The UK manufacturers of the Raspberry Pi computer have recently announced a new up-graded version of their product that promises a higher specification, speed, flexibility and an eventual tie-in...
Can Denmark Succeed Where Switzerland Failed?
Can the rich Danish economy continue to peg their exchange rate to the Euro? The currency has come under sustained upward pressure in recent months and the Danish central bank - whose sole mandate...
Non Price Competition & the Cost of a SuperBowl Advert
Non price competition between giant US corporations can often come with a hefty price tag!
Can Game Theory Help the Greeks?
Game theory is a big topic in academic economics. It is scarcely possible to graduate from a good university without exposure to its abstruse logic. So perhaps the Greek government, replete with...
Why firms choose not to disclose the quality of their products
Rather than explicitly revealing information about the quality of their products and services, many firms prefer to signal quality through the prices they charge, typically working on the...
HIV testing and risky sexual behaviour
People surprised by HIV-positive test results increase their risky sexual behaviour, exposing their partners to HIV infection and experiencing a more than nine-fold increase in sexually transmitted...
Obesity linked to impatience
People with low levels of patience have a greater chance of becoming obese, particularly at a time when meat and high-calorie foods are relatively inexpensive.
“Ricardo, Ricardo, that wonderful guy” - innovation, job losses and living standards
Here is your starter for ten. What do the Uber app and David Ricardo have in common? Ricardo, I hear you ask. Scarcely known outside academic economics, he ranks equal with Adam Smith and Keynes...
Herr Doktor Professor Sinn and Disciplining the Mediterranean Countries
Poland is Europe's great economic success story, the only country to avoid a recession during the financial crisis. So it is easy to see why the Poles are enthusiastic about Europe. For them, it...
Obama plans tax on overseas profits of US corporations
There are sizeable political barriers in the way of this proposal - but Obama's plans for a tax on the profits of US firms stashed overseas at least deserves some scrutiny.
Regressive indirect taxation in the UK
UK bond yields - why so low?
The Price of Inequality
Oligopoly - Recent Examples of Price Fixing Behaviour
In this blog entry we will curate recent examples of industries in which collusive price fixing behaviour has been alleged.
Finnish start-ups thrive after Nokia's demise
The huge labour shake-out at flailing technology business Nokia appears to have been a boon to the start-up community in Finland.
Questioning the UK’s Economic Recovery - Exam Style
A lot has been made of the recent set of growth figures recently published of the UK economy. Despite the seemingly positive 0.5% quarterly growth and 2.6% annual growth, the overall impression is...
Russia’s credit rating is ‘junk’
Capital in the 21st Century - Vox Views with Thomas Piketty
Is rising inequality inevitable? Thomas Piketty, author of 'Capital in the 21st Century', argues that political institutions hold the answer.
Apple makes the highest ever quarterly profit
Someone somewhere got an iPhone for Christmas! Apple's newly released revenue and profits figures are truly staggering.