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How can water be saved and recycled at home?
Economics is fundamentally about how to best use scarce resources. This BBC video clip from "Click" looks at how we can recycle water, increasing sustainability, with Dutch company Hydroloop at the...
Underemployment - How Benefit Reforms Push People into Low-Paid Jobs
This sort of thing is seen by many as peripheral - and in one sense it is - but in another it's a fundamental problem with current labour markets, and may contribute to rising in-work poverty....
Economic Development - Can Sri Lanka trade its way back to prosperity?
A nation close to my heart, where many friends still live; the fate of Sri Lanka will always affect me, and the latest Newsnight coverage of the island's financial crisis is salutary.
Why is Ryanair so profitable?
Ryanair has grown rapidly to become one of Europe's largest passenger airlines. In this short study video we look at some of the factors that help explain the rapid expansion of revenues and (until...
Give Directly - Unconditional Cash Transfers to Lift Human Capital
I used this short video clip from Give Directly when discussing pro-poor development strategies and measures designed to overcome the savings-investment gap.
How is Tesco so profitable?
In our new study video we look at some of the reasons why the UK retailer Tesco makes consistently high profits.
Circular Economy - How recycled polyfloss keeps refuge shelters warm
Here is a lovely example of the circular economy with the use of waste plastics to construct a polyfloss plastic that can serve as insulation to keep the most basic refuge shelters warm.
Demography and Growth - Japan on the Brink as Birth Rate Falls
The slowing birth rate in Japan poses a significant supply-side threat to the economic fortunes of a nation not renowned for it's ability to assimilate immigrants.
UK Business and Economics Update (Jan 2023)
There has been a flurry of business and economic policy stories floating around recently. Here is a quick take on them plus links for student reading.
Roubini on mega-threats for the world economy
Nouriel Roubini - aka Dr Doom - has never knowingly been overly optimistic; at least he's consistent here, arguing that the super-elite at Davos seem to be blind to the extent of the mega-threats...
How to make poor areas richer
This excellent video clip from the Economist looks at regional inequality and the theory behind levelling up. I think that the first truth spoken is the fact that the political classes have no idea...
A crisis for Labour as real wages drop and working poverty climbs
Some interesting articles have appeared in recent days about the squeeze on real wages and the growing incidence of working poverty.
The True Cost of our Obsession with Superfoods
Business Insider looks at so-called 'superfoods' in this half hour clip looking at how the production of three commodities - açaí,, avocado and durian fruit - are not as straightforward as they...
Trouble ahead for the UK Economy
Some great applied macro from the Guardian and BBC news in recent days. Here is a selection of articles to enjoy as we head into what promises to be a tough New Year on many fronts. The article...
Four Reasons to Expect Falling House Prices in 2023
The UK housing market has defied economic gravity for many years now, but 2023 is likely to be a period when average property prices drop. In this short video, I explore four reasons to expect a...
Human Development Index - 2022 Update
The data for the 2022 Human Development Index is now available and Switzerland has overtaken Norway to claim top spot in this composite indicator of development. However, for the second year in a...
How a worker exodus is hitting growth in the UK
The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee have published a report looking at the state of the UK economy, noting that the loss of half a million workers from the UK economy poses an existential...
Is cyclical unemployment starting to rise in the UK economy?
Students need to have a clear understanding of the different types and causes of unemployment. Cyclical (or demand-deficient) unemployment is one of them. In this short revision video, we look at...
Explaining the difference between Disinflation and Deflation
Fears of price deflation now seem a distant memory with CPI inflation in the UK economy climbing to 11% during 2022. Students often confuse disinflation with deflation, so we have produced a quick...
Non-price competition - does it matter where beer is brewed?
This article about the nature of global brewing, and the production of 'foreign' beer in the UK, for the British market. Does it really matter where a beer is brewed?