European Central Bank investigates "greedflation"
The ECB has announced that it will be look out for instances of price gouging and the possibility of EU firms using the current inflationary environment to increase their profit margins, exploiting...
Rail fares in England and Wales rise by 5.9%
The annual increase in regulated rail fares has been announced as 5.9%, and it is always greeted with controversy - but more so this year because services on some parts of the rail network have...
Economic Development - Why is Africa Poor?
Economic historian Nathan Nunn asks this question in the first of a new series of videos on aspects of economic development produced by Discover Economics and the CAGE Research Centre
Economics Weekly Quiz | 03 March 2023
Here's our weekly economics news quiz.
New research from the Living Wage Foundation finds that millions of women in the UK – often cleaners, catering staff and care workers – are likely to be trapped in low-paying, insecure and...
Caledonian Sleeper rail service to be nationalised
An important and useful applied example of nationalisation here. The Scottish Government has decided to end the contract that Serco has to run the iconic albeit loss-making Caledonian Sleeper...
Monopoly - Eli Lilly cuts prices of insulin by up to 70%
Eli Lilly has announced a series of price cuts that would lower the price of the most commonly used forms of its insulin by 70% in the United States. This is for a product whose marginal cost is...
Comparative Advantage: How did Helsinki become the mobile gaming capital of the world?
This is an awesome short video from the BBC that covers key concepts such as human capital, external economies of scale, dynamic efficiency and much more besides. Finland has become home to some of...
Should Sri Lanka change their development model?
The economic and financial crisis that has engulfed Sri Lanka has had immediate and very damaging effects on poverty and living standards. According to the World Bank, extreme poverty nearly...
The Death of Globalisation?
Ideal enrichment and extension for Year 13 Economists. Professor Ian Goldin from the Oxford Martin School explores globalisation, and asks how far the world is fragmenting politically and...
Using Economies of Scale in Exam Analysis
I've just added a couple of short topic videos walking through analysis diagrams showing how economies of scale can impact on business profits and consumer surplus.
From Pasta to Turnips - the UK Food System Under Pressure
The BBC news video looks at the cost of living crisis, via food price inflation, highlighting how much food prices have risen in the recent past, and attributing this to the nature of the supply...
Are UK managers paid too much?
Phillip Inman's piece for the Observer looks at one of my favourite topics, executive pay.
Economics Weekly Quiz | 24 February 2023
Here's our weekly economics news quiz.
Calls for UK phone repair apprenticeship scheme
Here is a neat applied example of the importance of human capital in improving occupational mobility of Labour. Zoe Kleinman, the BBC's Tech editor visits a business set up to repair some of the 72...
Will the British Industry Supercharger scheme work in protecting jobs?
The government has moved to support energy intensive industries - steel, metals, chemicals and paper manufacturing - to ensure that they face a level playing field with their European competitors.
Should the Drax Power Station subsidy be cut
It's remarkable that Drax power station, which has seen its profits double, to £731m in 2022 from £398m the previous year, is still in receipt of huge government subsidies.
Could UK inflation fall below 2% in 2023?
It seems inevitable that inflation is going to fall rapidly in 2023, but how far will it fall?
India - Barriers to Growth in the World's most Populous Country
This in an interesting article, highlighting the fact that India is now the most populous nation in the world, and potentially the source of massive growth in the next few years.
Government Failure - Trains in Spain
One for your government failure revision notes! Spain’s secretary of state for transport and the head of the state rail company have stepped down due to growing public and political backlash over...