Guardian: Is Brexit or Covid to blame for Britain’s supply chain crisis? Article published: 24 Sep, 2021 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (demand & supply, shortage, interdependence) Brexit and the pandemic have led to a huge shortage of low-skilled labour in the UK, especially in the food and drink industries. As a result, of less [...]
itv: Jersey to introduce 'standardised' tobacco packaging Article published: 30 Jun, 2021 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (market failure, demerit goods, government intervention) Tobacco products on Jersey will have plain packaging so that these demerit products have less appeal to consumers. This is one of multiple measures (including taxation) to try to cut smoking in [...]
BBC: Record backlog of cargo ships at California ports Article published: 21 Sep, 2021 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics and Global economics (non-price determinants of supply, international trade) This article talks about the increasing number of cargo ships that are waiting to discharge their containers at the ports of California, "which handle 40% of all [...]
The New York Times: Biden Outlines a Plan for Cleaner Jet Fuel. But How Clean Would It Be? Article published: 13 Sep, 2021 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (market failure, negative externalities, government intervention, sustainability) Note that this article is over two pages, so it should not be used as an article for your IB [...]
While this is not an IB Economics commentary article, this video provides a great idea about how to reach zero emissions by 2050. As Gates argues, we should use alternative ways for generating "electricity, transportation, growing food, heating buildings and making materials like steel and cement" without emitting greenhouse gases. However, right now, [...]
The Guardian: Road pricing may be the best option as number of electric cars rises Article published: 12 Sep, 2021 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (government intervention) This article is an opionion-based one, and as such does not report about a news event. Therefore, perhaps this is not the best one for a microeconomics commentary, [...]
The Guardian: Staggering US wealth inequality heaps long-term harm on to minority children Article published: 2 Sep, 2021 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (national income data, economic growth, recession) Wealth inequality is extremely high among American families with children. The median wealth of white American families is $63,838, while the same is literally $808 for Black [...]
The Sydney Morning Herald: Recession fears recede as economy grows to June, but lockdowns still to show Article published: 1 Sep, 2021 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (national income data, economic growth, recession) While there was a certain rise in economic growth in Australia in the 2nd quarter, due to the newly introduced lockdowns it [...]
This is a great short documentary that presents the external costs of industrial salmon farming in Chile. While obviously this is not suitable for a commentary as it's a video (and was published in 2019), it still gives a good insight into negative externalities of production. Therefore, it is a clear example of [...]
CNN: Cars have been guzzling leaded gasoline for 99 years. Not any more Article published: 30 Aug, 2021 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (market failure, negative externality, government intervention) The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced that leaded gasoline for use on roads is finally banned worldwide. This comes with the Algeria being the [...]
BBC: Paris speed limit falls to 30km/h Article published: 30 Aug, 2021 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (market failure, externalities, government intervention) The speed limit has been reduced to 30km/h in most of Paris among other French cities in an attempt to reduce "accidents, and reduce noise and pollution." This is a great article to [...]
Reuters: S.Korea lifts interest rates from record low as debt threats grow Article published: 26 Aug, 2021 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (contractionary monetary policy) As inflation is picking up and economic growth recovered after the pandemic, much due to increased export revenues, the Central Bank of South Korea is afraid its economy will overheat. [...]
BBC: Why rent control isn’t working in Sweden Article published: 27 Aug, 2021 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (government intervention, price control, maximum prices) It seems that rent control doesn't really work in Sweden, where the inevitable shortage now leads to an "average waiting time for a rent-controlled property [of] nine years" in Stokholm. Intervention would [...]
The Wall Street Journal: White House More Than Doubles Its Inflation Forecast in New Update Article published: 27 Aug, 2021 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (inflation, monetary policy) Inflation is reaching its highest levels in over 10 years in the United States. As a result, the government (White House) has increased its consumer price index [...]
CNBC: Major automakers fear the global chip shortage could persist for some time Article published: 6 Sep, 2021 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (demand and supply, shortage) Partly due to coronavirus, many factories producing semiconductors have shut down in Malaysia. This has led to a huge shortage of chips, using silicon and consequantly has negatively affected [...]
BBC: McDonald's runs out of milkshakes in England, Scotland and Wales Article published: 24 August, 2021 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (demand and supply, shortage) Due to a shortage of truck drivers, milkshakes and bottled drinks are unavailable in as much as 1250 McDonald's outlets across the UK. Thus, due to the lower availability of [...]
food and drink federation: UK-EU Food and Drink Trade Snapshot: January 2021 Report published: February, 2021 IB Economics syllabus: International economics (international trade) While this is not a suitable article for your commentaries, it provides an interesting snapshot into the UK-EU trade numbers for January 2021. On a year-on-year basis, UK exports to the [...]
BBC: Extinction: Freshwater fish in 'catastrophic' decline Article published: February 23, 2021 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (market failure, common pool resources, sustainability) "A "catastrophic" decline in freshwater fish" is caused by the fact that all over the world they are a good (and sad) example of a common pool resource. This is because they [...]
CNBC: Biden signs $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill, clearing way for stimulus checks, vaccine aid Article published: March 11, 2021 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (Expnasionary fiscal policy, multiplier) Biden's Covid relief bill is mostly made up of transfer payments ($1400 in direct payments to most Americans, $300 per week unemployment benefits). Transfer payments themselves [...]
BBC: Cognac targeted with tariffs in US-EU trade row Article published: December 31, 2020 IB Economics syllabus: International Economics (trade protection, tariffs) As the trade war between the US and the EU goes on, European cognac gets hit by new tariffs. This is yet another step in the ongoing battle about their aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, [...]
BBC: What is the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)? Article published: November 16, 2020 IB Economics syllabus: International Economics (economic integration) With "29% of global gross domestic product" produced in the nations which signed the RCEP, the trade agreement has generated the largest ever trading bloc. "It includes the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian [...]
Reuters: Trump lifts tariffs on Canadian aluminum, warns he may resume them Article published: October 27, 2020 IB Economics syllabus: International Economics (trade protection, tariffs) Trump eliminated the 10% tariffs the US had against Canadian aluminum imports, but the President warned that the tariffs may be put back in place should imports increase a lot. This [...]
A Database of 100 Nudge Case Studies and Research Papers⚡ IB Economics syllabus (first assessment 2022): Microeconomics (Behavioural economics in action - HL only) Here's a head-up to all new students (exams in 2022): the link at the top will take you to 100 cases from real-life about how nudges can be applied to change [...]
Business Insider: Trump signs the $2 trillion coronavirus economic relief bill into law, which includes checks for Americans and business loans Article published: March 23, 2020 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (expansionary fiscal policy) Trump signed the largest ever economic stimulus package (expansionary fiscal policy) of American history to fight the recession caused by the coronavirus. Source of [...]
CNN: Fed takes emergency action to stave off a depression Article published: March 23, 2020 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (expansionary monetary policy) In an effort to "prevent the health crisis from turning into a full-blown financial crisis" the U.S. central bank (the Fed) has announced an unlimited bond-buying program, also known as an "open-ended quantitative easing." This [...]
CNN: Luxembourg makes all public transport free Article published: March 2, 2020 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (positive externality of consumption, government intervention) This article talks about public transport becoming completely free in all of Luxembourg. This is because the richest country of the EU can afford to absorb the costs of public transport as they believe that [...]
CNN: The Fed just hit the coronavirus panic button Article published: March 3, 2020 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (expansionary monetary policy) It seems like the coronavirus has effects other than on hockey sticks, in fact now the Fed (the U.S. Central Bank) has also reacted to it. In fears of a fall in economic growth (not to [...]
BBC: The UK just gave the car industry 15 years to ditch fossil fuels Article published: Feb 4, 2020 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (market failure, externalities of consumption) The UK government has decided to ban the sale of all new cars that burn fossil fuels by 2030 in a bid to reach net zero carbon emissions by [...]
Bloomberg: PBOC Cuts Interest Rate for One Year Loans to Support Banks Article published: Feb 17, 2020 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (expansionary monetary policy) Due to the negative effects of the coronavirus on the Chinese economy, the Central Bank of China has decided to cut its interest rates. More specifically, they have cut the interest rates to [...]
CBS Sports: How the coronavirus is creating an NHL stick shortage Article published: Feb 11, 2020 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (demand and supply, market equilibrium, shortage) This is an interesting article about how the infamous coronavirus can lead to a lack of supply of hockey sticks in North America. Interestingly, as most of the hockey sticks are [...]
Bloomberg: World Gets First Rate Hike of 2020 With Surprise Czech Move Article published: Feb 6, 2020 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics, International economics (monetary policy, exchange rates) The first Central Bank to increase interest rates was the Czech National Bank - and the move surprised the markets as no one was expecting a rate hike. As a [...]
BBC: Cut meat and dairy intake 'by a fifth', report urges Article published: Jan 23, 2020 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (market failure: threats to sustainability) According to the latest report by the Committee on Climate Change of the UK, "people should cut the amount of beef, lamb and dairy produce they eat by a fifth to combat climate [...]
South China Morning Post: China to inject US$174 billion of liquidity into markets amid new coronavirus outbreak Article published: Feb 2, 2020 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (monetary policy) As part of the open market operations, the Chinese Central Bank, called the The People's Bank of China has decided to increase the money supply. They do so by the [...]
Wired: Germany Rejected Nuclear Power—and Deadly Emissions Spiked Article published: Jan 23, 2020 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics, (market failure, negative externalities of production, sustainability) The social costs of "going green": it was believed that shutting down nuclear power plants in Germany is a step forward to sustainability. However, a recent study shows that this has led [...]
World Economic Forum: The Global Risks Report 2020 Article published: Jan, 2020 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, International Economics, Development Economics (market failure, negative externalities of production, sustainability, equity in the income distribution, economic development) One week before the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Organization published their Annual Risk Report, in which experts analyze the threats facing [...]
The New York Times: See How the World’s Most Polluted Air Compares With Your City’s Article published: Dec 2, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (market failure, negative externalities of production, sustainability, equity in the income distribution, economic development) This is a fantastic and interactive article about air pollution - a global problem. As such, it touches upon [...]
Harvard Business Review: Why It’s So Hard to Change People’s Commuting Behavior Article published: Dec 24, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (negative externalities of consumption - solutions) A great article from the Harvard Business Review about how to change people's commuting behavior. This is not really suitable for a microeconomics IA, as it is not about a [...]
Bloomberg: Booking.com agrees to EU demands to change travel offers Article published: Dec 20, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (theory of the firm, monopoly power) This article shows how one of the largest European travel fare aggregagator website uses aggressive and not too fair tactics to make users book reservations through their website. More specifically, the article [...]
The New York Times: The I.R.S. Sent a Letter to 3.9 Million People. It Saved Some of Their Lives. Article published: Dec 10, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: microeconomics (government intervention, nudge economics) While this article is not suitable for an IB economics IA (partly because it's too long, and partly due to the topic it covers), [...]
The Visual Capitalist: $69 Trillion of World Debt in One Infographic Article published: Nov 14, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: macroeconomics (the government budget, public debt), development economics (international debt) While this is not an article for your Internal Assessment, it's a great visualization of all the $69 trillion of world debt that exists currently (as of late [...]
The North Africa Post: DR Congo to relocate 10,000 families from cobalt-rich region Article published: Dec 18, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: microeconomics (negative externalities of production) Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo plan to relocate 10,000 families from a town which is rich in cobalt. This is due to the fact that the resource is worth [...]
The Wall Street Journal: British Pound Surges as Johnson’s Conservatives Win U.K. Election Article published: Dec 13, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: International economics (exchange rates) "The pound surged to its highest level since May 2018, hitting $1.3515." This is due to the fact that the Conservatives, led by Boris Johnson, have won the election in the UK [...]
UN News: ‘Everyone needs to do more’ to help suffering Venezuelans, says UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Article published: Nov 6, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: Development economics (foreign aid, humanitarian aid) A very unfortunate real-world example of when economic growth does not lead to economic development: Venezuela, which used to be the richest Latin American country [...]
The Guardian: Queensland school runs out of water as commercial bottlers harvest local supplies Article published: Dec 12, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (demand & supply, market failure, sustainability) "The Tamborine Mountain state school has run out of water, even as water miners in the Gold Coast hinterland are sending millions of litres to commercial bottling [...]
Bloomberg: China Hit by EU Tariffs as High as 66% Article published: Oct 10, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: International economics (protectionism, tariffs) This is a superb article for an international economics IA. The EU steel road wheel producers accused their Chinese competitors of dumping (selling below their costs of production). Chinese producers are able to sell at [...]
BBC: India delivers surprise corporate tax cuts to boost economy Article published: Sep 20, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (expansionary fiscal policy, supply-side policy) A great article if you'd like to write about expansionary fiscal policy for your macroeconomic commentary. The Indian government has announced huge corporate (business) tax cuts in order to boost investment (and hence [...]
CNBC: Fed approves quarter-point rate cut but is divided on further action this year Article published: Sep 18, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (monetary policy) The FED (U.S. Central Bank) has cut the interest rates again by 0.25%. “The implications of global developments for the economic outlook as well as muted inflation pressures" were given as the [...]
CNN: India is banning all e-cigarettes over fears about youth vaping Article published: Sep 18, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (negative externality of consumption, government intervention) India has completely banned all e-cigarettes in the hope to cut all the adverse health issues associated with them. While smoking is usually shown by a negative consumption externality diagram, an [...]
Planet money: The Price Of Rice In Japan IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (demand and supply, non-price determinants) This interesting short podcast is about the market of rice in Japan, and how it has changed over the past decades. It answers an exciting question: how on earth does the price of rice keep going up even if [...]
Sky News: European Central Bank cuts interest rates for first time since 2016 Article published: Sep 12, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (expansionary monetary policy) The European Central Bank (ECB) cut its interest rates to an all-time-low of -0.5% and announced a bond buying program (basicall pouring money into the Eurozone) at a rate of €20 [...]
Bloomberg: China’s Stimulus Debate Is Still Alive After Grim Trade Data Can't open the article? Check this link. Article published: Sep 8, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (expansionary monetary and fiscal policy) China is desperate to keep economic growth above 6% and it is having a hard time doing so mostly due to the ongoing trade [...]
BBC: Pound hits three-year dollar low in Brexit turmoil Article published: Sep 2, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: International economics (exchange rates) No-deal Brexit is becoming a likely scenario for the United Kingdom to leave the EU and if it becomes reality, only one thing will be certain: uncertainty. But, as the article mentions, "[c]urrencies, as a rule, [...]
CNN: Central bank rate cuts are inflating a cheap money bubble Article published: Aug 12, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (monetary policy) NOTE! This article is an opinion itself, that is, it is a "commentary" about the latest developments in global monetary. Therefore, it is not really suitable for an IB Economics IA, but it is [...]
CNN: Can the world's central banks save the bull market? Article published: Aug 18, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (monetary policy) NOTE! This article is not really suitable for an Economics Internal Assessment (commentary) as its focus is not a single economy. Yet, it gives insight into the most important current events that affect the global economy, such [...]
The New York Times: 3 Countries Cut Rates as World Braces for More Trade War TurbulenceThe Fed cut rates for the first time since 2008 Article published: Aug 7, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (monetary policy) Amid fears from a global economic slowdown, the central banks of India, Thailand and New Zealand have cut their interest rates [...]
CNN: The Fed cut rates for the first time since 2008 Article published: July 31, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (monetary policy) EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! This has been the first time since 2008 that the Fed (U.S. Central Bank) has cut interest rates. This is a form of expansionary fiscal policy which is carried out in order [...]
CNN: UK will plunge into recession if it leaves Europe without a Brexit deal Article published: July 19, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (economic growth, recession) The UK's new prime minister, Boris Johnson is determined to carry out Brexit in October, even if he cannot get a better deal from the EU. Brexit without a deal would [...]
Bloomberg: U.S., China Lack Deal But Avoid Rupture After Tariff Hike Article published: May 10, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: International economics (international trade, protectionism, tariffs) NOTE: This article is a little bit long, make sure that you (1) fit it into two pages and (2) that you highlight the parts that you are commenting on. Why is [...]
CNBC: Federal Reserve fends off efforts to be politicized by President Trump, for now Article published: May 2, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (central bank independence, monetary policy) NOTE: I don't recommend this as an IB economics commentary article as it is too long, and there is no specific policy action discussed, but it is a great one [...]
Reuters: Trump says strong dollar hurting U.S. competitiveness Article published: March 2, 2019 IB Economics syllabus: International economics (central bank policy, exchange rates) Trump is openly against further monetary tightening (raising interest rates) and hints that the strong dollar can reduce export competitiveness: “I want a strong dollar, but I want a dollar that’s great for our country [...]
Hey, in this short video I'm showing where to find the IB Econ guide, and what to look for within it. Will you pass the IB Exams??? Test your knowledge with the below quiz. I'm taking the micro quiz
Reuters: EU-Japan free trade deal cleared for early 2019 start Article published: December 12, 2018 IB Economics syllabus: International economics (economic integration) "The European Union and Japan will launch the world’s largest free trade zone early next year after their economic partnership cleared a final hurdle on Wednesday." Source of image: REUTERS/Yves Herman Do you [...]
CNN Business: India just made life tougher for Amazon and Walmart Article published: December 27, 2018 IB Economics syllabus: International economics (trade barriers, protectionism) In order to cut back the influence of large American firms such as Amazon and Walmart, India is now set to restrict foreign e-commerce companies. This is good news for domestic [...]
The Guardian: Federal Reserve raises interest rates despite pressure from Trump Article published: December 19, 2018 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (monetary policy) The Federal Reserve (Central Bank of the United States) has increased the interest rates for the 5th time this year. According to the chairman, the U.S. is a healthy economy and there is [...]
CNN Business: China is temporarily slashing tariffs on US auto imports Article published: December 15, 2018 IB Economics syllabus: International economics (protectionism, tariffs) After placing additional tariffs on cars in July, China has now decided to reduce these tariffs on a temporary basis for the next three months. The decision was made in order [...]
Reuters: For Fed, sell-off could point to fading Trump stimulus Article published: Oct 23, 2018 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (economic growth, monetary policy) The Fed (Central Bank of the United States) is in the process of increasing interest rates. This is definitely necessary as the U.S. economy is getting close to overheating, expanding "at an annualized [...]
BBC: Turkey raises interest rates to 24% in new bid to boost lira Article published: Sep 13, 2018 IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics, International economics (monetary policy, exchange rates) While President Erdogan described himself as an "enemy of interest rates", finally the Central Bank of Turkey has made the move to significantly increase the interst rates in order [...]
BBC: Calories in popular foods must be cut, say health officials Article published: Aug 18, 2017 – out of date: no longer suitable for your IB Economics commentary IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (market failure, negative externalitites) Public Health England plans to introduce targets to cut the current level of calories in popular foods. Following the reductions of [...]
Warning! This article is not suitable for a commentary (it's just very interesting). Priceonomics: The Trade of the Century: When George Soros Broke the British Pound IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (exchange rates) This is a superb article that explains in detail how a managed exchange rate works in real life (with all its downsides) [...]
BBC: Oil price surges as Opec and non-Opec members agree deal to cut output Article published: Dec 12, 2016 – out of date: no longer suitable for your IB Economics commentary IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (demand and supply, cartel) This time, the OPEC has managed to get an agreement through with non/OPEC members, most notablz, with [...]
BBC: ECB extends bond-buying scheme but at slower pace Article published: Dec 8, 2016 – out of date: no longer suitable for your IB Economics commentary IB Economics syllabus: Macroeconomics (Monetary policy) At times of low economic growth and very low inflation, Centrtal Banks use expansionary monetary policies to get things going. This includes decreasing interest rates [...]
Wall Street Journal: China Car Sales Rise Sharply in September Article published: Oct 12, 2016 – out of date: no longer suitable for your IB Economics commentary IB Economics syllabus: Microeconomics (government intervention: tax cut) Thanks to tax cuts, Chinese car manufacturers can sell their products at lower prices. No wonder that there are a lot more sales [...]
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