The Looking Glass

By Shrey Parikh What is Cryptocurrency? Have you ever wondered about cryptocurrency? What makes people talk about it, and what has led to its popularity during this decade? The answer is as follows: A cryptocurrency is a type of digital money or an alternative way of making payments, and it enables people to exchange goods and services securely without involving a third-party system. It is a peer-to-peer network or a system that enables everyone globally to make or receive payments. Whereas physical currencies are moved and traded in the real world, cryptocurrency deals exist only as digital entries in an online ledger that describes specific transactions. When you transfer cryptocurrency funds, the transactions are recorded in a public ledger. Cryptocurrency is typically stored in digital wallets, where the owner of the cryptocurrency has the private key to their wallet; this setup makes it impossible for any unauthorised party to access the wallet1 . Cryptocurrency in the modern econ...

  Lobbying - Friend or Foe? By Rishabh Sidana INTRODUCTION Lobbying describes attempts to influence government decisions by private-interest economic agents. In principle, the case for lobbying appears simple: governments are not omniscient. They are unaware of the needs of firms and citizens, leading to imperfect policies, and political disengagement. Lobbying serves a salient solution to filling this information gap – albeit one far from perfect.  LOBBYING: A STEP TOWARDS THE RIGHT PATH It would be reductive to examine lobbying’s harms without first acknowledging its merit.  Economically, developing nations with weak institutions may benefit from lobbying-induced efficiency gains . Contrarian views posit lobbying has universally negative impacts , yet this need not be the case. In extremely weak institutions, extractable rents eventually grow insufficient; firms that cannot depend on government influence are forced to raise productivity or open themselves to trade (wh...

  The reason that I enjoy comics is because comics and graphic novels are funny, entertaining,  suspenseful, full of action and they come in all sorts of genres. I started to like comics when one day I was at the airport and saw a book on the shelves for sale. With a peculiar look on my face, I looked at it and wondered "This looks like cartoon but on a book with funny looking characters and plenty of action - I shall go and check it out". I then walked to the shelve and saw the cover. It was magnificent! It was called "Dog Man". All the drawings on the inside were drawn in a cartoon-like fashion and so funny that I couldn't take my eyes off them! A few months later, I had read many of the Dog Man comics over and over. I then went to the store later on and saw another comic book with characters on the front cover drawn in a skilled and yet funny way. I then thought: "What is this superb piece of artwork with such magnificently drawn characters!". I yet...

  Yusuf Shahrestani U6T How SMEs Navigate Inequality to Create Opportunity in the UK Economic inequality can be defined as the unequal distribution of resources, income, or wealth among individuals or groups in a particular society; though people often refer to it as ‘the gap between the rich and the poor’. In the UK, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs): businesses that have fewer than 250 employees and shared capital less than £66 Million, are particularly affected by these disparities. They depend heavily on the resources in their location, such as finances like loans, or having good internet and technology. Because these resources are not equally available everywhere, it can make it harder for SMEs in certain areas to compete in equal footing. Yet, some businesses manage to turn these very challenges into opportunities, finding innovation solutions that allow their businesses to expand. Why does this matter? Well, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), SMEs...