Economics & Policy Analysis

Microeconomic Market Analysis

Required. Analyse a real named market using real data: supply/demand dynamics, price mechanisms, market structure. Document your data sources and methodology. Includes a Q&A session with an economics graduate or practitioner who challenges at least one data choice or core assumption — your written response is part of the proof. Micro analysis is the empirical foundation before macro policy reasoning.

Macroeconomic Policy Analysis

Elective. Analyse a real central bank decision or fiscal policy event. Cover the policy rationale, trade-offs, and distributional effects using real economic data. A documented challenge session where your reviewer poses a counterfactual — 'what if the opposite policy were chosen?' — is required; your written response is part of the proof.

Econometric Analysis with Real Data

Elective. Build and run an econometric model on a real named publicly available dataset (World Bank, FRED, ONS, or equivalent). Document dataset source, model specification, results, and a limitations section. Methodology challenged by a statistics or economics academic — your written response is part of the proof. Model must be reproducible.

Policy Cost-Benefit Analysis

Elective. Conduct a CBA for a real government, NGO, or institutional decision — named and documentable. Document assumptions, discount rate, sensitivity analysis, and conclusions. Reviewed by an economist or policy practitioner who challenges at least one benefit categorisation or assumption — your written response is part of the proof.

Economic Argument Construction and Defence

Elective. Construct a structured argument (minimum 1,000 words) on a real contested economic question. State your position, defend it with evidence, acknowledge the strongest counterargument. An economist or economics academic poses at least three substantive challenges; your written responses are recorded and submitted alongside the argument. The exchange is a required part of the proof.

Write and Publish a Research Paper

Elective capstone. Write and publish a real economics research paper — accepted by a journal, conference, or equivalent peer review process. The peer review system provides the adversarial verification: external reviewers challenge your methodology and conclusions. Strongest external validation available in this path.

Free video and exercise library covering micro and macroeconomics fundamentals. Useful for building the conceptual vocabulary before working with real market data in the market analysis and policy analysis steps.

Free, citable economic and social data visualisations with downloadable datasets. An excellent source of real data for the microeconomics market analysis, macroeconomics policy analysis, and cost-benefit analysis steps. All datasets are sourced and documented.

Free access to International Monetary Fund working papers on macroeconomic policy, fiscal analysis, and econometric methodology. Useful models for the macroeconomic policy analysis and econometric analysis steps — shows how professional economists structure arguments and defend methodology.