Nigeria’s oil output was at the lowest since 1990 as its crude oil production fell below 1 million barrels per day (bpd) in August 2022. And data from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in early September showed that Angola and Libya have overtaken Nigeria as Africa’s highest crude oil producers. The Conversation Africa’s […]
What if carbon border taxes applied to all carbon – fossil fuels, too?
The European Union is embarking on an experiment that will expand its climate policies to imports for the first time. It’s called a carbon border adjustment, and it aims to level the playing field for the EU’s domestic producers by taxing energy-intensive imports like steel and cement that are high in greenhouse gas emissions but […]
Fed likely to stay the course on interest rate hike as inflation ticks up but gas prices ease
The Federal Reserve received mixed news in the latest data on U.S. inflation as it mulls another rate hike. Consumer prices rose 8.3% in August from a year earlier, data released on Sept. 13, 2022, shows. While this pace is down from the 8.5% annual gain experienced in July, it’s still higher than what some […]
Ukraine’s economy went from Soviet chaos to oligarch domination to vital global trader of wheat and neon – and now Russian devastation
Ukraine’s economy continues to operate despite the battering the country is getting from the Russian military. Many factories and businesses still function. Other industries like those in information technology have barely missed a beat, with workers continuing to work from areas out of the direct line of fire. But Ukraine has been largely transformed into […]
A gloomy May Day awaits Nigerian workers
Imagine you live alone and walk into a local food market in Lagos, the Nigerian commercial capital, to buy a week’s worth of basic food items. In less than 15 minutes, you would find that you’ve spent at least 10,000 Naira (or US$24 at the official exchange rate of US$1 = 416 Naira). This may […]
Canada needs to stop wasting the talent of skilled immigrants
Neoliberal democracies across the world have looked up to Canada as a leader in economically driven immigration. The merit-based immigration system was used to fill labour market shortages and has been a go-to solution to the country’s aging population and recently, the post-pandemic economic recovery. We recently undertook a Photovoice project, Take a Walk in […]
Can the South Asian economy break from the past and find a route to stability?
Sri Lanka has a new president and prime minister – but a change in who leads the crisis-hit South Asian nation alone will not solve the country’s severe economic problems. Ranil Wickremesinghe – who on July 20, 2022, was voted in by lawmakers to replace fleeing former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa – and his appointed premier […]
Why China’s real estate crisis should make the global travel industry nervous
Once upon a time – in 2019 – tourists from China were among the best-traveled in the world. They collectively spent more than US$250 billion abroad – nearly twice as much as their nearest competitors, the Americans – and logged more than 150 million departures on international flights that year. The COVID-19 pandemic shook the […]
Owning your own business can make it harder to get hired later
If you’ve been thinking about starting your own business lately, you’re not alone. Americans began launching ventures in record numbers during the pandemic, with an above-trend pace continuing through 2023. Unfortunately, many of of these enterprises won’t last long: 30% of new businesses fail within two years, and half don’t last past five, according to […]
the state of the economy, the Indigenous ‘Voice’ and whether the first parliamentary week saw better standards
University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan discusses the week in politics with University of Canberra Associate Professor Caroline Fisher. This week saw parliament meet for the first time since the election. Michelle and Caroline talk about Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ sombre report on the economy, and the early flurry of legislation. They also examine whether […]