Difference between revisions of "Economics"

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== Further Reading ==
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[https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/02/22/what-is-the-cheapest-way-to-cut-carbon What is the cheapest way to cut carbon?] The Economist; 27 Feb 2021
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{{Quote|In the trendier parts of Berlin, cargo bikes are the rage. Locals use the bicycles, which have a wheelbarrow-sized box at the front, to do the weekly shop or ferry children around. Because they cut carbon-dioxide emissions, local authorities are subsidising the craze. But the well-intentioned schemes look pricey when you consider how much carbon is abated. One such scheme costs the city €370,000 ($450,000), but is expected to reduce emissions by only seven tonnes a year. That works out at over €50,000 per tonne abated. The equivalent figure for schemes that support the sale of low-carbon heating systems, by contrast, is €200 per tonne.}}
 
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Revision as of 16:58, 5 March 2021


A possibly common perception of "economics" is that it is only concerned with money, that it is dull, and of relevance only to bean counters. Whether or not this is an accurate assessment of some sub-disciplines of economics, other aspects (generally classified as macroeconomics) are concerned with, or relevant to, broader issues of prosperity, political stability, social justice, motivation, and even the survival of humanity.

Another popular impression of economics is that it is politically conservative and supportive of capitalism and financial institutions. Whilst many economists may be right-leaning, it is not inherent in the discipline. Karl Marx and John Maynard Keynes were economists. And economic analysis can be applied to systems other than monetary ones, such as the relationship between abortion laws and violent crime.[1]

The economist Tim Harford gives an accessible (and possibly amusing) explanation of some concepts in economics such as the theoretical 'perfect market', 'efficiency' and fairness, 'externalities', imperfect markets such as used-car sales and the US health system, unintended consequences of regulations such as the Merton Rule, the effect of import tariffs on exports, of trade and trade barriers on world development and poverty, and more.[2]

Of relevance to the issue of how we sustain human life on Earth, Harford addresses issues such as the environmental costs of transport of goods, the relationship between development and pollution and environmental degradation and climate change, whether free trade is better or worse for the world's poorest people, and how economic measures could determine the cost of decarbonising electricity and drive decarbonisation generally. Using the thought experiment of a conscientious consumer who wishes to minimise their carbon footprint by gathering infeasably massive amounts of data on everything they consider buying in order to make informed choices he shows how carbon pricing can achieve much the same effect without any effort, or indeed desire, on the part of the consumer to do the right thing.[3]

Behavioural economics (see Wikipedia) brings psychology into economic analyses. Perhaps the best known part of this field is nudge theory.


In this interview with Syed Kamall of the Institute of Economic Affairs (a UK free-market think tank), Professor Dieter Helm discusses the costs and economic mechanisms by which the UK could meet its 2050 target of net zero emissions. Dieter Helm is Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Oxford and Fellow in Economics at New College, Oxford, and has provided extensive advice to UK and European governments, including The Cost of Energy Review for the UK government in October 2017 and for the European Commission in preparing the Energy Roadmap 2030.

Further Reading

What is the cheapest way to cut carbon? The Economist; 27 Feb 2021

In the trendier parts of Berlin, cargo bikes are the rage. Locals use the bicycles, which have a wheelbarrow-sized box at the front, to do the weekly shop or ferry children around. Because they cut carbon-dioxide emissions, local authorities are subsidising the craze. But the well-intentioned schemes look pricey when you consider how much carbon is abated. One such scheme costs the city €370,000 ($450,000), but is expected to reduce emissions by only seven tonnes a year. That works out at over €50,000 per tonne abated. The equivalent figure for schemes that support the sale of low-carbon heating systems, by contrast, is €200 per tonne.

Footnotes and references

  1. See Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner [website]
  2. The Undercover Economist (ISBN 0-19-518977-9) (ISBN 0345494016) by Tim Harford published in 2005 by Little, Brown. See book description on Harford's website: [link]
  3. Adapt: why success always starts with failure (ISBN-13: 978-0349121512) (ISBN-10: 0349121516) by Tim Harford See book description on Harford's website: [link]