Why we’re Living in the Golden Age of Peace
War and violence. Topics that, until the pandemic, we seemed to have been hearing more and more about day by day. The Syrian Civil War drags on, the insane barbarity of ISIS continues, and the Israelis and Palestinians continue to slug it out. It seems that we’re living in an ever more vicious world. However, this is a distorted reality: the truth is that we … Continue reading Why we’re Living in the Golden Age of Peace
Renewable Energy: Britain’s way back?
Britain’s economy has been the worst hit of all of the OECD economies (major developed economies) both before and during the lockdown period. Whilst other countries’ economies are now starting to recover, Britain is still in intensive care. There are a number of reasons for this situation. Firstly, a decade of austerity led to cuts in public spending which eroded public-sector infrastructure and good will. … Continue reading Renewable Energy: Britain’s way back?
Putin, Pipelines, and Football Finance
What do a Serbian football team, the Kremlin and Germany’s former chancellor have in common? They are all directly linked to Gazprom, a Russian natural gas company whose logo is gradually cropping up all over European football. Logo sponsorships aren’t just commonplace in football, they’re practically omnipresent. Even historic holdout Barcelona caved in 2011, plastering the Qatar Foundation across its kit. Clubs make an enormous … Continue reading Putin, Pipelines, and Football Finance
Lessons from Austerity
In the wake of the 2007-2008 financial crisis, the UK underwent sweeping budget reforms, and almost every government agency saw extensive cuts. Alistair Darling announced in the start of 2010 plans by the Labour government of cuts “deeper and tougher” than Thatcher’s in the 1980s, and when the Conservative party was elected that year they made those cuts a reality. Yet a decade on, what was … Continue reading Lessons from Austerity
CDOs: The genius idea that destroyed the World Economy
What are they? Collateralized debt obligations (CDO), initially created by the Drexel Burnham Lambert bank, are instruments which are formed by pooling together cash-generating assets such as mortgages, loans and other forms of debt. They are made up of various ‘tranches’ based on their respective level of credit risk. Supposedly, one diversifies their risk when buying a CDO as they have portions of high, medium … Continue reading CDOs: The genius idea that destroyed the World Economy
The Impact of COVID-19
The COVID-19 outbreak is having a severe impact on the global economy. China had its slowest year of economic growth last year off the back of the trade war with the United States. The timing of the virus could not have been worse, slowing China’s economy even further with their quarterly growth rate dropping to negative 6.8% from 6% in the previous quarter, seeing the … Continue reading The Impact of COVID-19
An interview with Bob Massie: Global warming, economic growth and the future of capitalism
Bob Massie has been working on business, finance, governance, and sustainability for more than thirty years. Massie has served as the executive director of Ceres, a powerful coalition of institutional investors and environmental and public interest groups in the United States. In 1997 he proposed the creation of generally accepted guidelines for corporate sustainability performance. In 2002 he conceived of the first Institutional Investor Summit … Continue reading An interview with Bob Massie: Global warming, economic growth and the future of capitalism
Overpopulation: Should we be worried?
Never before in human history have there been as many people alive as there are right now. The human population had been gradually increasing for the last couple of millennia, until there was an explosion in growth in the 19th century due to rapid medical and economic progress, brought about by the Scientific and Industrial Revolutions. As a result, the number of people has skyrocketed … Continue reading Overpopulation: Should we be worried?
How has COVID-19 affected local food businesses?
Coronavirus has had a vast impact on the food market, in a few different ways. Supermarkets have been the first choice for most shoppers for many years when it comes to buying essentials and more, but as times have changed, so has the way people shop. By this I mean the increased usage of farm shops and similar small independent businesses. The farm shop used … Continue reading How has COVID-19 affected local food businesses?
When a Demographic Dividend Becomes a Demographic Nightmare
A demographic dividend refers to the positive impact anticipated for an economy’s productivity and growth due to the age structure of its population. A younger population is useful for the growth of economies as a larger working force population can translate to increased output as well as decreased dependency from senior citizens per worker. The age demographic influences consumption trends, productivity patterns, natural increases in … Continue reading When a Demographic Dividend Becomes a Demographic Nightmare
