Demystifying private equity
What is private equity? What do PE firms do, how do they make their money, and why do companies seek out private equity investment? The term private equity often conjures up images of exclusive deals, high stakes investment, and elite financial circles but plenty of companies use it successfully to… Read More
Is dynamic pricing an ambush or advantage for consumers?
The debate as to whether or when dynamic pricing is fair and reasonable continues, and there are even calls for it be banned. Dynamic pricing has been in the news recently, with backlash from fans trying to secure a ticket to see Oasis in concert. You will have experienced dynamic… Read More
How can economics help governments decide how to spend scarce public funds?
In the UK, and across Europe, there are many public-funded areas crying out for more investment. However, the context of low growth, high levels of public debt and public interest payments, mean that tough decisions on spending priorities across public services, infrastructure and social security have to be made. In… Read More
Revenue stream(ing): how the economics of the music industry is changing
Streaming is bringing more access, more music and more flexibility for the listener, but at what cost? The face of music has changed dramatically in the last 15 years. Technology shifts mean that distribution methods have changed, with cassette tapes and CDs consigned to history’s scrap heap. Streaming has fundamentally… Read More
Deceptive patterns: how can we make choices fairer online?
Online, every click and swipe is subtly influenced by how choices are presented to you. In a world where what we watch, listen to, read, and buy is the result of responding to the choices presented to us on a screen, this choice architecture is hugely important. We may not… Read More
How is artificial intelligence (AI) changing our world?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly evolving technology which is set to affect every aspect of our daily lives. Will AI drive vehicles, diagnose dementia and cancer, write novels and beat us at our favourite games? Or is that future here already? In our latest ‘Top of the Agenda’ podcast,… Read More
Financial inequality and the gender investment gap
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day, on 8 March, calls for us to embrace equity. Our latest Agenda podcast explores how financial inequality and the gender investment gap put women in financially vulnerable positions that can then be exacerbated by further challenges—such as the cost-of-living crisis. Listen to Anna… Read More
Episode two: The contribution of good corporate governance to the market valuation of European companies
Brussels was the ideal setting for our most recent two-part Agenda podcast, where the European Contact Group brought together different stakeholders to discuss the results of Oxera’s report, An analysis of the EU governance framework for corporate reporting. In episode two of the podcast, the discussion addresses how, in practice,… Read More
Episode one: The contribution of good corporate governance to the market valuation of European companies
Brussels was the ideal setting for our most recent two-part Agenda podcast, where the European Contact Group brought together different stakeholders to discuss the results of Oxera’s report, An analysis of the EU governance framework for corporate reporting. In episode one of the podcast, we present and discuss the conclusions… Read More
Breaking the Bias
This year, International Women’s Day calls for us to ‘Break the Bias’. We have used economics to identify and define bias, as well as to find solutions to combat it. Dr Antara Dutta, Amazon’s In-House Economist, and two of our own economists—Economic Adviser, Katie-Lee English and Senior Consultant,… Read More