Economics in Ten – Season 7, Episode 4: Gary Becker
Gary Becker took economic tools including cost-benefit analysis, incentives and rational choice, and applied them to areas most economists had never ventured: discrimination in the workplace, the economics of the family, and even the decision to commit a crime. His work was controversial but hugely influential, and it’s largely thanks to Becker that economists now feel licensed to wander into sociology, criminology and political science. The discrimination and labour market c
Competitions Update
Right, I've been keeping half an eye on my econ competition spreadsheet (still a bit of a hot mess, but it's ticking over) and I reckon it's a good moment for a round-up. Here's everything that's open for entries as I write this, plus a handful landing around the start of September that are worth diarising now before you forget (I say this as someone who has forgotten more deadlines than I'd like to admit). A quick plug for the Econ Teacher Calendar, which I typically update
Sheffield Business School: Financial Trading Competition 2026/27
Sheffield Hallam runs one-day trading sessions in its Bloomberg Suite for Year 12 and 13 students, working directly on Bloomberg Terminals and the CME Platform rather than a simplified classroom simulation. Students get a short grounding in market terminology before designing and executing trades in a competitive setting, which pairs well with the AQA financial sector unit or as a hook before teaching interest rates and speculation. Dates run monthly from September 2026 throu