One of the great events in European economic history was the great plague of the 14th Century. The Black Death, which swept across Europe (killing up to 30% of citizens), led to a profound change in economic circumstances. Due to the shortage of labour, peasants were freed from their serfdom. With great demand for labour, …
Measuring economic welfare is not an exact science. Often in economics, we focus on GDP statistics (measuring national output). However, quality of life depends on many other factors apart from just GDP. Quality of Life Indicators GDP – the total output of an economy. This is a guide to national output and influences the level of …
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, …
International trade between different countries is an important factor in raising living standards, providing employment and enabling consumers to enjoy a greater variety of goods. International trade has occurred since the earliest civilisations began trading, but in recent years international trade has become increasingly important with a larger share of GDP devoted to exports and …
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 …
An overvalued exchange rate implies that a countries currency is too high for the state of the economy. An overvalued exchange rate means that the countries exports will be relatively expensive and imports cheaper. An overvalued exchange rate tends to depress domestic demand and encourage spending on imports. An overvalued exchange rate can also be …
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 …