Case Studies

This is a concept commonly tested in “IB” Economics Paper 3. Avoid getting tripped up as a student by learning these simple proofs in this article.

Is a persistent current account surplus a boon or a bane? Consequences of economic policy choices are seldom neat, and this is no exception.

We haven’t seen much academic materials for direct subsidies in “A” & “IB” level Economics. What better way to talk about it than to wade into Singapore’s current hot topic about housing affordability?

You have probably seen his books when you shopped around for supplementary materials for “IB” and “A” level Economics. See what else he has to say outside the classroom.

My students will know better than to agree with this statement in the exams. Yet, real-life economic decisions sometimes deviate from academic norms, as in the curious case of Turkey.

Deadweight Loss continues to rankle students wherever it goes. This article is part of an ongoing series that derives it in great detail for various scenarios. Here we discuss about the case of price floors.

Using Oxford IB Diploma Programme: IB Economics Course Book (2020), by Jocelyn Blink and Ian Dorton, as your IB Economics coursebook? Here’s a serious error in the book that I would like to share about.

Most students know how asymmetric information afflicts markets. But few discuss in-depth about price determination in such markets. This piece aims to do more justice to that intriguing topic.

If the answer was that straightforward, I wouldn’t have bothered with dedicating an entire article to it.

Every student recognises the traditionally-drawn concaved PPC, but many do not fully grasp the significance of the choice in shape.

Is it always true that the GDP must equal the GNI at the global level?

Direct responses to the fear of the Wage-Price Spiral? Or merely part of side-effects of broader economic wisdom? We explore the solutions to the problem from the previous article here.

Don’t underestimate the Wage-Price Spiral as a major consideration in considering how big a scourge Inflation can be. Singapore’s MAS had something to say about it.

It appears that interest rates in Singapore are generally lower than global rates According to MAS, this has to do with expectations of appreciating SGD. So why should that be the case?

The Kinked Demand Curve may not be as talked about these days. But it is a fun piece of framework to know more about. Read more about it here!

A rather perplexing question for students that requires a very strong grasp of the demand-supply model to give a good answer.

This traditional blind-spot for students bit me recently. So this piece was created to save us all, for that next time.

Ever wondered why the MC curve looks like the Nike logo? There are some intriguing reasons behind it that every student should know!

More than 2 years ago, I had done an “exam-ready” write-up on the explanation behind the Theory of Comparative Advantage. It seems timely now to revisit and refresh it to greater effect.

If you believe that money is the means to ends, then you would understand my assertion that profit-maximisation is, but a manifestation of something deeper.

The Impossible Trinity isn’t an explicit requirement for “A” levels. However its implicit application is a must-have for explanations relating to the limitations of monetary policies.

Why is globalisation appearing to be under threat despite its supposed benefits as laid out in the Theory of Comparative Advantage?

Yet another student asked me about how he should evaluate in an Economics essay. The ensuing discussion was reproduced here at length, so we can all learn from it.

My student’s school taught him rather confidently that AirAsia is a small airline. I wasn’t sure about that, and for very good reasons.

In “Adults in the Room”, then Greek finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, gave an eye-watering account to why immediate tax hikes were often recommended to countries facing debt crises. His account was remarkable for the shocking lack of complexity for such unintuitive recommendations.