Macroeconomics: UK economy, IB Economics

Jasper Jolly's article highlights the recent history of Jaguar Land Rover, noting that the car industry, in particular, the electric car industry seems to have fallen further behind its competitors in the EU and the US. 

They argue that the company has full order books, not as a result of high levels of demand, but its inability to meet that demand and the slow move towards zero emissions cars. Unlike some of its rivals, it simply doesn't have the scale to rival other manufacturers. 

And the farmer's position is made even clearer here - is it inevitably the case that UK farmers will lose out, perhaps as a result of lower costs, in part driven by economies of scale? 

Or will free trade with Australia and New Zealand force consolidation of the sector, or better practice, as farmers move into the production of higher quality, organic alternatives. There are lots of things to think through. 

Is this the way forward - with bacteria, fungus and enzymes all capable of digesting plastic - but is this technology scalable? 

This BBC article investigates.

It seems as though the rationalisation of public services under larger local councils could save money. However, this is only one side of the story - the possibility of cost savings, largely as a result of economies of scale, would be offset by a loss of accountability and less local representation. 

It seems as though the notion of 'levelling up' via decentralization is running into reality.