Information Failure | Topics | Economics | tutor2u

Explore

GCSE

A-Level

BTEC, T-Level, IB, WJEC

More for students

Shop

Cinema revision workshops

Online courses

Revision livestreams

Examiner AI

Personal tuition
Subjects

Biology

Business

Criminology

Early Childhood Development

Economics

Geography

Health & Social Care

History

Law

Politics

Psychology

Sociology

Quick links

Shop

CPD courses & events

Find an interim teacher

Jobs board

Examiner AI

Student events & courses

Cinema revision workshops

Online student courses

Revision livestreams
Examiner AI
Shop

Sign in

Topics

Information Failure

Information failure occurs when people have inaccurate, incomplete, uncertain or misunderstood data and so make potentially ‘wrong’ choices.

In the News Teaching Activity – Should the government put a £5 deposit fee on vapes? (June 2026)

8th June 2026
In the News Teaching Activity – Does the childcare industry need regulating to reduce hidden costs to parents? (June 2026)

4th June 2026
Micro Case Study: Fast Fashion

Topical case studies
CMA Introduces Price Caps for Vet Bills

24th March 2026
In the News Teaching Activity – Does the sunbed-tanning industry need more regulation? (Feb 2026)

26th February 2026
In the News Teaching Activity – What are the economic costs of insufficient vaccination uptake? (Jan 2026)

5th January 2026
In the News Teaching Activity – can regulation help reduce information failure? (Nov 2025)

27th November 2025
In the News Teaching Activity – can supermarkets be ‘persuaded’ by government to sell healthier food to cut pressure on the NHS? (July 2025)

10th July 2025
In the News Teaching Activity – should the sugar tax be extended? (May 2025)

6th May 2025
In the News Teaching Activity – how information failure can cause the return of measles (Mar 2025)

13th March 2025
The Baby Formula Price Trap: How Branding and Regulation Are Costing Parents

16th February 2025
Information Economics - Costs of Running Heat Pumps and Gas Boilers

14th May 2024
In the News Teaching Activity – is climate change a consequence of information failure? (May 2024)

2nd May 2024
In the News Teaching Activity – are pet owners being ripped off at the vets? (Mar 2024)

21st March 2024
Information Economics - Akerlof and the Market for Lemons

Topic Videos
4.1.8.6 Market Imperfections - Information Failure (AQA Economics Teaching PowerPoint)

Teaching PowerPoints
New Kahoot Quizzes on Market Failure

13th December 2023
In the News Teaching Activity –Financial market failure that led to the Global Financial Crisis 2007-9 (Dec 2023)

7th December 2023
4.1.2.2 The Importance of Information for Decision Making

Study Notes
1.3.4 Information Gaps (Edexcel)

Study Notes
Are loyalty cards being used to conceal price increases?

15th September 2023
In the News Teaching Activity: Vaping and Negative Externalities (Sept 2023)

11th September 2023
4.1.2.2 Imperfect Information (AQA A Level Economics Teaching Powerpoint)

Teaching PowerPoints
1.3.4 Information Gaps (Edexcel A-Level Economics Teaching PowerPoint)

Teaching PowerPoints
Information Failure - Better Labelling Needed to Reduce Water Use

30th August 2023
Information Failure - What is Adverse Selection?

Study Notes
Information Economics - Moral Hazard and Adverse Selection

Study Notes
UK government may launch fuel price comparison website

13th October 2022
Health Economics and Market Failure - Food strategy calls for £3bn sugar and salt tax to improve UK’s diet

15th July 2021
Ban on online junk food ads for kids

8th December 2016
Nurofen fined heavily for mis-leading consumers

16th December 2016
Secondary ticket markets - blessing or curse for consumers?

19th December 2016
Credence goods and misbehaviour by unscrupulous sellers

31st January 2017
Government Failure - Wood Energy Schemes and Climate Change

23rd February 2017
Information Economics and Car Service Costs

2nd March 2017
Information Failures (Revision Presentation)

Teaching PowerPoints
De-Merit Goods (Revision Presentation)

Teaching PowerPoints
Merit Goods (Revision Presentation)

Teaching PowerPoints
Information Economics - The Market for Lemons

Study Notes
Colour Coded Exam Skills Model Answer - Cigarette Market

Exam Support
Positive Externalities

Topic Videos
Information Failures in Markets

Topic Videos
Analysis of Market Failure with Merit Goods

Topic Videos
Booking.com still duping customers says industry watchdog

19th September 2019
Asymmetric information: Apple pledges to improve transparency on how consumers' data is used by tech industry

28th January 2021
Information Failure Revision Quiz

Quizzes & Activities
Information Failure: Four Short Revision Videos

Topic Videos
Information Provision and Regulation (Online Lesson)

Online Lessons
Sugar (Soda) Taxes (Government Intervention)

Study Notes
Information failure - supermarkets still offering dubious deals

30th August 2019
A* Evaluation on Information Failures

Topic Videos
UK Plastic bag charge set to be doubled to 10p

27th December 2018
Minimum Alcohol Pricing (Revision Essay Plan)

Practice Exam Questions
Optimum “health tax” for meat calculated

8th November 2018
Government floats ban on energy drinks for under-18s

30th August 2018
Google fined €4.3bn for reducing consumer choice

19th July 2018
De-Merit Goods

Study Notes
Information Failure

Study Notes
Explaining Merit Goods

Study Notes
Edge Revision Webinar: Market Failure and Government Intervention

Topic Videos
Unintended consequences of setting targets

16th May 2018
Sugar Taxes

Topic Videos
Minimum Prices for Alcohol: Evaluation

Topic Videos
Test 1: A Level Economics: MCQ Revision on Market Failure and Government Intervention

Practice Exam Questions
Taxing De-Merit Goods (Chain of Analysis)

Exam Support
Revealed preference - motorists choose to pay sky-high motorway petrol prices

5th April 2018
Information Failure - Topical Examples

15th March 2018
Obesity: not just a rich-world problem

25th January 2018
Plastic Planet - An Economic and Human Crisis

30th December 2017
Regulators ask estate agents to tell the truth

21st December 2017
Featured Snippets and Information Failure

19th November 2017
Government regulates stakes on fixed-odds machines

31st October 2017
Hotel booking sites to be investigated

27th October 2017
De-Merit Goods

Topic Videos
What can be done about problem gambling?

1st September 2017
Parental investment in kids - a case of information failure?

11th April 2017
Economics Primer - The Market for Lemons

24th July 2016
Intervention in Markets - Will the legal highs ban work?

31st May 2016
Free Markets – Tall Tales, a Macabre Story in the Guardian

9th May 2016
Dolmio and Uncle Ben's advise customers to buy less!

15th April 2016
Doctors call for a 20% tax of sugary foods and drinks

13th July 2015
Bacon sandwich with sugar, anyone?

27th October 2015
Jamie Oliver calls for Sugar Tax on Soft Drinks

20th October 2015
Resources on the Sugar Tax

20th March 2016
Market Failure and Akerlof’s Lemons

25th February 2016
Beyond the Bike - assessing the Thai economy

4th March 2016
Brighton's Smart Sugar Initiative

2nd March 2016
Invisible Hand in a Perfectly Competitive World

27th February 2016
Information failure, consumer behaviour and prices

11th February 2016
Market Failure and Behavioural Policies - Research Assignment

7th February 2016
Customer satisfaction surveys used to combat possible market failure on the trains

29th January 2016
Market Failure: 8 resources on Market Failure

18th January 2016
Science does not always make sense

13th January 2016
Information Failure: Solariums

16th April 2008
Alcohol information failure

13th January 2010
Information Failures: The Bazaar

27th February 2011
Paul Ormerod: Meat and potato pies and the Nobel Prize in economics

10th January 2013
Cigarettes, demerit goods and government failure

12th July 2013
Information Failure: How sweet are you?

2nd December 2013
Information Economics - How Many Sugars in a Coke?

5th January 2014
Information failure in the NHS

23rd January 2014
Obesity - A Global Economic Issue

24th December 2014
Buyer Beware - Alibaba and the Curse of Fakes

24th December 2014
Why firms choose not to disclose the quality of their products

2nd February 2015
Plain packaging for cigarettes

17th February 2015
Building the Entrepreneurial State

2nd April 2015
No Jab No Pay Policy in Australia

12th April 2015
De-Merit Goods - Banning Legal Highs

30th May 2015
Information, Networks and Economic Growth - Cesar Hidalgo

10th June 2015
Mis-leading price comparison sites

14th June 2015
Information Failure - Sunscreen Labelling

26th June 2015