The Insight Factory

The global energy market has reached a point where renewable energy, particularly wind and solar, is expected to be the cheapest form of power by the year 2020. This is due to the considerable scale of investment into garnering new and more efficient technology in the industry. As standard economic theory predicts, the consequences of increasing production and exploiting the ‘economies of scale’ naturally results in a decline in the costs of bringing the product to market. “ Renewable Energy is expected to be the cheapest form of power by 2020” For wind energy, enhanced productive efficiency is mainly a result of improved wind turbine tower technology. For instance, turbine towers now feature longer turbine blades in addition to being taller in stature. Hence, wind energy is now the cheapest form of power in the US as reported by Morgan Stanley (2017). However, the most appealing form of renewable power currently in the market is solar energy. Over the past...

Political instability, a complex phenomenon that arises as a result of an amalgamation of numerous factors, plays a crucial role in shaping the current and the future state of the society we live in. Although events of instability are highly publicised and debated, many still question the exact impact that political instability has on their lives. A useful case to investigate is the growing region of Southeast Asia where a vast majority of nations are experiencing or have experienced countless episodes of instability.  Historically, the Southeast Asian region has been enriched with various forms of factor endowments (rubber, cotton, metals, and oil and gas) leading many of the nations to exploit their comparative advantage and becoming primarily focused on exporting. As Southeast Asia emerges as a major hub for trade and manufacturing, more interest in understanding the economic and social dynamics of the region has been generated. Countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, th...