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DURHAM ECONOMICS DIGEST
World
All the latest developments in the Americas, Asia and Africa.


The Lasting Impact of 1975’s Loans Affair
‘God Save the Queen, Because Nothing Will Save the Governor-General’ The 11th November is known to most as a day of remembrance for those that died in WW1 and for the innumerable conflicts that followed; poppies are worn, wreaths are lain, the eery notes of the Last Post can be heard. However, for Australia, 11th November is also remembered for another monumental event that happened fifty years ago. Let’s set the scene. It’s November 1975, Mamma Mia by ABBA is the Number 1

Emily Hatwell
1 day ago4 min read


Buy Now, Pay Later: is financing that Black Friday burrito really worth it?
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) providers have rapidly taken over online checkouts. Now, it’s become impossible to visit any online vendor without seeing the soft pastel colours of Klarna or Afterpay; slowly dominating and becoming the primary method of payment for the younger shoppers. The prospect of paying four small instalments – no interest charged, if paid on time. This makes the hard pill of the total price much easier to swallow. BNPL providers like Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay

Gabby Wong
2 days ago4 min read


Cracking the Chinese Consumption Code: Why China’s Growth Model Needs to Flip
China’s remarkable economic rise has primarily been driven by investment, whether in factories, infrastructure, or real estate built at unprecedented speed. But for more than a decade, Beijing has aimed to shift toward household consumption as the core driver of growth. Progress has been limited. Today, consumption accounts for just around 39% of GDP, which is far below major advanced economies, and remains overshadowed by investment and exports. Why is household consumption

James Smith
2 days ago2 min read


How Tunisia Threw its Youth in the Sea
In the field of socioeconomic research, following the ever-increasing rate of globalisation, the studied phenomenon of “brain drain” has become increasingly prevalent. This is the colloquial term for human capital flight, which is defined as the emigration or immigration of highly skilled individuals seeking better living standards and higher wages. Tunisia, an economically stagnant country with most of its GDP vested in education, stands tall, ongoing for the past 13 years,

Ines Gueriri
Nov 166 min read


What is Neuroeconomics?
How utilising the power of fMRI and EEG techniques can help us to better understand why we make irrational decisions

Bailey Rawden
Mar 22, 20233 min read


Argentina and Brazil’s Common Currency Proposal: Feasible or Destined For Failure?
Brazilian and Argentinian presidents da Silva and Fernández announced their intention to establish a common currency

Lara Gigov
Feb 12, 20235 min read


Winner of the 2022/23 Undergraduate Essay Competition: Sonia Lee
Sonia Lee discusses the economic and geopolitical implications of the recent US-imposed tariffs on semiconductors in China

Sonia Lee
Feb 11, 20236 min read


From Fossil to Fusion: Humanity's Next Giant Leap Towards Sustainable Energy
How harnessing the power of the sun can help brighten the future of humanity on its mission towards global decarbonisation and sustainable

Bailey Rawden
Dec 22, 20227 min read


Winter of Discontent 2.0
The Return of Stagflation: How The Cost-of-Living Crisis is Preparing a Vulnerable UK Economy to Face its Coldest Winter on Record. Could...

Bailey Rawden
Sep 1, 202213 min read


Why Biden’s ‘Green New Deal’ won’t Uproot Chinese Dominance of the Renewable Energy Sector
Joseph R. Biden, the 46th President of the United States, recently changed the vocabulary of the White House and federal agencies to...

Legacy Writer
Sep 23, 20215 min read


COVID-19: Can the Chinese Communist Party be Made to Pay?
Watching the lunchtime news on the BBC, I noted the ever-growing list of English counties and cities moving into increasingly harsher...

Legacy Writer
Sep 23, 20219 min read


Democracy in Review
Earlier this year, the world bore witness to the 2020 American presidential elections. Despite the headline-grabbing accusations of fraud...

Legacy Writer
Sep 23, 20215 min read


Must we Keep the Developing World ‘Underdeveloped’ to Avoid Catastrophic Climate Change?
It is no surprise that the world’s least developed countries are also the most susceptible to the devastation of climate change....

Legacy Writer
Sep 23, 20215 min read


Water Scarcity in MENA and Diplomatic Problems
Water stresses can no longer be bottled up. The Middle East has been one of the first to experience a rude awakening to the reality of...

Legacy Writer
Sep 23, 20216 min read


Coronavirus Highlights Africa’s Problems
The spread of the coronavirus has impacted the global economy differently. In Africa, there have been over 2 million cases confirmed,...

Legacy Writer
Sep 23, 20214 min read
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