The Go Abroad Economics scheme has been running since February 2015, when a group of staff and students embarked on the inaugural trip to Dubai. At the heart of the scheme is hands-on learning about economics, allowing students to apply their knowledge and curiosity to real-life issues. Students are largely Read more…
Robert Campbell shares details about the GAE trip to Hong Kong. ‘Why does President Xi Jinping ’s foot hurt?’ ‘I don’t know—why?’ ‘Because he stepped on a Legco’ Over the winter holidays, the School of Economics conducted a trip to Hong Kong through their Go Abroad program, which brought twelve Read more…
Stian Sandberg explores the consequences of China’s proposed Social Credit System; a plausible future where trust is quantified. Imagine a normal day, except everything you do is recorded and judged by an algorithm whose parameters are entirely out of your control. The purchases you make at the supermarket, what news Read more…
James Baghurst examines the rise of mobile payment apps in China Recent Chinese innovation in the financial services industry is another chapter in the long history of Chinese contributions to the modern economy. Just as Chinese tea merchants in 806 AD were the first to conceive of a system of Read more…
Feiyang Shi discusses the motivations behind Chinese capital control policies and their implications on investor relations The last year has seen a series of Chinese governmental actions against capital outflows. Investigations have started on companies’ overseas investments and entities; related M&A activity expects setbacks and pressure has been building on Read more…
Luxury is back in fashion! According to a recent study by Bain & Co, the global luxury goods market — encompassing both luxury goods and experiences — has rebounded following a short period of decline. In 2017, the market grew by 5% to an estimated €1.2tr worldwide and is projected Read more…
Robert Jacek Włodarski explores the unstable luxury goods market in Poland. When KPMG published a highly optimistic report on the £3.1bn Polish luxury goods market in 2015, its British counterpart stood at £40.2bn and continuously grew. Still, the auditing company was confident about the Polish market’s bright future. Since then, Read more…
Michal Solcansky explores the economic logic behind conspicuous consumption and its societal benefits. When Thorstein Veblen first suggested that some people tend to spend excessively in public to show off their wealth and power he probably did not imagine how popular the notion of conspicuous consumption would become. Squandering large Read more…
Lisa Suerken explores how millennials are making ethical purchasing decisions. Fairtrade, sustainability, corporate social responsibility, charity shops — the list goes on and on. In today’s society, we have been seeing a shift in terms of the value placed on certain types of goods. Leading experts from all areas of Read more…