Category
Teaching activity
In the News Teaching Activity – is climate change a consequence of information failure? (May 2024)
Last month the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) published a report that found that the costs of not reaching net zero could be $38 trillion by 2050, far higher than the costs of...
In the News Teaching Activity – what’s been happening to public finances? (Apr 2024)
Continuing the ‘update’ before exams, the ONS data for government borrowing and debt for the 2023-24 fiscal year has been published and the news is not that good for a government that may be...
The national museums in Wales have a significant shortfall in funding and may have to shed workers or, in the worst-case scenario, shut altogether.
In the News Teaching Activity – what does the latest data tell us about the state of the UK macroeconomy? (Apr 2024)
For students heading into exams, it is always good to know the latest information about growth, unemployment and inflation. All three indicators were updated by the ONS last week.
In the News Teaching Activity – what is happening to the UK’s international trade? (Apr 2024)
As this year’s exam session approaches, the news often covers growth, unemployment and inflation, but neglects to tell us much about international trade. Post-Brexit, the Government has promoted an...
In the News Teaching Activity – is the price of getting your nails done going to rise? (Apr 2024)
Nail technicians earn a measly £7 an hour for their work, well below the minimum wage, so they have tried to unite to push their prices up last week.
In the News Teaching Activity – Unilever are planning to sell off Ben and Jerry’s ice cream (Mar 2024)
Unilever, the global leader in consumer goods, producing brands, such as Dove, Hellman’s, PG Tips and Domestos, has announced job cuts and an ice-cream sell-off in its strategic restructuring plan.
A heatwave in Western Africa, where many of the world’s cocoa beans are produced, is pushing up the prices of chocolate Easter eggs this year.
In the News Teaching Activity – are pet owners being ripped off at the vets? (Mar 2024)
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is launching an investigation to the pet medicine pricing practices, particularly those owned by big corporations because it looks as if pet owners are...
In the News Teaching Activity – how can the UK’s lacklustre productivity growth be improved? (Mar 2024)
The Economics Observatory considers how to increase UK productivity growth so that wages and living standards can grow more quickly. The article argues that a ‘long-term strategy’ is needed to...
In the News Teaching Activity – Nationwide is planning to takeover Virgin Money (Mar 2024)
The Nationwide building society is looking set to take over Virgin Money, ensuring that the Nationwide remains the second largest mortgage lender in the UK. Nationwide could become an even stronger...
In the News Teaching Activity – how effectively does the 2024 Budget meet the needs of the UK economy? (Mar 2024)
There is lots of media analysis of last week’s 2024 Budget, with many commentators focusing on its likely political impact. However, economists need to consider whether the fiscal changes will...
Rising obesity rates worldwide, now estimated to affect over one billion people, are driving a surge in healthcare costs. The UK lies 55th highest for men and 87th for women in the world ‘obesity...
In the News Teaching Activity – can the Chancellor cut taxes in the upcoming budget? (Mar 2024)
The 2024 Budget is on Wednesday 6th March and there is much talk about whether the Chancellor may find some tax cuts before the General Election. This BBC article looks at some of his possible...
In the News Teaching Activity – Rolls Royce’s profits increase after cost-cutting and rise in geopolitical tensions (Feb 2024)
Rolls Royce has seen a sharp increase in its profits after shedding some workers and benefiting from a boost to its revenues.
In the News Teaching Activity – the Body Shop shuts down some of its UK stores (Feb 2024)
The Body Shop, once a pioneer in ethical trading and cruelty-free beauty, has been struggling and it announced closures of many of its UK stores this month as the UK business goes into administration.
Last week the ONS GDP data showed the UK economy grew weakly at 0.1% in 2023 with the last two quarters of 2023 showing negative real GDP growth – a recession.
In the News Teaching Activity – what has been happening to the sterling exchange rate? (Feb 2024)
The exchange rate is only in the news when there is a newsworthy dramatic movement, but even a gentle trend can have economic impacts. Here is a helpful update!
In the News Teaching Activity – will the government’s latest dental policies get to the root of the NHS dentist shortage problem? (Feb 2024)
The UK’s dental health has been deteriorating as many people cannot find an NHS dentist nor afford to go private. With an election looming, the main political parties are competing to find the best...
In the News Teaching Activity – the UK’s unemployment rate may be lower than the statistics suggest (Feb 2024)
The Office of National Statistics has been concerned about how accurate its measurement of unemployment has been recently. Poor measurement has implications for economic policymaking.