Is economics a useful tool for maintaining peace? Can nations use economic policies to avoid war? With globalization an established fact of modern politics, this question is more important than ever. In this piece, we'll consider arguments both for and against. Browse our PhD program listings for economics

More than 43.000 foreign students are currently studying at universities in the Czech Republic. Many of them don't have to pay tuition fees, because they are enrolled in Czech taught degree programmes and therefore they study under the same conditions as Czech students do. While it might be difficult right now to move during the pandemic, it's always worth keeping yourself informed of what your future options are.

Speaking of current issues under the influence of COVID-19, events on the water, or sea, which is another parallel world with its written and unwritten laws, are somewhat undeservedly forgotten. Looking at the latest data, we need to talk about a very worrying trend over the last year. Although global maritime piracy is not as high as between 2009 and 2012, in 2020 the number of pirate attacks and attempts has increased by 24% compared to 2019.

Regardless of where you are applying, nearly every course requires at least one, if not two or three letters of reference. Such documents are sometimes also referred to as letters of recommendation. In general, it is best for reference letters to be written by professors with whom you have worked closely, so they can offer detailed insight into you and your work.

Every year thousands of economics students decide to continue education, either straight away after graduation or after a year or two of “real world” work experience. Often at this point comes the question: should I pursue a PhD or enroll in a Master of Business Administration program?

According to the International Chamber of Shipping, more than 50,000 container ships are currently active in the oceans. These are large vessels that carry cargo in closed containers. The capacity of a container ship is measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), while a vessel with a capacity of more than 20,000 TEU is defined as a very large container ship.

When it comes to choosing a career path, pragmatic people know that they shouldn't select a job purely based on how interesting they find it. In order to have a stable, long-term career, the job path chosen should be based on the needs of the market as well as the interests and skills of the individual. For this reason, we've rounded up some potential jobs for economists which are highly in demand today. 

If you're doing an economics degree and thinking about ways to maximise your career prospects once you graduate, there are lots of courses outside the realm of economics for you to choose from. From business to programming to statistics, there are plenty of areas which can help you improve your chances of getting a job and widen your skillset more generally, if you've got the money and time to enrol on one.

Upon completion of a Master's degree or PhD, the big question arises: what next? Although it seems like natural progression to continue with further research, there are many other careers open to academics in business, education, or communication and journalism, to name but a few examples. So how do you know if research is the right career choice for you? A good way of figuring it out is weighing up the pros and cons. Browse our job listings for economics opportunities

Monetary policy refers to the set of policies that monetary authorities such as central banks use to control the money supply of a country and thereby the economic activity. According to economic theory, changes in the money supply - i.e., in the amount of money (in cash and deposits) that is provided by the central banks and can be used in economic transactions - affect investment and consequently economic growth.

Our favorite caricature of a post-doctoral researcher: a frail man (or woman) with unkempt hair, hunched in front of a computer screen, with a half-filled cup of coffee by his side. As the coffee gets colder and time flies by, he appears oblivious to his surroundings – he is happy spending long hours at his desk conceptualizing arcane theory on obscure topics the real world does not care about. He is in a state of eternal tapasya – meditating on his eternal love-affair with knowledge… because, life is an eternal quest for knowledge!

‘Chance dominates the game’ concluded C. Reep and B. Benjamin in their 1968 study ‘Skill and Chance in Association Football’ - and not without consequence. Until recently, this statement stood as received wisdom, the phrase deemed self-evident, its veracity left unquestioned. Predictions based on statistics were a folly they said, the game was ‘too fluid, too unpredictable’.

The European Union (EU) is working very hard to make ship recycling greener and safer in the future. It is quite clear that the dismantling of ships in many parts of South Asia in its current state is not acceptable, either from an environmental or a social point of view. Ship recycling regulations, adopted seven years ago, are finally gathering pace now.

When you apply to present at an economics conference, you'll often be asked to provide a letter of motivation along with your abstract and CV. This is used to decide which applicants will be invited to give a talk or poster presentation at the conference. But what information should this letter of motivation contain, and what's the best way to increase your chances of being accepted to present?

The COVID-19 crisis has hit hard enough and continues to affect the global container shipping market. The current economic situation does not give much hope for a short-term recovery of this market. Demand for container shipments has fallen sharply, especially as China closed much of its plants in February 2020. The volume of production or cargo to be exported to other countries plummeted. The situation was exacerbated by a number of restrictions and requirements in almost every industry and in the world's ports.

Virtual options such as GoToMeeting and Zoom are viable solutions which allow conference organizers to host their events safely, in spite of the pandemic. Virtual broadcasting may also allow you to expand the options available to participants. Here’s how: Pre-recorded sessions:

When applying for a academic position as a researcher, lecturer or for a fellowship, a cover letter is usually required to accompany your CV. Stating your particular interest in the role, and showing how your experience enables you to excel at the job, is the aim of a successful cover letter. They can be one of the most important parts of your application, giving the recipient an idea of who you are and what your relevant expertise is. Essentially, it's the first impression an institution will have of you, so it's important to get it right.

Elasticity of substitution measures the ease with which one can switch between factors of production. The concept has a broad range of applications, from comparisons of labour and capital in firms, immigrant versus native workers in the labour market, to assessing ‘clean’ versus ‘dirty’ methods of production for environmental economics.

Externalities are costs (negative externalities) or benefits (positive externalities) of market transactions that are not reflected in the market price and that affect individuals who are not participating in the market. Depending on the allocation of property rights in the economy, the presence of externalities is addressed through negotiation between the affected parties and/or government intervention in the market.

Derivatives of functions are computed using differential calculus. They are widely applied in economic modelling to measure the effects and rates of change in economic variables, as well as to determine maximum and minimum values of functions.

With university life still suffering major disruptions and COVID fatigue reaching new heights, we at INOMICS felt it time for the latest instalment in our ‘online course’ series. We understand how difficult it’s been in these last months, the fear, frustration, and now, more recently, the boredom. Many have picked up new hobbies to pass the time, some have started learning a new language, and others, even, have experimented with exercise... As admirable as these endeavours are, a trick is still being missed.

As has been recently documented on INOMICS, students across the world face a mental health crisis of unprecedented proportions. Columnist James Matthew Alston investigated the phenomenon, looking particularly at university responses - his conclusions made for tough reading.

In recent years, an epidemic has enveloped university campuses across the world - and it's not the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Compared to any other generation of college students in history, current students experience more mental health issues than ever before.

There are now more online learning options than ever available, including courses which are absolutely free. Whether you want to prepare for your upcoming university course, you need to pick up some extra skills to help with your job, or you are just interested in a subject and want to learn more, there will be an online course which you can take to help you achieve your goals.

Innovation Economics is a relatively new branch of economics that focuses on (rather predictably) innovation, alongside the study of technology, knowledge, and entrepreneurship. It aims to understand where new ideas come from, and how we can put forward policies which will encourage the development of new ways of thinking. As many nations move away from an industrial model of production and towards a knowledge-based economy, the economics of innovation becomes more and more relevant.