Category
Topic updates
What is GDP
The ONS has produced a new infographic on GDP which explains everything clearly and tracks some of the latest data. It is a good study primer for students and teachers.
Forward Guidance Triggers Behavioural Change
The Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, was on good form last week when he appeared at the Treasury Committee of the House of Commons. Asked what “forward guidance” meant, he answered...
State of the UK Economy (November 2016)
This is a sixty-slide revision presentation on the state of the UK economy five months on from the June 23rd Brexit vote.
The Chinese are Coming - A Quick Thought Experiment
There are 103 Chinese businesses in the world’s top 500 (compared to 134 American and 22 British). As a quick thought experiment I give students two minutes to write down as many Chinese businesses...
How much does doing the chores add to UK GDP?
The ONS has attempted to value the non-traded sector of economic activity - housework and DIY - to the UK economy. It's value? More than £1 trillion per annum, equivalent to 56% of GDP, with women...
15 Charts on the UK Economy (October 2016)
I have put together a newly-updated 15-chart slide-deck on aspects of the UK economy.
Ten Charts on Business Economics
Here is a ten-chart presentation on aspects of business economics - something in here I hope that might prompt analysis and discussion especially among Year 2 micro students.
Ten Companies that dominate Global Brands!
An autumnal hat tip to James Bennett for spotting the latest version of the Oxfam brand poster - superb for deepening understanding of the power of brands in shaping consumer choices and the stiff...
Risks from prolonged low interest rates
Here is an excellent piece from economists at NIESR on some of the macro risks for advanced economies from the long phase of low, and in some cases, negative interest rates.
Free trade and politics as drawn by cartoonist KAL
A wonderful two minute video on the principle of free trade
Do mergers and takeovers raise prices rather than efficiency?
Super article to read on the impact of takeovers and mergers on economic efficiency and consumer welfare.
Why banks could disappear in 20 years
This short video report from Newsnight considers whether fin tech will provide enough creative destruction to challenge the commercial viability of the banking system we have grown up with over the...
Mapping Africa's Natural Resource Wealth
Here is an updated chart on the main natural resources for African countries - great when teaching resource traps, primary product dependency and related topics.
Bangladesh: A Path Toward Prosperity
A short (perhaps rose-tinted) video from the World Bank on the success of Bangladesh in improving growth and development outcomes. But useful as a primer for some of the strategies that - from the...
Competition rather than central bankers have kept inflation low
Tempers are fraying at the highest levels of economic policy making in the UK. Theresa May, at the Conservative Party conference, emphasised the “bad side effects” for savers of the Bank...
200 Years On - How Relevant is Ricardo?
It has been an article of faith amongst economists and policy makers that free trade is a Good Thing. Trade liberalisation was a key feature of the world economic order enforced by the United...
Trumponomics
God forbid the polls (including FiveThirtyEight) are way out, but just in case, here is a new primer from the Financial Times on the economic "policies" being put forward by the Donald. What does...
Ha-Joon Chang on Free Markets
Ha Joon Change has argued that it is a myth there is such a thing as a free market. In this short video he explains why.
Growing & Slowing Down Like China
China is a middle income country and - measured at PPP exchange rates - the largest economy in the world. China's phenomenal economic growth has mostly come about from investment and copying...
How Much Does Management Matter?
Productivity varies greatly across countries and traditionally, economic theory has looked at the importance of variations in the quantity and quality of factor inputs such as land, labour and cost...