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Rhys ap Gwilym

Senior Lecturer in Economics, Bangor University
Dr Rhys ap Gwilym is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at Bangor University’s Business School. He trained as a macroeconomist at Cardiff University, gaining his PhD on the “Macroeconomic Implications of Behavioural Finance Models” in 2009. His academic research has involved developing models which introduce behavioural factors into macroeconomic analysis (including DSGE models) and the analysis of financial instruments in a general equilibrium setting. He has published in journals including the Journal of Banking and Finance, Economics Letters and the Southern Economic Journal.

More recently, his research interests have evolved to cover spatial economics and public finance. He is currently working on a project examining how geographical differences in access to finance influence regional economic disparities; in particular the links between the financialization of land and regional economic development.

Rhys has a strong interest in regional development policy and its role in Wales in particular. He has been a principal investigator on two grant-funded research projects for the Welsh Government relating to land value tax and tourism taxes. He is a member of the Institute of Welsh Affairs’ Economic Policy Group, where he has been involved in the development of discussion papers on the Welsh economy. He recently contributed to the “expert roundtable on the Welsh tax base & implications for public policy”.

Why you should expect to pay more tourist taxes – even though the evidence for them is unclear

May 09, 2024 07:09 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

In April 2024, Venice began its controversial experiment to charge day trippers 5 (4.30) to visit the city on some of the busiest days of the year. But its not just the lagoon city, with its 30 million visitors a year...

Economy

Global Smartphone Shipments Rise 2% in 2025 as Apple Leads Market, Outlook Weakens for 2026

Global smartphone shipments recorded a modest 2% year-on-year increase in 2025, signaling a gradual recovery for the mobile industry, according to a report released by Counterpoint Research. The growth was largely fueled...

Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Dollar Slips on Powell Investigation Concerns

Asian currencies traded mostly flat on Monday as the U.S. dollar weakened following news that the U.S. government had opened a criminal investigation involving Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, raising fresh concerns...

Asian Stocks Edge Higher as Tech Shares Lead Gains Amid Global Uncertainty

Most Asian stock markets moved higher on Monday, led by gains in technology shares that followed a strong performance by U.S. peers, although overall advances remained limited due to rising geopolitical and macroeconomic...

Markets React as Tensions Rise Between White House and Federal Reserve Over Interest Rate Pressure

Tensions between the White House and the U.S. Federal Reserve escalated sharply over the weekend after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell revealed that the administration had allegedly threatened him with a criminal...

Japan Launches Deep-Sea Rare Earth Mining Mission to Reduce Reliance on China

Japan has taken a major step toward securing its supply of critical minerals by launching a groundbreaking deep-sea mining mission aimed at extracting rare earth elements from the ocean floor. A government-backed Japanese...

Politics

Marine Le Pen Appeal Puts 2027 French Presidential Race in the Balance

Marine Le Pen, the prominent leader of Frances far-right National Rally (RN), has begun a decisive appeal in Paris that could determine whether she is eligible to run in the 2027 French presidential election. The legal...

South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung Seeks Diplomatic Balance in Japan Summit Amid China Tensions

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is set to hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday in Nara City, highlighting Seouls ongoing effort to balance relations with its two key neighbours, Japan...

Australian Arts Festival Faces Author Boycott Amid Free Speech and Antisemitism Debate

A leading Australian arts festival has been thrown into turmoil after dozens of writers withdrew in protest over the decision to bar an Australian Palestinian author following the Bondi Beach mass shooting, reigniting a...

Trump Signals Possible Veto of ACA Subsidy Extension, Raising Health Insurance Uncertainty

U.S. President Donald Trump has reignited uncertainty around the future of Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance subsidies after saying he may veto legislation aimed at extending federal health insurance tax credits....

South Korea Investigates Alleged Civilian Drone Flights Into North Korean Airspace

South Korean authorities have launched a formal investigation into the possibility that civilians may have flown drones into North Korean airspace, following accusations from Pyongyang that unmanned aircraft violated its...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

BESI Reports Strong Q4-25 Orders Surge Driven by Data Center and Hybrid Bonding Demand

BE Semiconductor Industries N.V. (Euronext: BESI), a leading Dutch semiconductor assembly equipment manufacturer, reported robust preliminary orders for the fourth quarter of 2025, underscoring strengthening demand across...

Trump Considers Starlink to Restore Internet Access in Iran Amid Protests

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he is considering discussions with billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk about restoring internet access in Iran, where authorities have imposed widespread blackouts amid...

Anthropic Launches HIPAA-Compliant Healthcare Tools for Claude AI Amid Growing Competition

Anthropic has announced the launch of a new suite of healthcare-focused tools integrated into its Claude AI chatbot, marking another significant step in the rapidly expanding use of artificial intelligence in medicine. The...

Elon Musk Says X Will Open-Source Its Algorithm Amid EU Scrutiny

Elon Musk announced on Saturday that X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, will publicly release its recommendation algorithm, including the full code behind organic content and advertising post...

China’s AI Sector Pushes to Close U.S. Tech Gap Amid Chipmaking Challenges

China is accelerating efforts to narrow its technological gap with the United States, driven by increased risk-taking, innovation, and strong policy support for artificial intelligence and semiconductors. Leading Chinese...