
Tim Harford - How messy problems can inspire creativity
Keith Jarrett had been handed a mess. He had embraced that mess, and it soared - handed an unplayable piano, he crafted a performance that has become the best-selling piano album of all time.
Japan and China Compete for Investment into Africa
The scale of China’s ambition for Africa is already well understood. Numerous construction projects are already underway including the ones covered in Kenya by this short FT video report.
Productivity differences between large and smaller firms in the UK
I'm not sure what to say about the data published by the ONS that finds productivity is higher in larger businesses. According to the ONS "Larger firms – which might have greater scope for dividing...
Nigeria country profile - Growth and Development
Nigeria is Africa’s second largest economy and has the highest production of oil and gas in Africa. More than 62% of Nigeria’s population are under 25 and it’s growing middle class makes up 23% of...
How much Inequality is Too Much?
If you are studying the economic causes and consequences of income and wealth inequality as part of your studies, then this is a superb short programme to listen to.
African Economic Prospects for 2016
This article from BBC Business is excellent for A2 macro students - especially Edexcel and OCR people. External headwinds are affecting African countries in different ways. Sharp falls in global...
Here's an example of possible government failure that your students might like to use in an evaluative answer.
Beyond the Bike and the role of sport in an economy
The Beyond the Bike project continues post-Christmas with a theme that might appeal to those of us with New Year's Resolutions to "be more active"! Stuart's blog post this week focuses on the role...
Launch of Microeconomic Insights
Researchers at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University have created a new website "Microeconomic Insights," for better policy. Check it out -...