Blog and updates
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22 Sept 2019
Google signs up to $2bn wind and solar investment
Google is going green, having signed the largest renewable energy deal in history, meaning that the company will be supplied with clean energy from wind and solar power.
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20 Sept 2019
Economics Weekly Quiz 20 September 2019
Here's this week's economics news quiz. Good luck!
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19 Sept 2019
Spare ribs? China to tap pork reserves as swine fever hits industry
Here is a niche but really interesting example of government intervention in markets. The Chinese government is releasing stocks from its pork reserve to keep pork prices down. You should be able...
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19 Sept 2019
Booking.com still duping customers says industry watchdog
This might get you thinking about the importance of perfect information in markets, and how Booking.com failing to act to ensure perfect information results in sub-optimal outcomes and exploits...
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19 Sept 2019
Why industries should fear Amazon
How great is the competitive threat from Amazon facing businesses in markets such as food delivery, retail pharmaceuticals and commercial banking? This FT video is business economics gold-dust...
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18 Sept 2019
Are we moving to more worker-owned firms?
This article looks at the notion of increased worker ownership of firms - with the Left looking at the idea in both the UK and the US. Of course, European firm ownership is already predicated upon...
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18 Sept 2019
Are we still worse off than in 2008?
The latest New Economics Foundation research offers an interesting take on the standard of living in the UK. It says that contrary to official statistics, the average Briton is still worse off in...
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17 Sept 2019
Are There Winners and Losers of Globalization?
The excellent Marginal Revolution team have come up with this video exploring some of the benefits and drawbacks of globalisation. The Branko Milanovic "Elephant Curve" makes a notable appearance!
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17 Sept 2019
How we make pencils
Get those pencils ready to pick out a huge amount of microeconomics in this brilliant 4 minute clip from Faber-Castell which produces 2.3 billion pencils a year and has been in business for over...
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17 Sept 2019
Road transport emissions up despite efficiency gains
A really interesting piece here that highlights the fact that despite improved miles per gallon, and a decline in emissions from individual cars, the level of road transport emissions has risen...
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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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