Supply Crunch - The Maths working to solve the supply crisis
This is an excellent article that highlights the extent to which we are dependent upon mathematics to sustain our supply chain.
Electric cars - will road pricing be needed as a new source of tax revenue?
Larry Elliott looks at some of the economic implications of increased take-up of electric cars.
Principal-agent problem - Activist investor ups stake in WH Smith but backs management
Here is a good example of activist investors which is related to the principal agent problem.
Economics Weekly Quiz - 10 Sep 2021
Here's this week's economics news quiz. Which US celebrity has been criticised for promoting an untested cryptocurrency? Which coffee house announced a 5% increase in wages? Which country has said...
Externalities and the Supply Crunch
This story is a consequence of the current supply chain issues, which have limited the access of water companies to the chemicals required to treat waste water.
Tax avoidance - Amazon UK arm pays £3.8m more corporation tax despite £1.9bn sales rise
Amazon UK is only paying an extra £3.8 million in corporation tax despite a £1.9 billion increase in sales.
I love the National Audit Office. This article looks at a coruscating finding in relation to the so-called Green Homes Grant which proved a flop.
Development Economics - Can new lenders save Brazil’s struggling farmers?
This FT video clip looks at the rise of Brazil as an agricultural powerhouse, as well as the fact that small-scale farms - which represent 80% of all farms, and produce 23% of output - might be...
Environmental economics - Six problems aviation must fix to hit net zero
Here is a brilliant piece in the Observer looking at the challenges facing aviation as it looks to hit net zero.
Will the government increase national insurance to pay for social care?
It seems that the government is considering financing increased expenditure on social care by increasing National Insurance contributions.
Internal Growth - Asda to open more shops at Issa brothers' petrol stations
Economics or Business Management: take your pick. Either way this is a good applied exampleof diversification and internal growth.
Economics Weekly Quiz - 02 Sep 2021
Welcome back to the new term! The beauty of economics comes from how it can be applied to the real world so why not try our weekly quiz and test your knowledge? We have 10 questions using economics...
Steel industry - Port Talbot steelworks owner reports £347m loss
There are so many micro and macro aspects to this news story about continued heavy losses at the UK operation of Indian conglomerate Tata Steels.
NEETs - Percentage of NEETs falls below ten per cent
NEETs are young people who are not in education, employment or training. The good news is that the number of people in this category is falling.
Inflation - Sri Lanka in economic emergency as food prices soar
The Sri Lankan government is introducing government-controlled prices in a bid to stem inflation in an economy hit hard by a depreciating currency and the damaging impact of covid on their...
Negative Externalities - Air pollution is slashing years off the lives of billions
The World Health Organisation has called air pollution the "silent tsunami" and the latest data on the negative externalities of air pollution suggests that it is a bigger killer than many...
Commodity Prices - Vietnam adds to global coffee supply concerns
A lovely example here of how changing non-price factors can cause a change in the market supply of coffee beans used mainly for producing instant coffee.
Underemployment - Japan's army of under-employed ex-housewives
This is a lovely example of what is meant by the term 'under-employment' and illustrates exactly what this implies for an economy.
The United States has entered the market for offshore wind, with the first wind farms being built, with the hope being that ultimately it will house the most powerful wind turbines in the world,...
Labour shortages - is market power shifting to workers?
The Guardian's John Harris writes here about the ongoing labour shortages, arguing that they offer an opportunity for workers to assert their power, supported by trade unions, and see a substantial...