Why do footballers earn more than nurses?
2 sources · 4 further readingScarcity, labour markets, superstar effects and the revenue generated by elite sport.
The latest Money League reports record revenues for the world's highest-revenue clubs and breaks those revenues down into commercial, broadcast and matchday income.
Independent analysis of European professional football's finances, including club revenue, broadcasting, commercial income and the wider football market.
A very accessible explanation of how supply, demand and football revenue affect wages.
A short student-friendly article connecting football wages to labour-market economics.
A short introduction to how labour supply, labour demand and skills influence wages.
See how a university economics course uses real questions such as why footballers are paid so much to introduce economic thinking.
Why has the cost of living risen so sharply?
2 sources · 4 further readingInflation, energy prices, supply shocks, wages and household purchasing power.
Official UK CPI data documenting the 11.1% annual inflation rate in October 2022 and the main contributors to the rise.
Explains what inflation measures, how it is calculated and why the UK targets 2%.
A simple explanation of inflation, purchasing power and how the UK measures price changes.
Shows how energy shocks can feed through to household prices, wages and inflation.
A short visual introduction to inflation, price rises and how economists measure them.
Shows how the inflation experienced by households can differ, particularly when food and energy make up different shares of spending.
Why is homeownership increasingly inaccessible?
2 sources · 4 further readingHousing supply, demand, prices, incomes, deposits and borrowing costs.
The latest official UK statistics on house prices and private rents, including regional differences.
Explains housing affordability and how house prices have changed relative to wages.
A concise, regularly updated overview of UK house prices, mortgage approvals and housebuilding.
A simple gateway to official UK housing-price, rent and household statistics.
A short case study showing how housing, mortgages, credit and financial markets can interact.
Explains how borrowing costs, including mortgage rates, change when interest rates move.
Why can’t the government just print more money?
2 sources · 4 further readingMoney creation, inflation, real wealth and quantitative easing.
Detailed explanation of how most modern money is created by commercial banks and how monetary policy affects money creation.
Explains how the Bank creates central-bank reserves to buy bonds and how QE is intended to affect longer-term interest rates and spending.
A beginner-friendly explanation of why bank deposits count as money and why banks create much of it through lending.
Simple explanations of inflation, interest rates and quantitative easing.
A short introduction to what money is, how it works and why finance matters.
A visual introduction to hyperinflation, recessions and why simply creating money is more complicated than it sounds.
Why do national levels of prosperity diverge so markedly?
2 sources · 4 further readingInstitutions, incentives, productivity and the historical roots of economic development.
The influential empirical paper examining how colonial institutions can have persistent effects on economic performance.
A major cross-country dataset examining governance dimensions associated with development outcomes.
A short talk introducing the economic puzzle of different living standards and the role of productivity.
Ha-Joon Chang discusses international inequality and competing explanations for differences in prosperity.
A gateway to development-economics teaching resources, reading lists and accessible academic materials.
A collection of development and growth resources, including material on institutions and why countries grow differently.
What is a recession, and what does it mean in practice?
2 sources · 4 further readingRecessions, GDP, spending, credit, employment and financial amplification.
Explains what recessions are, why they happen, how they affect economies and why the two-quarter rule is only a rule of thumb.
Explains how the NBER identifies US recessions using broad measures of economic activity.
A short, accessible video covering the definition, causes, effects and policy responses to recessions.
A readable introduction to recession mechanics, causes, unemployment and output.
A concise visual overview of recessions alongside hyperinflation and stagflation.
A concrete example of how housing and financial markets helped turn a shock into a wider downturn.
Why do central banks adjust interest rates?
2 sources · 4 further readingMonetary policy, borrowing, saving, demand and inflation.
Explains Bank Rate and the transmission from interest rates to borrowing, spending and inflation.
Detailed, accessible explanation of how interest rates influence inflation and spending.
A straightforward explanation of borrowing rates, saving rates and Bank Rate.
Walks through the mechanism from higher borrowing costs to lower spending and slower inflation.
A short introduction to monetary policy, interest rates and central-bank intervention.
Introduces the other major monetary-policy tool used when conventional interest rates are less effective.
What will artificial intelligence do to employment?
2 sources · 4 further readingAutomation, augmentation, tasks, productivity, skills and labour-market change.
A research hub covering AI’s effects on productivity, jobs, skills and working conditions.
Updated global research on occupational exposure to generative AI, with a task-based approach and the finding that most affected jobs are likely to be transformed rather than simply eliminated.
A readable research paper on workplace benefits, automation risks, job quality and inequality.
Case-study evidence on how AI has reorganised work and changed tasks in real workplaces.
A manually curated collection exploring AI, education, assessment and the changing role of human learning.
A short policy brief introducing which occupations are most exposed to AI and why exposure does not automatically mean job loss.
What is tax, and where does the revenue go?
2 sources · 4 further readingTax revenue, public spending, public goods, redistribution and incentives.
Official statistics on the tax and National Insurance revenue collected by the UK government.
A concise guide to what the UK government spends money on and how spending is organised.
A beginner-friendly overview of why taxes exist, different tax types and what governments use tax revenue for.
Explains why governments sometimes use taxes and spending when markets do not produce efficient outcomes.
A short explanation of public goods, free riding and why governments often finance them.
A readable example of economists using theory and evidence to think about the effects of taxation.
What is the function of a bank?
2 sources · 4 further readingCredit creation, maturity transformation, liquidity, risk and financial contagion.
Explains how commercial banks create deposits through lending and why modern banking is more than simply storing savers’ money.
Explains bank runs, liquidity, capital, confidence and why banking problems can spread to the wider economy.
A short visual explanation of how commercial-bank money creation works.
An accessible teaching resource explaining credit money and the mechanics of bank lending.
An accessible route into how banks, payments, credit and financial stability support the wider economy.
A concrete example of how banking, credit and housing-market problems can spread through an economy.