Should young people be paid to get vaccinated?
Economics, like epidemiology, is an inexact science. But It can still tell us useful things about the world, writes Professor Paul Ormerod.
Plastic waste - are supermarkets doing enough?
Greenpeace has suggested that the UK's supermarkets are still doing relatively little to reduce waste plastics, contrary to what they would have us believe.
Business growth - Shell buys electric car-charging company ubitricity
Is the post-pandemic era a watershed for the electric car?
China replaces the US as the number one recipient of new foreign direct investment
A sharp fall in the amount of new foreign direct investment (FDI) into the US last year compared to 2019 propelled China to become the number one recipient of new foreign investments in 2020.
Surviving and Thriving during Lockdown
Every school day, Economics teacher Will Haines is posting a small well-being idea to support teachers and students through lockdown.
National Happiness and GDP limitations
As part of their theme 2 studies, Edexcel A-level Economics students need to have an understanding of the limitations of using GDP as an indicator of living standards. Part of this involves...
Sustainable Growth - The Cumbrian Coal Controversy
Cumbria Council have approved a plan to sink a new coal mine under the Irish Sea, and it's not been well received.
Sustainability - How Bioplastic Is Made From Avocado Waste
This Business Insider clip looks at the increasing popularity of avocados, and the possibility of using avocado pits (i.e. seeds) to make bioplastics that are more environmentally friendly than a...
Avoiding the sunk cost fallacy - Alphabet abandons Loon
Alphabet has decided to scrap its balloon company Loon, designed to increase internet access through launching giant balloons to beam the internet to remote areas.
The problem is poverty, however we label it
This is a really insightful piece that highlights the multi-dimensional aspects of poverty in the UK.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) today announced that the UK government borrowed £34.1 billion last month - the highest December figure on record.
Economics Weekly Quiz - 22 January 2021
Here's our weekly economics news quiz.
Household debt: Workers borrowed more in 2020 to prop up incomes
An ONS study suggests that nine million UK workers had to borrow money to help them cope with lower incomes last year as a result of being furloughed or a reduction in hours.
The return of low-deposit mortgages
This personal finance story is of interest; it implies that mortgage lenders in the housing market can see the future direction of travel, after the Stamp Duty holiday ends, and are gearing up to...
The TUC, the federation of trade unions in England and Wales, highlights that in every industry where there have been job losses, BME workers have been more likely to be made unemployed.
Covid-19 speeds up the decline of cash
An increasing number of businesses are turning cashless as a result of the pandemic and the closure of many local bank branches.
Monopsony: Big businesses told to speed up payments to small suppliers
In strengthening the Prompt Payment Code, the UK government seem to be striking at the monopsony power of larger firms when it comes to paying smaller suppliers.
China's economy bucks the global trend
It seems that China will be the only major economy to grow in 2020, with the data claiming that the country experienced annual growth of 2.3% last year, as a result of strict pandemic restrictions...
What is Africa's Great Green Wall?
Thus clip looks at the creation of a Great Green Wall in Africa, designed to reduce the negative externalities of desertification and offset the adverse effects of the overuse of common access...
Economics Weekly Quiz - 15 January 2021
Here's our first weekly economics news quiz for 2021.