A look into the effect of higher oil prices on economies, firms and consumers. Effect of Higher Oil Prices on the EconomyWatch this video on YouTube Readers Question: With oil prices rising towards $100, what are the economic effects of rising oil prices? In the short term, higher oil prices will lead to higher …
Global warming is a major economic and social problem facing the world. One study by Swiss Re, a provider of insurance suggested global warming could cost $23 trillion in lost output by 2050. In addition to the economic costs are perhaps the much more important costs to the environment, natural habitats and the life chances …
Definition – Collective bargaining refers to the negotiations between a group of workers and firms. Workers, usually through a trade union, form a unified approach to negotiate wages and work conditions with their firm (or group of firms). Collective bargaining can involve many different aspects of work – including pay, health and safety, working hours, …
Readers Question: This is hypothetical, but I wondered what would happen if we developed robots resembling humans who could perform any task a human could perform, but more effectively and essentially for free? More specifically, how would this development affect employment and real per capita GDP, and what would the pros and cons be? What …
Across the globe we are seeing a dramatic fall in the birth rate, with countries like Italy forecast to see their population decline from 61 million to 28 million by 2100. There are several reasons for falling birth rates – traditional factors include economic growth, improved education and access to contraception. But, in recent years, …
A high wage economy is characterised by high average incomes, rising real wages and fair distribution of income so the lowest income deciles are well paid. In summary, high wage economies tend to be characterised by high economic growth, rising labour productivity, high levels of education and training and good labour protections. (e.g. trade unions …
Labour shortages occur when employers struggle to fill labour vacancies because of insufficient labour applying for the jobs. Labour shortages can occur in geographical regions or in occupations with special requirements in terms of skill or function. Labour shortages can also be seasonal in industries like retail (Christmas) and agriculture (harvest time). Recently, since Brexit …
This is a list of the gross national debt of 178 countries, showing the variation in debt levels from Venezuela at 304% of GDP to Macau at 0% of GDP. National debt refers to the amount of total government debt a country has. This is also referred to as ‘public sector debt’. It is compiled …