Readers Question: How reliant is the UK economy on oil? There are two ways of considering this question – the consumption and production of oil. Firstly, how much does the UK need to consume oil to maintain economic activity? Could we survive in a post-oil economy? Secondly, how important is the UK oil industry and …
Readers Question: What policy strategy is good to reduce unemployment in Greece? The Greek economy is experiencing grave problems, with record levels of unemployment. Unemployment in Greece is running at 27.5% – (end of 2013) This unemployment rate is even higher amongst young people. The unemployment is primarily caused by the prolonged recession which has …
A look behind the causes and consequences of the economic crisis, and why it has been difficult to solve. Background to Economic Crisis The 1990s and early 2000s was a period of economic prosperity – Low inflation and high economic growth gave an impression of economic stability, but in other areas of the economy there …
Readers Question: Hello I recently saw a programme How China Fooled the World – with Robert Peston and I was wondering what threats and opportunities does the growth of economies like China and India provide to the UK economy? According to the IMF, in 2010, the Chinese economy was $5,878 billion – second only to …
Here in Oxford, there is water everywhere. Yesterday, the main road into town (Abingdon Road) was closed due to flooding, and the cost to business and householders will be quite significant. There is a danger of even worse flooding to come. In one sense, it is an act of God. No one can do anything …
Just five years after the start of global credit crunch and the UK housing crash, it seems incongruous to be talking about another UK property bubble. It is a paradox that the UK has experienced five long years of recession – the worst decline in living standards in recent times, and yet, property prices still …
An interesting question at the moment is to what extent does temporary cost-push factors lead to a permanent rise in underlying inflation? Temporary cost-push factors include rising commodity prices, rising food prices, higher taxes. These goods are often volatile so the increase is often temporary. In the case of taxes, the price increases last for …
Emerging markets are defined as economies which are making the transition from a low income / developing economy to a high income ‘developed’ economy. Key emerging markets include: China, India, Brazil, Mexico. Emerging markets are mostly based in South East Asia (excluding Japan) and Latin America. Emerging markets often have a high rate of economic …