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

Max GhoseJune 23, 2020March 27, 2023Leave a comment

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

Alex GillonJune 23, 2020March 27, 2023Leave a comment

Finance and Markets, International, Podcast

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

Ollie WeldonJune 23, 2020March 27, 2023Leave a comment

International

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

Leo KoutsabeloulisJune 23, 2020March 27, 2023Leave a comment

Environment, Interviews

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

Gabriel DaudyJune 23, 2020March 27, 2023Leave a comment

Geography, International, Long Read

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?

Jakub BiszczanikJune 23, 2020April 22, 2025Leave a comment

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?

Arthur ButtJune 23, 2020March 27, 2023Leave a comment

International

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

Kavish HajarnavisJune 23, 2020March 27, 2023Leave a comment

International

Is maintaining the economy a fair trade for lives?

As COVID-19 continues to spread, governments face a critical decision: whether to prioritise the economy or the lives of the people. In attempting to address this question, four frameworks are essential: the utilitarian, scarcity-based, duty-based and Rawlsian approach. The principle that, as Thomas Jefferson puts it, “the care of human life and happiness is the first and only object of good government” will be adopted … Continue reading Is maintaining the economy a fair trade for lives?

Phelps TinJune 23, 2020March 27, 2023Leave a comment

Finance and Markets, International

Financial responses to Covid-19 and the 2008 financial crisis

Millions unemployed. The world in shock. Governments panicking. Both the financial crisis and the coronavirus pandemic left the globe reeling. Yet governments responded with their own bailout packages, their own furlough schemes and their own targeted welfare programs. It’s quite interesting how differently the public has reacted to these plans and in turn, how effective they were to actually solve both the short and long-term … Continue reading Financial responses to Covid-19 and the 2008 financial crisis

Rohan BattulaJune 23, 2020March 27, 2023Leave a comment