Chocolate consumption by country
Chocolate lovers can be forgiven for being in an perpetual state of confusion about the health effects of their devotion to the cocoa bean. One week they are told that nailing their favourite bar...
Major trade deal to cut tariffs on digital products
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has announced a landmark IT trade deal, which it is hoped will eliminate import tariffs on a wide range of digital products within the next three years.
Where next for the IMF?
The BBC World Service programme "In the Balance" regularly provides content of tremendous relevance to teachers and students. I recommend you have a look at their home page to find plenty of...
Firms risk eating themselves argues BoE Economist
The Bank of England's Chief Economist Andy Haldane has hit out at historically high rates of dividend payouts and share buy-back programmes by highly profitable stock-market listed businesses. He...
Overseas Aid and Development Debate
How effective is overseas aid in promoting and sustaining growth and development in poorer countries? This is a huge ongoing debate in development economics. Our Storify draws on different...
China struggles to limit environmental impact of growth
This is a really excellent article on the sustainability challenges facing China.
Post-China 16 Countries
The Post-China16 (PC16) is a term used for a group of countries that are widely expected to partially replace China as the low-unit cost manufacturing hub for the global economy in the years to...
Why cricket is like spam
The holiday season gets into full swing, but a shadow has been cast by the abysmal failure of our boys to get anywhere near the enormous target of 509 which Australia set them to win in the second...
IKEA to pay UK workers the Living Wage
Ikea has announced that it will pay all its 9,000 UK workers at least £7.85 an hour from April 2016. The rate for employees in London will be £9.15 an hour. It is estimated that half of their...
Evaluating Economic Reforms in Greece
A new paper written by Campos and Coricelli finds evidence that the Greek economy has suffered from poorly implemented structure economic reforms both before and after the economic and financial...
Has Africa Outgrown Development Aid?
BBC Africa ran a debate on aid assistance to Africa broadcast from the British Library. Ideal enrichment for A2 macro.
Here is a link to the speech given by Bank of England Governor Mark Carney at Lincoln Cathedral in July 2015. In it he said that policy interest rates are likely to start rising again from their...
65 Million Subscribers for Netflix
In the increasingly contestable market for online streaming of movies, tv series and other forms of entertainment, the drive to grow your installed user base is right up at the top of the objective...
The Depth of the Greek Economic Depression
This article from the BBC news considers a range of macroeconomic indicators for the beleaguered Greek economy. "It is now generally agreed that Greece has experienced an economic crisis on the...
Natural resource booms and local communities
The macroeconomic impact of a boom in natural resource extraction for developing countries has been thoroughly researched in recent years giving rise to an ongoing debate about whether natural...
Amazon - A Business Built to Make Losses?
I really enjoyed reading an article on Amazon from Rory Cellan-Jones, the Technology Correspondent at the BBC. In a telling quote he says "Throughout its history, Amazon has seen its revenues climb...
Scandinavia provides evidence for Osborne’s war on welfare
George Osborne’s budget has been met with predictable outrage from the poverty lobby. The cuts to the welfare budget will allegedly create shocking levels of deprivation. Young people in...
Costs and benefits – mercury emissions from burning coal
America’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) thinks like an economist. By that, I mean that the agency has to weigh costs against benefits. Here’s an interesting case, in which the US Supreme...
RES Public Lecture 2015 - Starbucks and Tax
Tuesday 24th November is the date fixed for the 2015 Annual Public Lecture which will be given by Professor Rachel Griffith at the Royal Institution in London.
Skills Shortage in UK - CBI warn of 'skills emergency'
The CBI has once again warned the Government that the UK is facing a 'skills emergency'. Their suggestion, and the opinion of many of its members, is that the education system in the UK is not...