Guidance

Writing like an economist

Updated 22 February 2023

Economists are known for being good at presenting evidence; being able to present evidence concisely and convincingly is a useful skill to learn. The competition judges will be looking for:

• creativity
• use of economic concepts
• use of evidence
• clear and concise writing

Use these tips as a starting point for your letter:

Fundamentals of economic writing

The fundamentals of economic writing are research, analysis and conciseness.

Economic writing should be evidence based. Research on a topic can help develop your depth of knowledge on the subject and strengthens your arguments.

Where possible, use economic concepts to explain the evidence you are presenting. Make sure you have a clear argument running throughout your work to ensure that it is persuasive.

These are good examples of clear, persuasive writing which is supported by evidence:

• the Bank of England’s blog page
• the Economist’s style guide

Think carefully about how to structure your letter. You may wish to look online for guidance in structuring a persuasive argument. For example, the University of Sheffield Academic Skills Centre’s advice on developing a written argument. Make your points concisely, support them with evidence, and explain your arguments.

Sources

Use trustworthy and reliable sources of information to find data and information for your entry. Consider whether the information is up-to-date and how credible the source is. For instance, educational websites are likely to be credible.

In your entry, you must explain where any evidence you use came from. For example, if you use information from the World Inequality Database, make sure to mention this in your entry.

Sources you could use to begin your research include:

• The World Inequality Database
• Our World in Data
• Gapminder
• The World Bank
• The UK Office for National Statistics

Important economic concepts

To enter the Next Generation Economics Competition, you do not need to have studied economics. However, you should consider using some basic economics concepts to strengthen your answer.

Economic concepts such as externalities, inflation and global extreme poverty are useful tools for understanding evidence. To strengthen your entry, you may wish to make use of these tools in your work.

For example, an externality exists where the effect of producing or consuming a good or services imposes costs or benefits on others which are not reflected in the price charged for that good or service. Economists often use this concept when studying climate change

When preparing your entry, consider referencing these concepts, or others you are aware of. Useful resources include:

• Core Economics
• Khan Academy

Using graphics

Graphs and graphics are an effective way to communicate and visualise evidence. If you cite them, you can copy graphs and graphics from published reports and analysis. Alternatively, you can learn to create graphs yourself using Microsoft Excel or another software programme of your choice.

YouTube provides useful free introductions to creating graphs, for example this video on how to make a line graph:

how to make a line graph