Economics HL - Jacob Solomon's group - Year 1

This is an externality of production because the air pollution from the buses imposes an unpaid social cost upon society; the article then discusses how the government plans to fine people to deter this activity and raise revenue.

This article shows the real-life application to the new ideas we've been discussing in terms of the Republic of Cyprus. "Cyprus has so far been an energy island -an isolated energy system- and has till recently been almost totally dependent on imports of oil which burden the current account balance. A bright horizon of peace, cooperation and economic growth will then open up for the area of the Eastern Mediterranean, to the benefit not only of the countries and peoples of the area but also of our wider European family." I have included the conclusion to the article as well, which wraps up this sustainability-conscious article."In shaping the world of today and tomorrow through their decisions on energy issues, visionary leaders will aim at improving the prospects of both the current and future generations in terms of economic and social development and of sustainability, and certainly in terms of establishing and strengthening peaceful and hence productive international relations."

For this week, I decided to find an article that is very close to most of us, because we all, at one point or another, eat meat, as well as drink milk. When we consume these products we probably don't realize what harmful chemicals go into these products and how they can negatively affect us. This article talks about the antibiotics and hormones that are injected into livestock to increase the rate of growth as well as in cows, the increased production of milk, and how these chemicals can negatively effect us.

China has been, is, and will continue to be a coal-powered economy. In 2007 Chinese coal production contained more energy than total Middle Eastern oil production. The rapid growth of coal demand after 2001 created supply strains and bottlenecks that raise questions about sustainability.

Hello, In this article it talks about how the Venezuelan government are trying to control inflation by setting fixed prices. The government's policy of price control demonstrate faith that one day they might succeed and lower their inflation rate which is at 27 per cent, the same as last year. The government are imposing a new law which the price controls will affect five general areas; personal and domestic hygiene products, car parts, medicines and health services and food. The government tries to prevent companies from "hoarding and speculation" and "exploiting the people". Also, the prices for 18 products are being frozen, and companies like Heinz, Pepsi, Coca Cola, and Nestle need 'special' attention. People say that the fear the private companies how will lead to more shortages and more inflation. From Tim

This article concerns the problems that are being caused by a wagon-assembly factory in India. Not only does the factory cause air-pollution through fumes, but it also causes noise-pollution and vibrations that make living in the area very uncomfortable. This clearly illustrates how the MSC is much greater than the MPC of production, and is therefore is therefore a "Negative Externality of Production".

The government has installed tight price controls as they have the world's highest inflation rate at the moment. They imposed these strict price controls on basic goods however, food prices have still risen up to 9 times as high as they were before. However, the price controls may be doing some good as Venezuela has been in the same situation before and after the price controls they had in place were lifted, prices rose from 40% to more than 100%.

Minimum price controls should be imposed on alcohol and tougher drink-driving laws introduced, policy options circulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) suggest. Details in the global consultation process have emerged as the government is resisting demands from health professionals for alcohol to become more expensive.

This article discusses the balance of payments in Ukraine, and details many of the various aspects of the balance of payments that we have studied this week.

Eurozone's deficit has widened sharply in the past year impacting investors and trading partners.

This article explores the causes and outcomes of a rising current account deficit in Australia. The central bank is evaluating different options to try and balance the current account deficit by manipulating imports and exports, as well as adjusting the value of currency.

A lot of movement in the reserve assets component of the financial account in India is causing stress for the balance fo payments. Demand for gold is increasing, and because of great returns on investment and the affinity for gold in India, demand is increasing. The determinants of demand are highly responsible for maintaining this instability in current account deficit and "stress on the system" for the Reserve Bank of India.

The article talks about how India's switch of economic policy led to a recovery and is now in rapid economic growth. "Even if capital flows were to reduce to zero as they did in 2008, following the collapse of Leman Brothers, reserves would drop by only $40 billion over twelve months, still leaving a healthy $250 billion or so of cover." The article ends with advice on how India can further strengthen their current state by increasing foreign investments.

"It's not a question of if, but when Iraq revalues its currency," said the Las Vegas-based Scarpa, who keeps dinars in his retirement account. "The dinar will eventually have substantial value, possibly the highest in the world." He's not alone in risking his money on an investment that can charitably be described as a long-term turnaround project that will pay off only for the extremely patient. Thousands like Scarpa in America are buying the dinar, hoping someday the war-torn nation can revalue a currency worth just a fraction of a penny.

This article tells the balance of payments of Ghana skyrockets comparing to the same period in 2011. The main reason is the falling price of cocoa beans, which is a main export of Ghana, and the falling export volumes. With the export going down and imports of oil, and other non-oil imports skyrocket, the balance of payment become negative value.

This article describes the decrease in currency value of the rupee, which the central bank is trying to correct by selling dollars and purchasing their own currency.

This article describes the Czech current account balance. The current account is experiencing a widening deficit, as a result of "the outflow of dividends outweighing the foreign-trade surplus". This means that, although this country is experiencing good trade, too much investment in the country is leading to outflow of money to foreign investors.

The balance of payments records two different kinds of transactions: cross-border payments for goods and services (ie, exports and imports), which are recorded in the "current account", and cross-border payments for assets. China's current account is still in surplus, largely because its exports exceed its imports. China is also attracting plenty of direct investment from foreigners eager to buy or build companies on the mainland. But both these inflows of foreign exchange were outdone by a record outflow of other kinds of capital, amounting to a net $110 billion. This left China's overall balance of payments in deficit, diminishing China's international reserves by $11.8 billion (or just under 0.4%).

Slowing exports and foreign investment have widened the current account deficit. Global ratings agencies have repeatedly warned India that it faces a credit downgrade if it does not tackle a high debt burden and the fiscal deficit, which is the largest among major emerging economies.