Category
Topic updates
The absurdity of controlling inflation by adjusting interest rates
The idea that a central bank can control inflation by adjusting interest rates is shown by the evidence to be absurd.
Does an ageing population become more risk averse?
Societies become considerably more risk-averse as their average age rises, which may have important consequences such as reducing investment in the stock market or the extent of self-employment.
Pricing for diminishing marginal utility!
What a fantastic image to use when discussing marginal utility and the demand curve!
Electric cars come of age
According to this new six minute video from the Economist, electric cars will come of age in 2018.
The Wealth of Nations
A short video from the World Bank on why GDP does not give a true picture of the health of an economy.
Free market economics on trial
Ngaire Woods writes on the free market versus statist approach to economics.
Trading with the EU - Post Brexit Options
A new briefing paper from the House of Commons considers possible options for the UK's trading relationships with the EU after Brexit. Excellent background - highly recommended.
Growth without Industrialization
Professor Dani Rodrik's new short essay for Project Syndicate is timely background reading for teachers and students looking at growth and development strategies among low and middle-income...
How to spot a financial crisis
The latest Punk FT video looks at how to spot a financial crisis before it spots you!
IMF support for low income countries
What does the IMF do? Well, this IMF clip will let you know: concessional loans, debt relief, and all sorts of other things to try to overcome short-term developmental problems.
The Dangers of Fiscal Policy
Another splendid Marginal Revolution University clip that looks at the dangers of debt finance, with a number of practical examples from across the developing world, and some developed economies -...
From Bank Bail-Outs to Bail-Ins
A useful infographic from the Bank of England on how they plan to prevent a bank being too big to fail
A Crisis in Learning - The 2018 World Development Report
The 2018 edition of the World Development Report is packed full of economic analysis, data and policy content. It is a great resource for teachers.
Office Hours: Game Theory
A lovely Office Hours explanation of game theory courtesy of the excellent Marginal Revolution University. It's an elegant example of a Nash equilibrium.
Africa's Great Green Wall
The latest African project to tackle desertification is an unusual one: a Great Green Wall, of trees. It is 15 km wide, spans 11 countries and should, in theory, reverse some of the effects of...
How Junk Food is Transforming Brazil
A stunning video from the New York Times. In Brazil every year there are one million new cases of obesity.
Do some of the newly employed have zero productivity?
Whether due to limited ability or a lack of incentive, the output of some workers taken on in the jobs boom is close to zero. And this drags the average down.
How Tax and Spending Policies Can Reduce Poverty and Inequality
A timely short video here from the World Bank on how government tax and spending policies can have a direct effect on the scale of poverty and inequality in developing countries.
Banking reform: Has enough been done?
BBC Newsnight investigates whether the UK banking industry has experienced sufficient reform in the years since the Global Financial Crisis. A useful evaluative primer on the slow march of reform...
Price Elasticity of Demand and Student Accommodation
An excellent application of PED to a simple problem: if you are a student looking for accommodation at a time when construction firms are building lots of suitable apartments, do you want the...