Topical Essays
The Boldness of Bernard Madoff
The term Ponzi Scheme was first coined in the early 1900s, after Charles Ponzi, whom created a scheme to buy and exchange postage coupons internationally, Mr. Ponzi claimed profits in excess of 400% on particular transactions. Unsurprisingly, however, these ... Read More »
November 01, 2018
Goodness Gracious – BREXIT 2.0
In response to the topic: ‘There should be a second Brexit referendum, discuss.’ Goodness gracious. At what point do we stop, hold our hands up, and confess ‘Democracy just isn’t working?’ Apparently, in therapy, the first step towards healing (or ... Read More »
March 15, 2018
‘The Basic Income Should Replace All Special Benefits’ Discuss
“The basic income should replace all specific benefits.” Discuss. In opening, it would be worthwhile to establish a general parameter when we consider the concept of ‘specific benefits.’ Should this simply entail the discretionary employee benefits offered by companies and corporations? ... Read More »
March 07, 2018
Bitcoin will be worth nothing in five-years. Discuss.
Bitcoin will be worth nothing in 5-years. Discuss. Before beginning to discuss the longevity of Bitcoin, it would be worthwhile to discuss what Bitcoin is and what it represents. Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency and worldwide payment system. The initial release was ... Read More »
February 22, 2018
Should the Bank of England Raise Interest Rates?
Should the Bank of England raise interest rates? What factors should be most important for their decision? When the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) changes its official interest rate – known as Bank Rate, it is attempting to ... Read More »
November 22, 2017
Economic Policies and Inequality
What policies should the US, UK, and EU leaders pursue to combat the problems associated with increasing inequality? Please provide an economic argument based on the readings below, or other readings. http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/14/donald-trump-working-class-americans-feel-screwed http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119589/great-escape-review-do-foreign-aid-donations-make-things-worse https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/10/21/why-we-need-economic-growth-more-than-we-need-democratic-socialism/ The Oxford Dictionary of Economics defines inequality as: “Differences in the ... Read More »
November 15, 2017
Should Britain Rely on China?
In opening this discussion, I would first like to draw upon and reference the case study of Abkhazia, a partially recognised state on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. The Economist reports that whilst Abkhazia is a major producer ... Read More »
October 26, 2017
Why is Starbucks Coffee so Expensive?
Why is Starbucks Coffee so Expensive? A study was recently conducted whereby the cost of a cup of Starbucks coffee was measured across eight major tourist destinations across the world. Interestingly, but perhaps unsurprisingly, the cost per cup of coffee ... Read More »
October 17, 2017
FTSE vs NIKKEI
Discussion Topic: Find a chart of the FTSE index corresponding to the Nikkei chart discussed in the lecture. Looking at the chart, and where we are today, what happens next? If you had a portfolio to allocate between stocks and ... Read More »
October 11, 2017