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 …
At different times there have been campaigns to ‘Buy British’ – patriotic efforts to support the economy. The campaigns seem quite popular, but usually fade out, having made little difference to major macro-economic variables. It is a form of economic nationalism and similar campaigns can be seen in many different countries. Buy British campaigns can …
Readers Question is recession causes unemployment or unemployment causes recession? Essentially, it is a recession which causes unemployment. As output and demand fall, firms cut back on hiring new labour. This leads to a rise in unemployment as there are fewer job vacancies. Graph showing rise in unemployment after 2008 recession Also, some firms may …
A reader on twitter asked – How has government borrowing helped me recently? I’m tempted to paraphrase as – What has borrowing ever done for me? – just so that I can make a reference to Monty Python and the Life of Brian? – And what have the Romans ever done for us? – apart …
During the 1990s and early 2000s, Spain enjoyed rapid economic growth and became the 5th largest EU economy. In particular, the rapid economic growth encouraged a boom in property. In 2006, Spain started building 800,000 new homes – more than Germany, Italy, France and UK combined. (Euro Challenge.org) However, in 2008, Spain was badly affected …
How do falling share prices affect the economy? Lower share prices mean investors will see a fall in wealth. However, this is unlikely to influence consumption significantly. Most people who buy shares are relatively affluent; if their stocks decrease in value it doesn’t mean their consumption will suffer. Usually, people who buy shares see it …
Greece is a very good example of the damage of austerity can do to both economies and the social fabric of a country. Firstly Greek austerity is almost unprecedented in its scope and intensity. Greece government spending and revenue Greek government spending was cut from €120 bn in 2008 to €90 bn in 2014. To …