WW2 bombers in sky

Bust to Boom: How the American economy thrived during WWII

The USS Gerald R Ford, the USA’s latest aircraft carrier, took more than eight years to build. In contrast, by 1945, the US Navy finished the production of an aircraft carrier every week. The US was the only allied country to emerge from the war with its economy not only intact but thriving, and the only economy which saw an expansion of consumer goods despite … Continue reading Bust to Boom: How the American economy thrived during WWII

Slide or Bounce? – The Post-Pandemic Prospects for the UK

On the 31st of December 2019, the first report of Covid-19 was submitted by China to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Since then, the effects of the repeated loosening and tightening of preventative measures in the UK, including three national lockdowns, has seen unprecedented change in the UK’s economic performance. This comes on top of the disruptive influence of Brexit. There are twenty-one major economic … Continue reading Slide or Bounce? – The Post-Pandemic Prospects for the UK

An Investigation Into the Kuznets Curve

In the 1950s, the American economist and statistician Simon Kuznets, as a result of his work on economic growth and income distribution, developed the Kuznets curve: a model which posits that as an economy develops, inequality first increases and then decreases. It was first proposed in a 1955 seminal paper. This hypothesis is expressed on a graph of inequality plotted against income (or GDP) per … Continue reading An Investigation Into the Kuznets Curve

The Dark Side of the Belt and Road Initiative

The last 40 years have seen China’s GDP grow by a record 9.1% per annum, attracting a plethora of investors and businesses worldwide. With its newfound capital, it has gained international influence through trade and become the world’s largest trading partner in 2012. China seeks to optimize this trade network through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a scheme unveiled in 2013 by Chinese President … Continue reading The Dark Side of the Belt and Road Initiative

The Psychology of Investing

It is only recently that the concept of human nature has been applied to economics, yet its impact can be seen everywhere. Contradicting traditional economic theory, it is believed now that human nature is intrinsic in every action we take from the small scale to the large. The recent GameStop trend was fuelled by individual investors taking an opportunity to turn a profit and retaliate … Continue reading The Psychology of Investing

Private Tutoring – South Korea

South Korea is renowned for its rapid economic growth and successes in the manufacturing industries, such as Samsung, and education is considered to be one of the key drivers. Better quality education is related to higher GDP, increased productivity and rising wages due to the positive externalities that arise from its consumption. Furthermore, private tutoring (PT) is a crucial element of education in South Korea … Continue reading Private Tutoring – South Korea

Russia, 1998. What Went Wrong?

On the 13th of August, 1998, the stock, bond, and currency markets of a recently liberalised Russia collapsed. Confidence in the strength of the ruble and the Russian government plummeted. The stock market even closed for 35 minutes with stocks having lost 75% of their value since January of that year. 4 days later, Russia defaulted on their own state bonds and commercial banks declared … Continue reading Russia, 1998. What Went Wrong?

Chart of the Month – December 2021

In 2021, remittances to low and middle-income countries are predicted to total $589 billion. December’s Chart of the Month explains why these remittances (money sent by migrant workers back to their country) are so crucial to developing nations. Life for migrants has been tough since the pandemic hit. Many have been stranded from families overseas or been vulnerable to COVID-19 as their jobs were commonly on the … Continue reading Chart of the Month – December 2021

Can economic growth and environmental sustainability coexist?

Economic growth and environmental sustainability are two of the most widely discussed topics today. While both of these issues are extremely important and cannot be easily prioritised over one another, it is widely believed that trying to solve one issue can only negatively impact the other. The crucial nature of maximising economic growth and achieving environmental sustainability where GDP remains “3.1% below pre-pandemic levels”, and … Continue reading Can economic growth and environmental sustainability coexist?

How Technology has Affected Developing Nations

The technological advances over the past twenty years have been fundamental in structuring the world we reside in today. Despite this, many economies have been left behind and have only recently begun to experience the full potential of technology and the digital economy. This is predominantly because much of the initial progression was concentrated in established economies and so nations that were underdeveloped and more … Continue reading How Technology has Affected Developing Nations