Category: Economics

Economics-driven content, perfect for students and teachers alike. Highly accessible and open to all.

Business and Technology, Development, Finance and Markets

Central Bank Digital Currencies: catalyst for financial inclusion?

Evolution of Money Traditionally, money is a metal token or a slip of paper symbolising a value of credit based upon people’s trust in it. Its three primary functions (store of value, means of exchange, and unit of measurement) have been served by constantly evolving means for 3000 years. The latest in this evolution is the digital currency. Unlike any type of currency to precede … Continue reading Central Bank Digital Currencies: catalyst for financial inclusion?

Unknown's avatarHari Nair1 Comment
Featured image of graph showing UK annual exports
Chart of the Month

Chart of the Month – May 2021

This month’s Chart of the Month tracks the value of UK exports over time to both EU countries and non-EU countries. The most significant trend is that an increasing percentage of our exports are headed to markets other than the EU. Between 2010 and 2015, European demand for British exports remained low due to a slow recovery from the financial crisis and a weak euro … Continue reading Chart of the Month – May 2021

Unknown's avatarTristan HandLeave a comment
Bus passing the Bank of England at night
Economics, Podcast, UK

Assessing the Virtues of Negative Interest Rates

Early this year, the Bank of England (BoE) was reported to have instructed banks to prepare for negative interest rates within six months.  The BoE purportedly did so as part of its plans for a monetary stimulus to resuscitate the UK economy ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.  Economists have since been divided on whether driving the BoE’s base rate from the already ultra-low 0.1% to … Continue reading Assessing the Virtues of Negative Interest Rates

Unknown's avatarMarco Bulat4 Comments
Development, Finance and Markets, International, Podcast

Sovereign Wealth Funds: Asset or Liability?

A Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) is a fund managed by the state and comprised of income generated from the government’s surplus reserves. SWFs have been an important aspect of the economic landscape for almost two decades, and their numbers have increased dramatically since the 2008 Financial Crisis, with over 100 funds controlling nearly $8 trillion in assets globally. Many Sovereign Wealth Funds have enjoyed great … Continue reading Sovereign Wealth Funds: Asset or Liability?

Unknown's avatarSachin ThakrarLeave a comment
Car bodies being worked on by robots
Business and Technology, Environment, UK

The Future of the UK’s Sustainable Automotive Industry: Can it save us from a double-dip recession?

On the 18th of November 2020, Boris Johnson announced his Ten Point Plan to drive the UK’s ‘green industrial revolution’, an ambitious plan with reforms in many high-carbon industries such as electricity and transportation. With the predictions that unemployment could reach 2.6 million by mid-2021 along with the fears of a double-dip recession, we may ask whether such costly reforms are currently appropriate, given the … Continue reading The Future of the UK’s Sustainable Automotive Industry: Can it save us from a double-dip recession?

Unknown's avatarCarl ScandeliusLeave a comment
Chart of the Month

Chart of the Month – April 2021

This Chart of the Month shows who holds UK government debt.  What is striking here is the increase in total debt after the 2008 financial crisis, as well as subtle changes to its ownership. Significantly, the total value of bonds held by the Bank of England (BoE) has increased from £0 to almost £895 billion, worth 25% of total government debt. This is due to the … Continue reading Chart of the Month – April 2021

Unknown's avatarChenyang Li4 Comments
Collection of factory chimneys puffing out smoke
Environment, International

Warming Worries for Our Economy?

We’ve all seen the countless articles in the news over the past year: ‘2020 tied for warmest year on record,’ NASA; ‘Earth at risk of becoming a hothouse’, CNN; ‘Rising seas will erase more cities by 2050’, The New York Times. Rising temperatures have had grave effects on our planet; but what has this meant for the world economy and how could this impact our … Continue reading Warming Worries for Our Economy?

Unknown's avatarWilliam SteelLeave a comment
Oils rigs
Environment, International

Can We Survive Without Fossil Fuels?

The influential scientist and environmentalist James Lovelock provides a frightening view on the future of humanity: the Gaia hypothesis. It suggests that organisms interact in such a way so as to create a self-regulating environment. When an organism is in over-reproduction, the environment reacts by limiting its population. Lovelock insists that humans are no different. As our carbon footprint increases, the earth reacts with climate … Continue reading Can We Survive Without Fossil Fuels?

Unknown's avatarAlexis FairLeave a comment