This week, the press has been dominated by the Dominic Cummings’ trip to Durham in search of childcare, in breach of the spirit if not the strict letter, of the social distancing law that he himself had been partly responsible for.…
COVID-19: The Expert Economist View
Dr Hans Sievertsen and Professor Sarah Smith explore economists’ views on different issues, including the current COVID crisis, and ask whether there is such a thing as a one-handed economist.
“Give me a one-handed economist”, demanded Harry Truman, the former US President.…
Government versus the Markets
The coronavirus pandemic has seen a rapid and marked shift in the balance between markets and government.
Professor Sarah Smith explores governments responses to the current COVID-19 crisis.
Governments around the world have responded to the crisis with massive spending commitments.…
Nerding out Economics
Lecturers within the department have been exploring how economics has a vital part to play in everyday life.
From shortages of supplies in supermarkets to social distancing behaviour, economics can help us understand and make sense of some of the real-life effects of the coronavirus pandemic.…
The COVID-19 league table: should the U.K. be at the top?
On 5 May it was announced that the U.K.’s death toll from COVID-19 was 29,427, narrowly overtaking Italy on the same day (with 29,315 deaths): this meant that the U.K. had the highest number of recorded COVID-19 deaths in Europe.…
What do the daily death rates tell us?
The grim statistics, released daily, on the number of new coronavirus deaths in each country are pored over by the media and policy-makers as an indicator of when the pandemic might peak, whether lockdown is working, and whether more stringent restrictions might be needed.…
Panic in the shops of London…. and the rest of the UK
Economics provides a useful toolbox to make sense of the current crisis. Department of Economics staff are writing about coronavirus for different audiences, including launching a blog for 6th formers who are stuck at home.…
Competitions for current students
Office for National Statistics Renaissance Prize – with support from your Bristol Lecturer’s
Please note this competition has now closed.
Task: Write an essay answering the question: “Is a UK Government commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals good for the economy and business in general?”
Prize: (1) Develop communication and analytical skills.…
Economics debate team take first place at national competition
Three Economics students have won first place at The Economics Debate, an inter-university debating competition involving ten universities.
Pravin, Noah and Fintan, final-year BSc Economics and Politics, and Economics and Philosophy student’s stormed ahead in the annual university debating competition to take the final title.…
International Women’s Day – Celebrating Women in Economics
For International Women’s Day this year, the theme is equality – each for equal. We look at the topic ‘Women in Economics’, and celebrate the people working to improve diversity in a predominantly male field.…