insight4me Economics: Externalities and Government Intervention with The University of Sheffield, Bournemouth University And University of Glasgow

insight4me is a series of subject specific webinars for current Year 12/Year 13 students. The sessions support students’ current studies by giving an insight into particular curriculum areas whilst affording students the opportunity to talk to different universities and make informed comparisons about how Economics is taught.

In this insight4me Economics webinar for schools and colleges, three universities, including University of Glasgow, The University of Sheffield, and Bournemouth University, will have roughly 20 minutes to deliver a punchy, topic based ‘micro’ talk. Within an overall session theme of Externalities and Government Intervention, the universities have the freedom to choose their own topic (see below), a topic that links to the A Level curriculum, and use the time to convey the key points of the discussion/debate for the Year 12/Year 13 students. Through the discussion, the universities are encouraged to provide an insight into the teaching and learning experience of this topic at university, and compare and contrast how other subject areas across the Economics spectrum might be treated. Students will gain an insight into how these subjects continue beyond the A-level curriculum.

By hearing from 3 unis, students will also appreciate how the further study of Economics can vary between institutions, contributing to the depth of their HE research and assisting informed decision making.

Please find details of the topics below (These details will be updated as the other two unis confirm their input):

• Dr Panos Nanos from The University of Sheffield will be addressing the question, ‘to what extent do minimum wages influence costs, productivity and employment (includes labour market failure)?’ covering: The Competitive Labour Market, The Competitive Labour Market under a Binding Minimum Wage, The Assumptions of the Competitive Model, What happens if we relax one assumption: price taking?, The Minimum Wage in an Imperfectly Competitive Labour Market (Monopsony), The effects of the National Minimum Wage (National Living Wage) on Unemployment and Wage Inequality in the UK.
• Dr Christopher Hartwell from Bournemouth University will discuss ‘Why Only Markets can Protect the Environment’ covering: Externalities and the Environment, The Role of Government, The Public Choice Conundrum, The Environmental Kuznets Curve, Doing More with Less, The Relationship between Economic Freedom and Environmental Cleanliness. 
• Dr Geethanjali Selvaretnam from University of Glasgow will address the economic issues relating to Smoke-free public places, covering Externalities in the Market, why we need Government interventions, various ways to check the effectiveness of intervention.

Students will have the chance to question each speaker and/or offer their own ideas.

This will be a dynamic, fast paced event with the universities cycling between 3 different virtual rooms. The universities will decide how to manage the time but a rough guide would be a 10-12 minute talk followed by questions from the schools.

Suitable for: Year 12 and 13 students studying, or with a possible interest in studying, Economics.

Preparation/Pre-Reading: Students may wish to consider the 3 topics and discuss some of the key elements in advance. Students can also think about questions they have about studying Economics at university level.

The IT Setup: The setup is similar to Skype, using a pc and webcam, although students take part as a group with the image projected on a whiteboard rather than as individuals in front of lots of pcs. Dedicated videoconferencing equipment is also compatible if available to the school. We will work with your IT department to ensure everything is set up and working prior to the event. The sessions are generally limited to 3 to 5 schools to maintain the interactive nature of the experience. In this event there will be three groups of schools taking part increasing the opportunity to participate.

Booking a Place: If you have a group of students that you would like to take part in this event, please contact us via email or via the contact form at the top right of this webpage (or at the bottom if you are using a mobile device). Subject to availability we will book a place for you. This is free for schools and colleges.