The St Andrews Economist Weekly Edition

Sports isn’t the first inequality people pick up on when comparing state and private schools. Yet private school pupils receive triple the amount of time for sports than their state school counterparts. Given its obvious benefit for physical and mental health, Morgan Anthony argues why the UK government needs to do more to get the country’s kids active again.

Looking at a different aspect of the UK, Benjamin Gregg discusses the continuation of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, aka furlough. Amidst the worst economic crisis in recent history it has been vital for protecting jobs. But with a projected total cost of £107 billion, Benjamin explains why it will be better for the economy if it ends later this year.

Not far away, Cameron Fulton studies Iceland’s economic response to the current crisis. While brutally hit in the 2007-08 financial crisis, Iceland’s economy quickly rebounded afterwards. Cameron explains whether they can manage a repeat performance.

Thankfully economic woes will soon dissipate as countries vaccinate their populations. Abigail Byrne praises the women who were vital in bringing about this great scientific achievement. From Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, who helped introduce and advocate for smallpox inoculation in Britain in the 18th century, to Prof Sarah Gilbert, one of the developers of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, they have all helped save an incredible number of lives.

Wearing facemasks, one of the best health practices for minimising the spread of coronavirus, has been resisted by some people, especially in the freedom-loving United States. Charlie Flynn draws upon history to illustrate why so many Americans are averse to wearing masks, and although they are not wholly justified in their behaviour, why their beliefs are also not entirely baseless.

As some Americans resist wearing masks, others wage war abroad. Brock Burton looks at the activities of US Mercenaries, the infamous Blackwater included, and especially their role in the Yemeni Civil War that still rages to this present day. Meanwhile, Alec Veit brings to light the ongoing arms race between the US and China. While war is unlikely in both the near and distant future, he explains why allowing such an arms race to go on unchecked presents a danger to the world.

In Latin America, Brynna Boyer discusses the tragedy and the lack of attention on the Venezuelan refugee crisis. Millions of Venezuelans have fled the country over the past several years to flee the brutal tyranny and economic disaster brought about by President Nicolás Maduro. Yet Venezuelan refugees have received less aid than their counterparts worldwide, and Western foreign policy has not directed much effort to help them.

Finally, Mik Mrd talks about the hottest cryptocurrency spinoff to hit the web: NFTs, or non-fungible tokens. Built on the same blockchain technology that Bitcoin uses, NFTs present a method of creating ‘unique’ digital items that can be traded and stored in the same way that cryptocurrencies are. This new market has burst onto the scene with artwork and tweets being sold for millions.

United Kingdom