Abstract. A look at the economic effects of Britain leaving the European Union. Summary. The UK has been a member of the European Union since 1973. The European Union gives many economic benefits to member countries. These include free trade, inward investment from European companies, free movement of labour, harmonisation of regulations and qualifications and …
Readers Question: Could you comment on This BBC programme on Q.E. The programme highlights several criticisms of Quantitative Easing, especially the Q.E. adopted by the Bank of England. Since 2009, the Bank of England’s balance sheet has quadrupled, and now a third of all government bonds are now held by Bank of England. The programme …
UK interest rates were last raised over a decade ago – July 2007, but it is widely expected that this week the MPC will vote to raise base interest rates from their current low of 0.25%. The logic for an interest rate rise is that – inflation (3%) is above the 2% target, fall in …
The main macroeconomic objectives of the government will include: low inflation, increasing the sustainable rate of economic growth full employment and balance of payments equilibrium. Full employment involves zero or very low unemployment. In practice, there will always be some frictional unemployment as people are looking for new jobs or leaving school. Economists suggest an …
A key factor in determining inflation is people’s expectations of future inflation. If firms and consumers expect future inflation then it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If workers expect future inflation, they are more likely to bargain for higher wages to compensate for the increased cost of living. If workers can successfully bargain for higher …
Monetary policy (mainly interest rates) used to be managed by the government. However, in recent years, there has been a trend to give monetary policy to independent Central Banks. The idea is that Central Banks will be more independent of political considerations and willing to keep inflation low – even if there are political costs …
A look at the impact of strong (overvalued) currency Readers Question: Why would a strong currency be bad for a country? If we consider a country like an individual, having a strong currency means the country can accumulate more assets and resources for its people, thereby increasing the value of its country. As for the …
Readers Question: What are the benefits of “supply-side” economics, particularly for the working class, the middle-class if you will? Supply-side policies encompass a range of different policies that seek to reduce tax rates and government intervention in the economy. In the US, supply-side economics has become synonymous with the Laffer Curve theory and the Reagan …