Key global economic development moments of 2014
Here is a veritable feast of economic development charts
An Economist walks into a bar
Robert Litan's talk explores the surprising role economists have played in the development of the internet economy -- and quite possibly your love life.
The Economics of Enough
Is economic growth always a good thing? Why are people in countries like the US and UK not happier or working fewer hours when GDP has tripled since 1950?
Why it's time for Doughnut Economics
Kate Raworth flips economic thinking on its head to give a crash course in alternative economics, explaining in three minutes what they'll never teach you in three years of a degree. Find out why...
Putting a face on poverty
Marcelo Giugale, an economist at the World Bank Global Practice on Macroeconomics and Fiscal Management illustrates how macroeconomists can influence policy to improve the lives of the poor - the...
Britain overtakes France to become world's 5th biggest economy
The latest Global Economic League Table published by the Centre for Economic and Business Research places the UK as the 5th largest economy in the world, overtaking France.
Worries about the UK current account deficit
The BBC's Robert Peston is growing increasingly concerned about the widening deficit on the UK's current account of the balance of payments.
Russia consider vodka price caps
Price vodka too high and you risk high prices the consumption of illegal and possibly unsafe alcohol. Price it too low and your encourage excessive consumption in a country already beset with...
Meet the largest vessel the world has ever seen
The dimensions are staggering and the economics behind the building of the world's largest ship yet constructed is also really interesting.
Buyer Beware - Alibaba and the Curse of Fakes
Fake and suspicious products are an inevitable fact of life on online auction sites and with e-commerce more generally. eBaY spends millions each year to finance a buyer-protection plan.
Uber and Surge Pricing
Uber is a business that has enjoyed rapid growth because of the huge success of its app. It now operates in more than 250 cities across 50 countries although some cities and governments have taken...
Global Business - 2014 in Review
This article from BBC World Business is a superb overview on some of the key issues facing the European / Global economy during 2014. The interview with Martin Wolf is especially prescient as the...
Richard Koo - Japan and the Balance Sheet Recession
Philip Coggan from the Economist reviews a new book by Richard Koo, Chief Economist at Nomura Securities.
The other debt and the other deficit
This is a timely and excellent article from Duncan Weldon (BBC Newsnight) for student macroeconomists on two deficits that seem to get far less media attention than the government's fiscal deficit.
Public goods and economic development
The brilliant Harvard economist Ricardo Hausmann makes the case in this Project Syndicate article for public goods being a key driver of productivity and competitiveness in developed and developing...
Is George Osborne a closest Keynesian?
A famous quote from Keynes makes it into this piece: "The boom, not the slump, is the time for austerity at the Treasury."In the wake of the December 2014 Autumn Statement and projections for...
Obesity - A Global Economic Issue
This article from VoxEU is excellent background reading on the economic and social costs of obesity. The figures are startling and hugely significant both for developed and developing countries.
Argentina - a century of secular stagnation
Here is an example of secular stagnation on a very long run scale. Argentina is the only country in the world that was 'developed' in 1900 and 'developing' in 2000.
Economic pain continues despite the recovery
Economic wellbeing is not simply the product of the published GDP figures telling us just where we are in the business cycle. There are many more aspects to wellbeing than this and the UK Office...
Competition and Markets Authority to investigate pie merger
The CMA Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is launching an investigation into Pork Farms' acquisition of the chilled savoury pastries division of Kerry Foods, both of which supply supermarkets...