Economics of a Natural Resource Curse
Recent articles and analysis on the economics of natural resources and whether they act as a constraint and barrier to economic growth and development in many of the world's poorer countries.
Britain’s GDP growth has been strong, relative to similar economies. Employment has never been higher. Yet almost all economists at the moment share a similar worry – poor productivity. GDP per...
TFTA - Cape to Cairo Free-Trade Zone
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-33076917Intra-regional trade within Sub Saharan Africa is much lower as a percentage of total trade than for other regions such as Asia and the European...
Information, Networks and Economic Growth - Cesar Hidalgo
It was a delight to hear Cesar Hidalgo speak at the Oxford Martin School yesterday as he launches his new book Why Information Grows. Below are some notes that I took at the meeting and also a...
The Making of Nudge
The Making of Nudge is a new book on behavioural economics from Professor Richard Thaler.
Connected Economists - Invitation to Write!
Connected Economists is a new economics magazine, written by students for students. The editors, all current A-Level students from schools across the UK, have created this free magazine for the...
Game Theory - Putting Yourself in Another's Shoes
This article published in the Independent (June 2015) is a really excellent primer on aspects of cooperative and non-cooperative game theory reflecting on the contributions made by the late John...
FIFA, corruption and economic growth
The FIFA arrests have dominated both front and sports pages. We must await the outcomes of the trials before pronouncing on individuals. But amongst soccer fans, the organisation is a byword for...
AQA and Edexcel Set To Dominate A Level Economics
Exam boards AQA and Edexcel look set to share the spoils for the new AS and A Level Economics specifications when teaching begins in September 2015.
A-Z of Disruptive Businesses
Here is a snapshot of businesses that have challenged the existing / established business models in their chosen markets / segments. I am sure we can add to the list and also debate the extent to...
Calls for greater competition in the aviation industry
According to The Economist, given that flying people around the world is the ultimate globalised industry, there is oddly little competition in the airlines business. This lack of competition is...
Deutschland Unter Alles
There's an excellent article in today's Telegraph highlighting the fact that Germany faces a demographic time bomb and that this has potentially calamitous consequences for the German economy...
Your Choice of New A Level Economics Spec for Sept 2015
Have you made your decision about which exam board spec to teach from September 2015?Please could you spare us 60 seconds to complete this online survey.Many thanks!
Evidence that “landlocked” economies are disadvantaged
I'm sticking to my view that the greatest economic innovation of the last 50 years has been container shipping. By collapsing the cost of transporting materials, opportunities for trade have...
Sustainable Development Goals
When the Millennium Development Goals were adopted in 2000 they seemed hopelessly optimistic. But the most important one was achieved five years early. This was to halve, by 2015, the share of...
Bargaining Clout of Employers - Monopsony Power
A hat tip to Katherine Fey for tweeting about this excellent short article posted on the World Economic Forum blog. Most economists agree that the balance of power in the U.K. labor market has...
British Manufacturing: solving the Productivity Puzzle
Everyone preparing for A2 papers should put aside an hour or so of their revision time to consider two great resources which have appeared this week, analysing why Britain's productivity isn't...
John Nash celebrated on More or Less
Tim Harford's More or Less programme on Radio 4 celebrates the work of John Nash in this short audio pod cast
De-Merit Goods - Banning Legal Highs
The Conservative government has announced plans to legislate to ban legal highs in the UK. BBC news reports that draft laws will prohibit the substances' production, distribution, sale and supply.
Mini Lecture - The Global Financial Crisis
Released in February 2015, this short 8 minute film addresses causes and possible solutions of the global financial crisis that hit the world in 2007 with lecture snippets of Robert Mundell and...