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Economics
Economics explores the full spectrum of issues that impact on financial situations and decisions. From production to consumption, economics looks at how the world’s resources are used by and distributed among individuals and organizations.
The two major veins of economics are microeconomics and macroeconomics. Microeconomics looks at the behavior and interactions of individual agents, such as households, companies, buyers and sellers. Macroeconomics analyzes entire economies on a national or global scale, looking at issues such as unemployment, inflation, economic growth and monetary and fiscal policy.
Digging deeper into subject interests can help you in a number of ways:
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Confirm whether this is (or isn't) something you would be interested in enough to want to study it at university either as the focus of your degree or a minor/elective
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Give you some inspiration to use when creating your questions and topics for IA's (coursework) and your Extended Essay
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Provide you with content for your university application writing in the future, enabling you to reflect on the things you've been doing to explore your interests in a way that is academically relevant to the course or institution you are applying for.
Useful Resources
Oxford University Research Blog | Blog | The University of Oxford's Blog on their current research. It includes articles on a huge range of topics but particularly relevant to the current global challenges. | Click Here > | |
University of Nottingham e-resources | Blog | Video | Recorded Lecture | The University of Nottingham have a number of resources for students to explore degrees you could study at university. The resources include videos, taster lectures and blogs. Use the menu to select the areas you are interested in to see what they have to offer. | Click Here > | |
Economics: a very short introduction, by Partha Dasgupta | Book | Economics has the capacity to offer us deep insights into some of the most formidable problems of life, and offer solutions to them too. Combining a global approach with examples from everyday life, Partha Dasgupta describes the lives of two children who live very different lives in different parts of the world: in the Mid-West USA and in Ethiopia. He compares the obstacles facing them, and the processes that shape their lives, their families, and their futures. He shows how economics uncovers these processes, finds explanations for them, and how it forms policies and solutions. Along the way, Dasgupta provides an intelligent and accessible introduction to key economic factors and concepts such as individual choices, national policies, efficiency, equity, development, sustainability, dynamic equilibrium, property rights, markets, and public goods. | St. Clare Library L41 330 UNI | |
Freakonomics: a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything, by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner | Book | What do estate agents and the Ku Klux Klan have in common? Why do drug dealers live with their mothers? How can your name affect how well you do in life? The answer: Freakonomics. It's at the heart of everything we do and the things that affect us daily, from sex to crime, parenting to politics, fat to cheating, fear to traffic jams. And its all about using informatiojn about the world around us to get to the heart of whats really happening under the surface of everyday life. | St. Clares Library L25 330.01 LEV | |
Free Lunch: easily digestible economics, by David Smith | Book | The economy has never been so relevant to so many people as it is now, and it's vital that we understand how it affects our lives. 'There's no such thing as a free lunch' is the one phrase everyone has heard from economics - not even for bankers. But why not? What does economics tell us about the price of lunch - and everything else?
Free Lunch makes the economics pages of the newspaper intelligible and addresses the concerns that worry us all. It will enable you to understand - and challenge - the claims made by politicians Set out like a good lunch-time conversation, the book will guide you through the mysteries of the economy. Your guides will be some of the greatest names in the field, including Smith, Marx and Keynes.
It is essential reading in these times of economic uncertainty, and is far more satisfying than even the most gourmet banquet. | St. Clares Library L25 330 SMI | |
Guns, germs and steel: a short history of everybody for the last 13,000 years, by Jared Diamond | Book | Why has human history unfolded so differently across the globe? And what can it teach us about our current crisis?
Jared Diamond puts the case that geography and biogeography, not race, moulded the contrasting fates of Europeans, Asians, Native Americans, sub-Saharan Africans, and aboriginal Australians.
An ambitious synthesis of history, biology, ecology and linguistics, Guns, Germs and Steel is a ground-breaking and humane work of popular science that can provide expert insight into our modern world. | St. Clares Library L12 909 DIA | |
Superfreakonomics : global cooling, patriotic prostitutes, and why suicide bombers should buy life insurance, Dubner S.J & Levitt S.D | Book | Steven Levitt, the original rogue economist, and Stephen Dubner have spent four years uncovering the hidden side of even more controversial subjects, from terrorism to shark attacks, cable TV to hurricanes. The result is Superfreakonomics. It reveals, among other things: - Why you are more likely to be killed walking drunk than driving drunk - How a prostitute is more likely to sleep with a policeman than be arrested by one - Why terrorists might be easier to track down than you would imagine - How a sex change could boost your salary Because sometimes the most superfreaky solution is the simplest.
Here at last is the sequel to the international bestselling phenomenon, 'Freakonomics'. Steven Levitt, the original rogue economist, and Stephen Dubner have been working hard, uncovering the hidden side of even more controversial subjects, from charity to terrorism and prostitution. | St. Clares Library L25 330.01 LEV | |
The Evolution of Everything : how new ideas emerge, by Matt Ridley | Book | We are taught that the world is a top-down place. Acclaimed author Matt Ridley shows just how wrong this is in his compelling new book. This is more often wrong than right. 'The Evolution of Everything' is about bottom-up order and its enemy, the top-down twitch, the endless fascination human beings have for design rather than evolution, for direction rather than emergence. | St. Clare's Library at shelf location L 23 500 RID | |
The Great Economists : how their ideas can help us today, by Linda Yueh | Book | Since the days of Adam Smith, economists have grappled with a series of familiar problems - but often their ideas are hard to digest, even before we try to apply them to today's issues. Linda Yueh is renowned for her combination of erudition, as an accomplished economist herself, and accessibility, as a leading writer and broadcaster in this field. In 'The Great Economists' she explains the key thoughts of history's greatest economists, how our lives have been influenced by their ideas and how they could help us with the policy challenges that we face today. In the light of current economic problems, and in particular economic growth, Yueh explores the thoughts of economists from Adam Smith and David Ricardo to contemporary academics Douglass North and Robert Solow. Along the way, she asks, for example, what do the ideas of Karl Marx tell us about the likely future for the Chinese economy? | St. Clares Library L25 330 YUE | |
The Logic of Life: uncovering the new economics of everything, by Tim Harford | Book | 'Truly eye-opening ...There is almost no situation that Harford cannot dissect with his sharp economist's tools ...economics has never been this cool' NEW STATESMAN If humans are so clever, why do we smoke and gamble, or take drugs, or fall in love? Is this really rational behaviour? And how come your idiot boss is so overpaid? In fact, the behaviour of even the unlikeliest of individuals - prostitutes, drug addicts, racists and revolutionaries - complies with economic logic, taking into account future costs and benefits, even if we don't quite realise it. We are rational beings after all. | St. Clares Library L25 330 HAR | |
The Rough Guide to Economics, by Andrew Mell & Oliver Walker | Book | The title provides an explanation of the basics of economics, explaining economic models and the activities of consumers, businesses, and governments. It includes an overview of key debating points and economic controversies, such as the relevance of happiness, the inequality of wealth and climate change. | St. Clares Library L25 330 MEL | |
The Truth About Markets: why some nations are rich but most remain poor, by John Kay | Book | Capitalism faltered at the end of the 1990s as corporations were rocked by fraud, the stock-market bubble burst and the American business model - unfettered self-interest, privatization and low tax - faced a storm of protest. But what are the alternatives to the mantras of market fundamentalism? Leading economist John Kay unravels the truth about markets, from Wall Street to Switzerland, from Russia to Mumbai, examining why some nations are rich and some poor, why 'one-size-fits-all' globalization hurts developing countries and why markets can work - but only in a humane social and cultural context. His answers offer a radical new blueprint for the future. | St. Clares Library L25 330 KAY | |
The Undercover Economist, by Tim Harford | Book | Who makes most money from the demand for cappuccinos early in the morning at Waterloo Station? Why is it impossible to get a foot on the property ladder? How does the Mafia make money from laundries when street gangs pushing drugs don't? Who really benefits from immigration? How can China, in just fifty years, go from the world's worst famine to one of the greatest economic revolutions of all time, lifting a million people out of poverty a month? Looking at familiar situations in unfamiliar ways, THE UNDERCOVER ECONOMIST is a fresh explanation of the fundamental principles of the modern economy, illuminated by examples from the streets of London to the booming skyscrapers of Shanghai to the sleepy canals of Bruges. Leaving behind textbook jargon and equations, Tim Harford will reveal the games of signals and negotiations, contests of strength and battles of wit that drive not only the economy at large but the everyday choices we make. | St. Clares Library L25 330 HAR | |
This Time is Different: eight centuries of financial folly, by Carmen M. Reinhart & Kenneth S. Rogoff | Book | Throughout history, rich and poor countries alike have been lending, borrowing, crashing - and recovering - their way through an extraordinary range of financial crises. Each time, the experts have chimed, 'this time is different' - claiming that the old rules of valuation no longer apply and that the new situation bears little similarity to past disasters. This book proves that premise wrong. Covering sixty-six countries across five continents, This Time Is Different presents a comprehensive look at the varieties of financial crises, and guides us through eight astonishing centuries of government defaults, banking panics, and inflationary spikes - from medieval currency debasement to today's subprime catastrophe. Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff, leading economists whose work has been influential in the policy debate concerning the current financial crisis, provocatively argue that financial combustions are universal rites of passage for emerging and established market nations. The authors draw important lessons from history to show us how much - or how little - we have learned.
Using clear, sharp analysis and comprehensive data, Reinhart and Rogoff document that financial fallouts occur in clusters and strike with surprisingly consistent frequency, duration, and ferocity. They examine the patterns of currency crashes, high and hyperinflation, and government defaults on international and domestic debts - as well as cycles in housing and equity prices, capital flows, unimployemnt, and government revenues around these crises. While countries do weather their financial storms, Reinhart and Rogoff prove that short memories make it all too easy for crises to recur.
An important book that will affect policy discussions for a long time to come, This Time Is Different exposes centuries of financial missteps. | St. Clares Library L25 330.9 REI | |
ProEd | Course | Future Banker Programme at Imperial College London (use code StClares2022 for a 20% discount) | Click Here > | |
STEM Guide | E-Magazine | A guide to careers in STEM subjects. | Click Here > | |
Summer Schools in Europe | Events | The most complete directory of summer courses in Europe. It includes courses for high school, undergraduate and graduate students, so ensure you read the descriptions to find options right for you. | Click Here > | |
Young Investment Banker Programmes | Events | Conference | Gain an immersive experience of Investment Banking alongside top professionals. Choose below either our Young Investment Banker Weekend or our Young Investment Banker Summer Experience. | Click Here > | |
Michigan Journal of Business | Journal | The MJB is an undergraduate run academic business journal at the Stephen M.Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. The catalogue of previous issues is available for free online. | Click Here > | |
Research from the University of Bristol | Journal Articles | Website | Explore cutting edge research from the different faculties and departments from the University of Bristol, including free access to their published journal articles. | Click Here > | |
D McCloskey Economical Writing | Journal | Article | Click Here > | ||
Coursera | Online Course | Coursera is an online platform for distance learning. They have a range of free courses delivered by universities. Search in this section to find courses of interest to you, often these are courses you can follow at your own pace. | Click Here > | |
EdX | Online Course | The X Series courses on the EdX platform are free online courses delivered by universities and aimed at helping you explore areas of interest. | Click Here > | |
FutureLearn | Online Course | FutureLearn is a free online platform where universities from around the globe host FREE online courses you can undertake in your areas of interest. Browse courses by categories or use the search bar to find courses relevant to your interests | Click Here > | |
ProEd | Online Course | Online Future Banker Programme (use code StClares2022 for a 20% discount) | Click Here > | |
An interview on 'Game Theory' with Melvyn Bragg on BBC’s 'In Our Time' with speakers Richard Bradley, Ian Stewart and Andrew Colman | Podcast | Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss game theory, the mathematical study of decision-making. First formulated in the 1940s, the discipline entails devising 'games' to simulate situations of conflict or cooperation. It allows researchers to unravel decision-making strategies, and even to establish why certain types of behaviour emerge. Some of the games studied in game theory have become well known outside academia - they include the Prisoner's Dilemma, an intriguing scenario popularised in novels and films, and which has inspired television game shows. Today game theory is seen as a vital tool in such diverse fields as evolutionary biology, economics, computing and philosophy. With:Ian StewartEmeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of WarwickAndrew ColmanProfessor of Psychology at the University of LeicesterRichard BradleyProfessor of Philosophy at the London School of Economics and Political Science.Producer: Thomas Morris. | Click Here > | |
Bloomberg | Podcast | Bloomberg have a range of podcasts on a variety of topics from coverage of the stock markets to the pay gap and the reason for mistrust in vaccines. On most the latest episode is free to listen to, but there is also a subscription option. | Click Here > | |
Oxford Martin School: Public Lectures and Seminars | Podcast | Recorded Lecture | Public Lectures and Seminars from the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford. The Oxford Martin School brings together the best minds from different fields to tackle the most pressing issues of the 21st century. | Click Here > | |
Long-run growth after a pandemic: The Black Death in Europe | Sample Economics Lecture | Recorded Lecture | A Sample lecture from the School of Economics and the University of Nottingham | March 2021 | Click Here > | |
Making the Past Serve the Present: the Silk Road and China's Quest for Imperial Rejuvenation | Recorded Lecture | A Lecture from the Royal Society for Asian Affairs from Jan 2021 | Click Here > | |
New geographies of global money? Chinese finance in London | A recorded lecture from Geography Education and the University of Nottingham | Recorded Lecture | In this talk, Sarah Hall, Professor of Economic Geography at the University of Nottingham, explores the globalisation of money and finance by focusing on the growing influence of Chinese finance in London. | October 2020 | Click Here > | |
Springpod Subject Spotlights | Recorded Lecture | On demand mini-lectures from top UK universities across a range of degree subject areas | Click Here > | |
T Harford “How to run – or ruin – an economy” | Recorded Lecture | Tim Harford, Financial Times columnist, author and presenter of Radio 4's "More or Less" gives RES Public Lecture at Royal Institution on 28 November 2013 | Click Here > | |
What is money? | Sample Lecture from the University of Nottingham | Recorded lecture | Sample lecture from the School of Economics at the University of Nottingham | Click Here > | |
Brexit referendum and the rise in hate crime: conforming to the new norm | Video Short | Video | Short Film from the Economics department at the University of Nottingham from March 2020 | Click Here > | |
Preferences for Truth-telling | Video Short | Video | Short Video from the University of Nottingham | March 2020 | Click here > | |
Royal Society for Asian Affairs You | Video | Webinar | Recorded Lecture | A collection of webinars and recorded lectures from the UK Royal Society for Asian Affairs | Click Here > | |
University of Swansea Webinars | Webinar | Video | This is a collection of recordings from the University of Swansea's subject taster webinar series which they run at various times throughout the year. Browse through to find topics relevant to your interests. | Click Here > | |
Investopedia | Website | Investopedia is a financial education website. They offer a stock market similar, news and views on a range of investment topics. They also offer an academy with online courses but there is a fee for these. | Click Here > | |
21st Century Challenges: Informed discussion from the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) | Website | Blog | Video | Recorded Lecture | Events | 21st Century Challenges considers the big social, environmental and economic challenges of our time. Join us at events; read articles and commentary informed by the latest geographical research; watch videos, be inspired, think critically, build your networks and share your ideas. | Click here > | |
HE+ | Website | Podcast | Blog | Video | The HE+ website has supercurricular resources created and written by Cambridge students and academics including challenging activities, engaging videos, reflective questions and much more. | Click Here > | |
LIS Learning Hub | Website | Webinar | Recorded Lecture | Blog | Podcast | This is an open source area full of webinars, articles, videos, short reads, mini-lectures, podcasts and more from the London Interdiscipinary school. | Click Here > | |
Springpod Virtual Work Experience | Work Experience | Virtual work experience Opportunities across a range of companies and sectors. Most of them are free. | Click Here > |
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