George Osborne has recently stated that leaving the EU could leave a black hole in public finances of £30bn and this would lead to sharp budget cuts – tax rises and spending cuts. This raises the interesting question of whether you can talk yourself into a recession. Do predictions of recession become self-fulfilling? How can …
Readers Question: How Long do Recessions last? There is no exact answer. Recessions can last for varying time lengths depending on the causes and also the response of governments and consumers. If recessions are caused by a tightening of monetary policy (higher interest rates to reduce inflation), then it tends to be easier to get …
A big issue is how net migration is affecting the National Health Service. Does an influx of migrants place greater strain on the NHS? Is migration a convenient excuse for the more long-term issues facing the NHS? To what extent do migrants work for the NHS? If we cut migration levels would that affect taxation …
Readers question: Is there anything in economic theory that addresses what I would like to call “economic abuse” Where the profit of a what a worker does is ten to a hundred times what the worker earns to the Owner or Individual paying the worker. The worker earns $10 a day doing labour that the …
A devaluation (depreciation) occurs when the exchange rate falls in value. This causes exports to be cheaper and imports to be more expensive. In theory, it can help increase economic growth, though it may cause inflation. In theory, a devaluation will cause the following to happen: The price of UK exports will be lower in …
Performance related pay is a system where employers pay employees depending on the quality of their work. In it simplest form, performance related pay is payment by ‘piece meal’. For example, a worker gets paid £1.00 per Kg of potatoes that they pick. This piece meal payment is an effective way to give workers an …
There have been numerous economic predictions springing from a possible Brexit including recession, unemployment, falling Pound, falling stock markets, collapsing house prices, inflation and the end of civilisation as we know it (I’ll leave predictions of world wars e.t.c. for someone else to grapple with). But, what is the economic theory behind these economic predictions? …
Source ONS | NTV A possible unit 4 A Level question this summer could be: Discuss the impact of a fall in public sector investment on the UK economy? The graph shows a fall in public sector investment from 3.5% of GDP in 2008 to 1.5% in 2011. This means cuts of approximately £30bn a …