Blog and updates
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17 Sept 2019
Aldi plans to open one new store a week
Lovely theory of the firm article: is Aldi a profit maximiser, as neoclassical theory would suggest? This BBC piece suggests not - profits have fallen but the German discounter is committed to more...
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16 Sept 2019
Ethiopia's innovative power plant that turns waste to energy
I love using short videos like this in my economics classroom - they seem to capture the essence of how new technology and appropriate capital investment can make a real difference to the lives of...
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14 Sept 2019
Counter-intuitive effects of fuel subsidies in Madagascar
The World Bank looks at how the Malagasy government has spent a significant amount subsidising fuel.
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13 Sept 2019
Economics Weekly Quiz 13 September 2019
Here's this week's economics news quiz. Good luck!
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13 Sept 2019
Think tank urges increase price of alcohol in supermarkets.
This piece of Social Market Foundation research suggests that increasing taxes on supermarket alcohol would be a good way of creating a level playing field for pubs.
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12 Sept 2019
Energy economics: The long history of solar power
The latest episode in the 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy series with Tim Harford looks at solar panels, and their impact on the modern economy. Excellent enrichment as always! I've added...
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12 Sept 2019
California legislates to protect gig economy workers
Uber has responded to California's new law designed to protect workers in the gig economy, suggesting that it's not going to hurt its business.
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12 Sept 2019
The man who helped feed the world
This entry in the 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy series looks at the almost inestimable benefits of the work of Nobel Prize winner, Norman Borlaug, in developing disease-resistant wheat and...
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6 Sept 2019
Economics Weekly Quiz 6 September 2019
It's back! A new term sees the return of our weekly quiz on news stories related to the UK economy. So here's this week's quiz, including a 'Classroom mode' for teachers wishing to deliver the quiz...
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5 Sept 2019
Salary caps are rationalities responses to cost maximisation in professional sport
The expulsion of Bury FC from the English Football League last week continues to generate a huge amount of sound and fury.
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4 Sept 2019
Argentina imposes currency controls
The Argentinian economic crisis continues, and the central bank has imposed currency controls to try and stop the further depreciation of the peso. The country remains in deep recession, and price...
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2 Sept 2019
Opportunity Cost: How much do I cost the NHS?
This Guardian database of NHS costs for specific surgical and other treatments is potentially really useful for individual student investigation into opportunity costs, budget constraints and other...
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1 Sept 2019
Remittances: the hidden engine of globalisation
This is a hugely important aspect of the changing world economy and pathways to development for many lower and middle income countries. 2019 might be the year that the value of remittances could...
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1 Sept 2019
When is the best time to get a cheap airline ticket?
This is a deceptively simple question but one whose answer has many layers of complexity. Conventional economic theory suggests that travellers who book very close to departure time tend to be...
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1 Sept 2019
Why Cuban cab drivers earn more than doctors
A snappy and revealing short video on the differences in earnings between Cuban taxi drivers and Cuban doctors. Ideal as a discussion stimulant when covering economic systems.
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30 Aug 2019
Externalities of Festivals - Is there a case for a new tent tax?
Campaigners are calling for a £25 “tent tax” for summer festivals as thousands of festival-goers continue to leave behind their Uber-cheap supermarket tents (and whatever detritus lies inside them)...
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30 Aug 2019
Information failure - supermarkets still offering dubious deals
Here is a timely example of how imperfect information reduces market efficiency and distorts markets, getting them acting in producers' and not consumers' best interests, by subverting consumer...
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29 Aug 2019
Average Wages in the UK - a starter activity for new Economics students
Here's a short starter activity on average wages that could be used for introductory lessons for new Economics students. Assuming that factors of production and the rewards to each factor have been...
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28 Aug 2019
Costa Rica at forefront of drive to a carbon neutral future
The right to a healthy environment is enshrined in the Costa Rican constitution and 99% of the country’s energy already comes from renewable sources.
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28 Aug 2019
Needs and Wants - an engaging activity that asks 'what do we want'?
Here's a short activity called 'Needs and Wants' that could help stimulate discussion when considering the topic of needs and wants with new Economic students.
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