The Dorian Fisher Memorial Prize 2023-24.

We are delighted to announce this year’s competition for A- Level and IB students, with a 1^st prize of £500 and £250 each for three runners up. There is also a prize of £500 for the school with the highest number of entrants. The top entries will all be invited to a special one-day event at the IEA in the Spring term.
The competition is open to students studying International Baccalaureate or A Level. Entries should be submitted by email to [email protected]. The email should clearly state your name and school. The final deadline for this year’s competition is Friday 26^th January 2024 at 23:59:59.

This competition is named after Dorian Fisher, the wife of IEA founder Sir Antony Fisher, who was a long-time supporter of the Institute and its work.

Entries to the competition should contain the following three pieces of work:

1. A short essay, of roughly 1,200 words, on one of the following questions:

(a) Why is the inflation being experienced by the U.K. proving to be more ‘sticky’ than expected?

(b) Why is it that some laws and policies that almost all economists think are misguided (eg protectionism, fossil fuel subsidies, rent control, the Jones Act) attract popular support and are very hard to reverse?

(c) Should countries be looking to adopt an ‘industrial policy’? If yes then why, if not then why not?

2. A 500-word answer to one of the following two questions:

(a) How do different schools of economics understand the concept of ‘equilibrium’?

(b) What is ‘money’ as a concept in economic thinking?

3. A 500-word answer to the following question.

Why and how does time matter in economics?

 

FAQS

 

Are international students allowed to apply?

Yes! You cannot have been in tertiary education (university or equivalent). 

Do I have to study A-level Economics to apply?

No, you do not have to study A-level Economics, but you must be in Sixth Form or equivalent (last two years of high school).

How do I submit my entry?

Entries should be submitted by email to [email protected]. Please submit all three questions on ONE word document or PDF.

What style of referencing should I use?

Harvard style referencing is preferred. A guide for doing this can be found here.

Should I include a bibliography? Does the bibliography count towards the word count?

A bibliography is recommended to state your sources. The bibliography does not count towards the word count, but the embedded references do.            

Can I include graphs and diagrams?

Yes, graphs and diagrams are allowed, but not compulsory.

How stringent is the word count?

Please stick to the word count provided. We will not stop reading past the word count given, but do not go over by more than 5%.