Blog and updates
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29 Sept 2015
IMF warns higher interest rates might trigger a new financial crisis
This is one of those big picture macro news stories that is worth a read because of the assertion that a huge rise in corporate borrowing (aka debt) by businesses in emerging countries has meant...
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29 Sept 2015
Copper prices collapse to a six year low
The Chinese slowdown is an important factor behind the slump in world commodity prices and copper is no exception. Prices have collapsed to a six year low and might well be the catalyst for the...
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29 Sept 2015
African governments issue more sovereign bonds
A growing number of African governments are going to the bond markets to raise funds for example to facilitate infrastructure projects. Typically the interest rate (or yield) on newly issued bonds...
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29 Sept 2015
Technology cuts insurance costs for young drivers
A brilliant article here from BBC news demonstrating the importance of information in allowing markets to function efficiently. In this case, the market is for car insurance and careful young...
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29 Sept 2015
Disruptive technologies - 12 of the best
This article rocks and I heartily recommend that students interested in the broader concept of creative destruction take time out to have a read. From autonomous vehicles to cloud computing and...
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29 Sept 2015
Can India join China as an economic superpower?
We have been using the data from the WEF Global Competitiveness Index as part of our early early work this term on globalisation, patterns of trade and competitiveness. The new 2015-16 data is out...
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29 Sept 2015
Sustainable Development Goals - Decent Work
It is estimated that over 600 million new jobs need to be created by 2030, just to keep pace with the growth of the global working age population. That’s around 40 million per year. We also need to...
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29 Sept 2015
Africa - Why Economists Get It Wrong
This is a video of a panel discussion held at the UK ODI on a paper on Africa - Why Economists Get It Wrong.
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29 Sept 2015
The Future of Cash
Money is a broad concept defined by the functions it performs such as being a medium of exchange and a store of value. Most money in the UK is held electronically but around 3% is held in cash in...
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29 Sept 2015
Economists Are Finally Reconnecting With The Real World
This article actually dates from early in 2015 but having discovered and read it I will be directing my ambitious Economists to it because it raises some interesting areas of applied policy...
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29 Sept 2015
1700 jobs go as Redcar steel plant is mothballed
The dynamic nature of comparative advantage demonstratedby the decision to 'mothball' the SSI plant in Redcar. Yes, negative regional multiplier effect may be triggered but that's the nature of...
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29 Sept 2015
Obesity rates in the United States
In 1980, no US state had an obesity rate above 15 percent - how things change!
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29 Sept 2015
Is This The End Of The Chinese Economic Boom?
Ed Conway from Sky news has a happy and uncanny knack of getting to the pith and gist of an issue in his short reports. He did a brilliant piece on Greece last year and now he reflects on a week...
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29 Sept 2015
UK regional property divide widens
Crikey! Lots of economics here: issues regarding labour market flexibility, inequality of wealth, the implications for the local economies concerned and so on. My only observation is that the...
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29 Sept 2015
Labour's new panel of economic advisers
The new Labour leadership is getting external economic advice from smart people. Labour has appointed some fellow travellers by appointing a cluster of economists who will meet once every three...
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28 Sept 2015
Labour and Economic Credibility
Larry Elliott writes here on the task that faces the Labour Party if it is to re-establish itself as a credible rival to the Conservative Party. In large part, it summarises some of the other...
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27 Sept 2015
Assignment on the Circular Flow
Here is an assignment I am setting for my new macroeconomics students. Using the language of and components of the circular flow of income and spending model explain and evaluate some of the likely...
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27 Sept 2015
Essay assignment on the Chinese economy
Details below of an essay assignment for my Year 13 economists. One of the key aims of this assignment is to become more confident in disaggregating the essay, to dig deeper beyond a general...
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24 Sept 2015
Beyond the Bike - lesson resources on Uganda
This week we have designed two resources to accompany the Ugandan leg of the Beyond the Bike trip.
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24 Sept 2015
Beyond the Bike - photos of the week
Stuart and Claire have sent through two super, and very different, photos this week - you can see them below, along with some suggested questions for discussion.
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