“Just The Bill Please”: Is the Future a Cashless One?
There is a growing movement to get rid of cash on the grounds that it is outdated and increasingly dangerous. But is a truly cashless society even possible? Continue reading “Just The Bill Please”: Is the Future a Cashless One?
The Cost of Climate Change
We are frequently subjected to news detailing the awful consequences of climate change if we don’t prevent it, from cities flooded by melting ice to animal species becoming extinct. Yet it is very rare to see anything about how much flooded cities would damage the economy, and it is even rarer to hear about how much climate change is costing us already. Aside from the … Continue reading The Cost of Climate Change
Inverted Yield Curve
What is an inverted yield curve? What does it mean and should we be worried by it? Continue reading Inverted Yield Curve
The Economics of the NFL
For the American people, football’s social importance is on a par with religion. Football is so integrated into America’s quotidian that it’s not uncommon to find a town’s entire population either supporting the Friday night High School Football game on the television screens at a bar, or in the stadium bleachers. At the highest level, the National Football League dominates Sundays, as well as Monday … Continue reading The Economics of the NFL
Shaking the money tree: a Universal Basic Income?
Having featured in several high-profile trials across the world over the last few years, what is a universal basic income and could we ever see its implementation? Continue reading Shaking the money tree: a Universal Basic Income?
If the cap fits, should we wear it?
With wage bills in the English Premier League beginning to spiral out of control, there has been lots of talk as to whether a team-based salary cap should be implemented to regulate the inflation. This discussion was prompted by the revelation that teams such as Crystal Palace and AFC Bournemouth are spending 78% and 76% of their annual revenues respectively on their wage bills in … Continue reading If the cap fits, should we wear it?
Modern Monetary Theory: Miracle Solution or Recipe for Disaster
Modern Monetary Theory, or MMT, is a growing macroeconomic theory amongst members of the Democratic Party in the USA, such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. As MMT begins to rear its head in other nation’s political discussion, it is important to understand whether it is truly a miracle solution or an ideological fantasy. Despite the name, MMT rejects the common consensus that interest rates should … Continue reading Modern Monetary Theory: Miracle Solution or Recipe for Disaster
The Future of Work
About six years ago a study from Oxford University made the startling prediction of how in the next fifteen to twenty years 47% of US jobs are at risk of automation. With only nine to fourteen years left, will half of society’s jobs be stolen by AI? Or rather, is this just a product of our larger fear that “the robots are coming for us … Continue reading The Future of Work
Bringing it Home: The Rise of Onshoring
Moving manufacturing jobs out of the US in search of lower labour costs dates back to the 1960s when several firms extended operations abroad to Mexico and China. Despite the increase in transport and shipping costs this caused, labour costs were reduced by up to 50% – thus supporting the case to offshore labour. The years to come would see further technological improvements in the transport elements of the supply chain … Continue reading Bringing it Home: The Rise of Onshoring
The Cobra Effect: When it all goes wrong
Incentive schemes can solve difficult problems – or fail spectacularly. Continue reading The Cobra Effect: When it all goes wrong
