Category
In the News
UK Government Raises Minimum Wage by 10%
The UK government has announced a 10 per cent rise in the national living wage to take effect in the Spring of 2024. The pay floor for adult workers will be £11.44 per hour and is likely to...
Is the sugar tax cutting teeth extractions among the young?
The first studies of dental health in children after the introduction of the sugar tax reveal that there's been a decline in the number of teeth being extracted in the under-10s. However, before...
Economics Weekly Quiz | 17 November 2023
Here's this week's economics news quiz.
Government Intervention - Price paid for UK offshore power to rise by 66%
I suspect that this is one of the more unusual examples of a minimum price, or a price floor is you prefer, with the government announcing that it is going to raise the guaranteed price that it...
First Annual Fall in UK House Prices since 2012
The UK housing market has experienced its initial annual decline in prices since 2012.
UK Economy - What is Causing the Steep Fall in Inflation?
This short video explains three reasons for the steep fall in UK inflation.
African Economy - Weak Currencies Drive Up the Cost of Living
The BBC has this excellent background article about the impact of weak currencies on the cost of living. This is a brilliant real world example, with the falling value of the naira driving up...
Five Charts on the UK Rental Housing Sector
This Guardian article provides a snapshot of the UK rental housing market and thus offers some interesting economic insights into the wider macroeconomy.
Externalities - Economics of Nuisance Tourism
This article highlights the negative externalities associated with so-called nuisance tourism in Amsterdam and the effects of a campaign conducted by the city's authorities that has reduced the...
Economics Weekly Quiz | 10 November 2023
Here's this week's economics news quiz.
Who is making money in the Creator Economy?
The Financial Times looks at the economics of the Creator Economy - a sector valued at some $250bn by Goldman Sachs. To what extent is the industry becoming monopolised by a small handful of...
WeCrashed - WeWork Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Big business news today! WeWork has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in the USA to help it deal with a mountain of debt. WeWork expanded rapidly post 2010 and spent billions acquiring leases on...
Economic inactivity - Mothers quit work because of childcare
The Fawcett Society has reported that the costs of childcare are a major deterrent to women returning to the workforce, with their data suggesting that around a quarter of a million women have left...
Monopsony Power - Boohoo's Broken Promises
If you are studying the economics of ethical business models and the consequences of monopsony power in labour and product markets, the criticisms of Boohoo are deep-rooted and hugely important....
India’s Obesity Time Bomb
The negative externalities of obesity are increasingly a global problem, and this Bloomberg clip looks at how its affecting the Indian economy, where 1 in 4 Indians are now overweight or obese.
Maersk cuts 10,000 jobs as shipping demand falls
Lots of lovely economics in this BBC piece: demand and supply, to explain the recent collapse in the price of shipping; derived demand, in that the demand for shipping is derived from the demand...
City of Edinburgh Declares Housing Emergency
The City of Edinburgh has declared a housing emergency. There are record homelessness figures along with a severe shortage of social rented homes and spiralling private rental costs. Some also...
Economics Weekly Quiz | 03 November 2023
Here's this week's economics news quiz.
Amazon's Profits Triple
If you are teaching economies of scale and scope (and diseconomies of scale) then Amazon provides a rich vein of information and market analysis.
Economics Weekly Quiz | 27 October 2023
Here's this week's economics news quiz.