Student discounts – charity or good business?

Companies often offer student discounts – from 10% to 50% off. What is the logic behind this student discount – is it compassionate pricing for hard-up students or is there good economic logic to increase profits for firms? Charging different prices to different groups of consumers is known as price discrimination. The idea is that …

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What is the function of a Central Bank?

A Central Bank is an integral part of the financial and economic system. They are usually owned by the government and given certain functions to fulfil. These include printing money, operating monetary policy, the lender of last resort and ensuring the stability of financial system. Examples of Central Banks include Federal Reserve – US Bank …

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How to avoid a recession

policies-to-avoid-recession

A recession is a fall in real GDP/ negative economic growth. To avoid a recession, the government and monetary authorities need to try and increase aggregate demand (consumer spending, investment, exports). There is no guarantee that they will work. It will depend on the policies and also the causes of the recession. The primary policies …

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UK Economy in the 1920s

uk-real-gdp-inflation-1920s

The 1920s are sometimes referred to as the ‘roaring twenties’, but for the UK economy, it was a period of depression, deflation and a steady decline in the UK’s former economic pre-eminence. In the US, the economy boomed on the back of mass production techniques, growing efficiency – and increasingly a credit bubble, which would …

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Problems facing UK economy post Brexit

sterling-index-june-24-16

After the UK’s decision to leave the EU, what economic problems will it face? Summary of problems Devaluation of Pound Sterling, increasing price of imported goods, such as food, oil, manufacturers and domestic inflation. This cost-push inflation is again putting pressure on real wages. WIth low nominal wage growth – inflation has led to falls …

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Price regulation / restrictions

market-equilibrium

Readers question: Please tell me some products for which equilibrium price is not favourable for some producers and consumers which invite the state to impose price restriction. The equilibrium price is the price determined in a free market; the price determined by the interaction of supply and demand. Under what conditions could this market price …

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Capitalist Economic System

A capitalist economic system is one characterised by free markets and the absence of government intervention in the economy. In practice a capitalist economy will need some government intervention, primarily to protect private property. (This is important to distinguish capitalism from anarchism, where there is absolutely no government present) Features of a capitalist economic system …

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Economics and the environment

Readers Question: Is it possible to construct the economic system so that does not rely on expanded growth which as we all know, is damaging the environment? causing pollution e.t.c. Could we have a society without economic growth? or as economists might prefer to answer – Can we have environmentally sustainable economic growth? To promote …

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