JC Economics Essays is back!

A friend, data, and data analytics brought me back to continue writing in JC Economics Essays again

Story time! 

I had stopped blogging on this site for a long time, and gone on to do many other things with my life. 

But one day, I bumped into a friend (who was a former student). 

He said, somewhat melodramatically, "Did you know that your economics essay blog, the uncreatively named one, saved my economics grade, and probably my life?" 

"You must be joking," I said. 

"No, no, today I am doing data analytics and economics turned out to be so important in it!" 

His parting shot to me was, "You should continue that blog, man. It helped me understand economics, or at the very least, pass my H2 and H3. You saved lives. Maybe you can continue to save lives." 

I went back to have a look at the data that Blogger had, and extracted some data. 

Did I really help many people? I knew students and undergrads were reading my blog, but just how many were there? 

It turns out, that over the past 10 years, I have had about 344,000 views of my economics blog. Put differently, on average it works out to be around 34,000 views per year. 

(This is despite the fact that I had stopped writing for many years.)

From 2018 to 2021, there had been a decline in the number of readers, as I had dropped in the search rankings. 

Well, I thought to myself, it was only to be expected. I had stopped writing for many years, and in the meantime, many other economics writers, bloggers, and tutors had appeared on the scene. 

It was getting to be a crowded market (sorry, occupational hazard that from time to time, I might spew economics terms). 

But when I did post economics articles or write ups, there were thousands of readers (probably hardworking or desperate students!), with a few occasions of more than 6,000 views a month. At its peak, this humble economics essays blog managed to get 8,500 views. 

I think most people cannot claim that they get that kind of readership from an economics blog. 

Since the visitor count showed around 109,000 unique visitors over a longer period of time, I guess that it was fairly certain that each person reading the blog read more than 3.2 articles each. 

The top economics essays post was "Explain the main types of unemployment in Singapore" with a whopping ~8,000 views. 

And the Central Problem of Economics received ~5,000 views. 

While there were times that I wrote articles on the US and UK economy, JC Economics Essays is mainly targeted at students and undergraduates in Singapore (although, I am delighted if I can help people from around the world). 

Did I hit the target? 

It turns out that the majority of the page views do come from Singapore (230,000 out of 344,000 views, or two-thirds of page views), though surprisingly there are many from Russia and other parts of the world. 

Maybe people around the world do want to learn more about Singapore's economy... or our A level economics examinations. Or perhaps H1, H2, and H3 intrigues them, and they end up viewing this website.  

Blogger also had this visualisation, which was interesting. Chrome and Safari provided the greatest pageviews by browser, but I learnt new things like Opera, SamsungBrowser, and EzineArticlesLinkScanner. The Internet does teach me new things each day. 

There were other useful data that I learnt, but to conclude this post: 

I was happy to bump into a friend and former student. 

And I am happy to have helped him in his economics journey at A levels. 

Because he mentioned data, analytics, and visualisations, I ended up looking at Blogger for data and this post was born. 

I suppose it is a long and roundabout way of saying:

I am back! 

And I will be posting on various current economics topics, including cryptocurrency (which has greatly interested me and many, many others). 

I will also be posting on university admissions and scholarships since these are important to students and undergraduates, and I have a wealth of knowledge to share. These articles have been very useful for students too. 

And finally, from time to time, I will be posting on writing economics essays (which, after all, is what this economics blog is all about), including how to write, how to make an argument, how to write an evaluative conclusion, and how to read and interpret economic data. 

Thank you for reading, and cheers. 

 

JC Economics Essays

Notice: After More Than a Decade, JC Economics Essays Shifts Direction

Today, I am going to briefly talk about Marvel Studios in JC Economics Essays.

(I was recently reading about it from Ryan Lamble’s 2015 article, “How Marvel went from bankruptcy to billions”, and so this came to my mind.)

Basically, all comic books have a point in the plot where all seems lost. 

The good guys are down on their knees, the aliens have almost completed their invasion of earth, and the bad guys have prevailed. 

For Marvel Entertainment, this hour where all seemed lost arrived in 1996.

It had grown throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s thanks to the art and storytelling in comics like the Fantastic Four and The Amazing Spider-Man. I read these comics growing up in the 1990s. 

Its financial success reached a peak by the early 1990s, but, by 1995, Marvel Entertainment was heavily in debt. 

A series of financial bubbles and business deals saw its stock value collapse, and, for a long while, the company faced a bleak future.

Yet, just like the heroes in the comics, to cut a long story short, Marvel emerged from the rubble a decade later as a successful film industry giant – much like the proverbial Phoenix from the ashes came Marvel Studios, a venture which finally brought the company's most famous characters onto the big screen. 

Ironman was the first, followed swiftly by many, many more successful movies. I am a fan myself!

Today, the rest is history.

For me, this article reminded me that change is the only constant, and Marvel successfully switched industries and changed with the times. 

What does this have to do with JC Economics Essays? 

After more than a decade of blogging - yes it has been more than ten years since I started this economics blog - I am changing direction, and trying to adjust to readers' changing demands. Hopefully I can be as successful as Marvel (one can dream). 

In recent years, there have been many economics websites and blogs coming around the corner, and many have even used similar names to mine (even though mine started earlier). Some economics blogs and websites even temporarily displaced me from my number one pole position on Google. 

Looking back, I sometimes recall some moments when former econs students of mine did their economics homework by referring to my blog, and when other students said that they knew of people who read my economic blog as revision, and so on. These are and will remain fond memories. 

But after many years of lecturing and teaching economics, I am going to change the focus of JC Economics Essays to focus on higher education, scholarships, and economics degrees. 

With my wealth of experience (not the wealth of nations), I aim to cover the entire range of topics such as applications to the UK and US, and even Singapore, universities, scholarship preparations and interview preparations, including dealing with personal statements - and I have read and edited many students' personal statements - and general advice on economics, degrees, and undergraduate and even postgraduate life in general. My topics will also deal with loans for academic study, econometrics, software and applications that economics undergraduates need, and how to score in university. 

Some of the advice on my (non-economics) personal blog will be adjusted and adapted for JC Economics Essays' use, since I'm the copyright owner. (Please read, share, and enjoy but do not plagiarise or copy. Thank you!)

Following my Masters from the LSE and a few years serving as a teacher in the education service, teaching H2 and H3 economics, I have decided to expand my blog's reach and go up the value chain, so to speak. 

The guidance, direction, and advice that I provide on applying for economics degrees, scholarships, and courses will not be perfect and may have to be adapted to your own personal circumstances, but I hope that they will be useful. Do, however, read with an open but critical mind. 

Also, I will write in the first person as I am no longer editing or writing economics essays, but giving personal guidance and advice. 

In fact, over the years, to attempt to keep relevant, I have already tried many different economics topics and approaches - do feel free to surf this economics essays blog and see the wide range of materials and essays that I have. These will remain. But since change is eternal, I shall keep up with the times and move up the value chain. 

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for the change in direction! 

JC Economics Essays

Free Talk on How To Perform Well in Economics at the A Level Examinations - 22 June 2017, at Trent Global College, 1 Lower Kent Ridge Rd, #02-02

This is a Public Service Announcement (PSA) notice - and a plug for a free talk!

I will be giving a free talk on How To Perform Well in Economics at the A Level Examinations, on 22 June 2017, at Trent Global College, 1 Lower Kent Ridge Rd, #02-02, Singapore. Yes, this event is just round the corner and happening in Singapore.

And what else is round the corner, in the later part of the year? 

Most of us know that the "A" Level examinations are just round the corner and one of the most difficult subjects at the JC and pre-University level is Economics. Parents and economics students may want to catch up on skills, for essay writing and economics case studies alike, and also some key facts, arguments, and points for evaluation required to excel in the examinations.

I will be talking about what are the key areas of economics (especially with the new 2017 MOE syllabus) to watch out for, and important skills for economics essay writing - my area of interest and expertise, as you may be able to tell from my economics essays blog right here - and tips and techniques for scoring well in case studies. And I will also be covering many other techniques and tips that I have mastered over the years - and am honoured and glad to share this knowledge with you. I could also answer some Q&A on economics issues if there is interest. 

Please take note of the details and do come and attend this useful and relevant talk - parents can take notes for students if they are unable to attend: 

Date: 22 June 2017

Time: 10am to 12pm (noon)

Venue: Trent Global College, 

1 Lower Kent Ridge Rd, #02-02, 

1@kentridge (NUH Medical Centre), 119082

(just above Kent Ridge MRT station, Singapore)

We look forward to your participation at the economics seminar on 22 June 2017.

Thank you very much for reading and cheers!

Cheers,
The Editor of JC Economics Essays

JC Economics Essays - This popular website has useful and relevant model economics essays, important tips and techniques for success in economics, and other related supporting materials for economics students. This site also has contemporary and current economic issues with our own perspectives and views on them. 

Special thanks are due - With the kind support of Trent Global College (for supporting my very first external and voluntary seminar by providing the venue for free) and Sallyforth Enterprise (for coordinating and helping to sell economics course packs and for allowing me to volunteer to share my knowledge), I will be giving a free talk and seminar on how to perform well in Economics at the A level examinations - sharing my knowledge and experience for free. Do help support and promote my associates and supporters, please. Thank you very much for reading, and cheers! 

Thank you note to supporters of JC Economics Essays

From time to time, and for totally random reasons, I do write a thank you note to my readers, fans, and visitors. This is one of them - and if you are looking for economics essays as promised, do use the relevant links and search boxes on this site to get to the economics resources that you need. Thank you very much!

Back to the note, I think it is only right to write (pun intended) a personal note to those who have read the edited essays on this site, and laboured through some of my own writing, and for those who have given me ideas for improvement. 

And in this particular case - I am writing a thank you note to those who have supported JC Economics Essays' e-books. 

As you may be acutely aware, JC Economics Essays has a few e-books which we have shared with Sallyforth Enterprise, to raise funds for social missions. After all, for example, raising standards of living are as much a social as an economic issue; providing public goods can be done through private institutions and governments alike, and so on. 

This year has seen some sales of the e-books, from a relatively slow start during the last two years. 

And this is as it should, as we build up some reputation and brand equity - which I have been doing for this economics blog for the last 10 years (without really knowing how in the beginning during those early days, and only deliberately marketing and strategising our communications in the past few years). 

On this note, Sallyforth Enterprise and JC Economics Essays would like to thank all our readers, fans, and customers for supporting our economics products. (This portion of the note has already appeared on Facebook.)

Our customers have spoken: 

The top two most popular economics e-books are "How to Study Economics" and "Success in Macroeconomics" - probably because these two popular books directly and relevantly address most students' needs. 

In fact, the most viewed economics product is "How to Study Economics", and with my relevant expertise (other than the fact that I had taught economics for many years and I established, and still run, an economics essays site), students are in good company! Economics students will benefit greatly from reading about the strategies I recommend (and this is also for a good cause). 

And "Success in Microeconomics", "Success in University Scholarship Interviews", and "Perspectives from Prey Veng Cambodia" are the next most popular e-books. Although I am not too sure why Microeconomics is behind Macroeconomics... this deserves detailed study. 

But unfortunately, the rest of the e-books - and quite honestly purely Sallyforth Enterprise content in particular - could be a lot more popular - and we will work on producing quality content that readers will support and learn from. We will get better!

Thank you for your kind support and contributions - cheers!

And thank you for reading - I always say that, and I mean it. I wouldn't be here without your support.

Thank you!

Update: An exciting development is in the works! Sallyforth Enterprise will be organising a pilot seminar in June 2017 - hopefully it can be a staple event where I can share my knowledge, tips, and techniques - and will be inviting me to give a talk on economics. More details and information will follow soon! Do stay tuned for more this exciting upcoming development. Thank you! :)

JC Economics Essays - For "A" level H1, H2, or H3 Economics resources, model economics essays, and now even extended essays for IB economics. For a range of economics resources and model answers at a range of levels. Thank you for supporting us, and cheers. 

View: The Economic Impact of Disruptive Tech on Singapore's Economy

This economics article is contributed by a kind reader

This economic perspectives essay deals with the rise of new, disruptive technologies, and their impact on Singapore's economy - and what Singapore can do to prepare for this technological change.

Today, the advance of new and disruptive technologies is unfolding on many economic fronts. While not every emerging technology will drastically transform the business or community landscape, some technological trends and changes do indeed have great potential to disrupt the economic status quo, massively altering the way people live and work. 

In fact, in late 2016, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong singled out technological disruption as the defining challenge among the economic issues Singapore is currently grappling with. As Prime Minister Lee (2016) correctly remarked, old economic and production models are not working, while new models are coming thick and fast. Singapore has to adjust and to keep up with these important trends, because of rising technology and globalisation. He is right. And technological disruption will happen over and over again, relentlessly. Both Singapore government and business leaders must not only know what’s new on the horizon, but also start preparing strategically for its impacts.

We could learn from economic history, which has already shown us clearly that earlier disruptive technologies, such as the personal computer for example, had the ability to sink technological market leaders, who were focused on their existing and most profitable markets and did not see or understand the threat looming upon them. Many examples readily come to mind, for example, Finland’s now-extinct Nokia phones, which once were prevalent consumer goods. And economic history already showed us that once new technological disruption takes hold, it typically enables a larger population of less-skilled or less affluent people to do more at lower cost, which previously could only be accomplished by specialists, who were oftentimes essentially technological gatekeepers. Personal Computers, for example, brought incredible computing power to individuals at a fraction of the cost of minicomputers, replacing the technological specialist and centralised data centers in the process.

Let’s examine the Singapore economy. Nearly every key sector in Singapore's economy is likely to face technological disruption in the next few years. Among the economic sectors likely to experience significant disruption in the near future are retail, Infocomm Technology (IT), financial and insurance sectors, administration and support sectors, and the accommodation and food sectors. In the longer term, up till 2020, economic sectors such as manufacturing, health, social services, and transportation and storage are also likely to be disrupted by technology. One example highlighted by Prime Minister Lee had illuminated the phenomenon of economic disruption in the taxi business in Singapore, which had been seeing greater competition from private car hire services such as Uber and Grab. All over the world, Uber and Grab are disrupting the taxi industry, but commuters are benefiting from better and more responsive service, but taxi companies and drivers find their business negatively impacted. 

In responding to these technological changes, PM Lee noted that one possibility was to close Singapore off from technological disruption and try to stop people from using the new technology, and the other possibility was to embrace technological change and let the technological disruption happen, but help the incumbents, especially the taxi drivers who would be negatively impacted, adapt to the changes. And PM Lee noted that taxi drivers had been level-headed about the competition, and had in fact made useful economic recommendations to the government on ameliorating the impacts of these technologies and adapting to their economic consequences.

And the Singapore government can play an even larger role in many areas to counter disruptive technology. It must ensure a deep pool of talent by investing in education, and developing and re-training and up-skilling people and raising human capital. In fact, Singapore's schools are giving students a lot of exposure to start-ups areas worldwide, and sending them to intern with venture capitalists and big tech companies. This is a useful and relevant development. Since a strong economy is built on a skilled workforce after all, SkillsFuture – Singapore’s funding programme for retraining and upgrading skills – is important. It has to be said that Singapore's schools are preparing its students well for the new economy of the future, and training them in values and skills to be future-ready for the 21^st century, where the skills and competencies needed are different, and where the new jobs will be different from the jobs of today. And in addition to upgrading workers in their current careers, the Singapore government is also helping retrenched workers to transition into new jobs.

And Singapore’s legislation and technological regulation must also catch up with changing and ever-evolving business processes. The Singapore government could also be an early adopter of some of these high technologies, setting an example for local businesses and giving them an opportunity to test some of these processes and establish a track record. For example, Fintech (financial technology) is at the centre of many of these processes, and another related big piece is data, data regulation, and IP (intellectual property) protection.

Beyond building up deeper capabilities and talents, investing in Singapore's legislation and regulation, Singapore should also promote a culture of entrepreneurship as well. Entrepreneurs play an important role in any economy, not just because they do business for themselves and create new jobs and prosperity, but also because they are resourceful and optimistic, and give Singaporeans the quiet confidence that anything is possible. They are often early technological adopters. Maybe, if Singaporeans are more entrepreneurial, we can not only survive technological changes, but also ride the wave of innovation and creativity to a brighter economic future. In other words, the future is not set - and we should start preparing for it now. 

JC Economics Essays - In recent posts on this economics blog, we have made a slight change in focus. We are now re-branding and re-marketing ourselves as an economics essays blog with opinions. While the economics essays, case studies, and other educational resources for A level Economics (H1, H2, or H3) are still available (along with undergraduate and GCE, GCSE, and other examination paper resources), in future, JC Economics Essays will be an economics resource with views, perspectives, and opinions. 

We want to share economics views and perspectives, to move beyond purely model essays aimed at improving grades. Not many economics tutors and students, especially those from A level economics tuition centres, actually have a real or novel opinion on a wide range of economics issues. Some of them do, and we want to share their opinions more widely. While, quite naturally, it is still important for economics students to get good grades, it is more important to have an informed opinion. We want to do more, and be more as a blog. We want to aspire to higher objectives. We also want to have a unique editorial and language style, and promote writing and perspectives on economic issues. And we hope you continue to support us and our change in focus. Thank you for reading, and cheers. 

A Level H2 Economics Syllabus - Syllabuses 9732 and 9757

At JC Economics Essays, we focus on strong writing skills, clear and direct explanations of core economic concepts, the use of relevant, real-world examples to strengthen arguments, and a generally good understanding of economics for students. That is what JC Economics Essays as an economics blog stands for. 

And the use of good reference examples of varied essay responses and sample economics essays and answers will help economics students level up, improve, and write better economics essays. Tips and techniques will also improve economics students’ approaches and skills in case studies and essay questions too. Students must know what they are doing.

Nonetheless, it is also useful and important to keep updated on the latest A level Economics syllabus. And parents and economics students alike often want to know what is in the syllabus, and what is out – and what they should be focusing on. 

This post will make a quick comparison between the 2015/2016 H2 economics syllabus, and the 2017 (onwards) H2 economics syllabus. The research for this piece come from the Singapore SEAB website as well as references to current economics teachers and tutors in Singapore.  

The H2 Economics (2016) Syllabus 9732 shared that its aims were to develop in examination candidates an understanding of fundamental economic principles, theories, and concepts, and various methods of analysis used by economists; the ability to use economic reasoning to explain, analyse, and resolve economic issues, and evaluate economic policies; read critically, from a wide variety of sources, to gain information about changing economic activities and economic policies; and the ability to use evidence in making rational arguments, in context. 

Examination candidates were expected to demonstrate understanding of the main concepts, principles, and economic theories; methods of economic analysis; and understand and interpret economic information presented in textual, numerical, or graphical forms; apply relevant economic concepts and principles to explain and analyse contemporary events at the micro-economic and macro-economic levels; recognise unstated economic assumptions and make interpretations and valid inferences, and evaluate the reliability of information; evaluate alternative theoretical explanations and perspectives of economic problems, issues, and policy decisions; and organise and communicate economic ideas and arguments in a clear, logical, and appropriate form.  

The first theme of the 9732 H2 Economics syllabus was on the Market System. This theme provided an introduction to economics and examined the operation of markets for goods and services. It also focused on how consumers and producers make decisions in a market economy. Candidates were expected to understand the price mechanism as a means of allocating resources and apply theoretical demand and supply analysis to real world economic situations. 

The second theme of the 9732 syllabus was on Market Failure and Government Intervention. This theme examined market failure, its causes, and possible microeconomic policy remedies. Candidates were expected to understand why free markets may not allocate resources efficiently, and apply economic analysis towards dealing with market failure, and an evaluation of how effective policies, used by the government to deal with market failures, are. 

The third theme of the 9732 syllabus was on the National and International Economy. This theme provided an introduction to the key economic indicators of macroeconomic performance, AD/AS and AE-Y (Keynesian cross) economic analysis, and the main objectives and instruments of government policy. Candidates were expected to have a good knowledge of recent economic trends and developments in Singapore and the international economy, and to appreciate the possible underlying causes of these economic trends and developments, and evaluate the effectiveness of government policies.  

And now the latest economics syllabus is Economics Higher 2 (2017) (H2 Economics, Syllabus 9757). 

The learning of Economics is aligned with the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) Desired Outcomes of Education. 

Through the application of economic concepts, theories, and principles, examination candidates should assess the role of economic agents in the allocation of scarce resources, and adopt multiple perspectives in understanding real-world economic issues. Examination candidates recognise trade-offs and consequences from decision-making, and arrive at well-reasoned economic decisions. Candidates should develop knowledge, skills, and values, and take an active interest in Singapore's economy and the global economy as contributing and concerned citizens.

There is a greater focus on Disciplinary Thinking in A Level 9757 H2 Economics. 

Globalisation, changing population and demographics, and technological advancements are some of the key driving economic forces of the future, in Singapore, and also in the world. 

To help economics students thrive in a fast-changing VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) world, one of the key 21st Century Competencies emphasised in the Economics Curriculum is Sound Reasoning and Decision Making. These are under the domain of Critical and Inventive Thinking. Given the importance of decision-making skills, the decision-making approach through an economic lens will be used to front disciplinary thinking in A Level Economics. 

Under this new economics syllabus, in the light of the central economic problem of scarcity of unlimited wants with limited resources necessitating choice, decision-making is fundamental to a deep understanding of economics as a discipline. Scarcity leads to the inevitability of choices, opportunity cost, and trade-offs. 

In this economics syllabus, decision-making is now framed as a process where economics students analyse how decisions are made from the perspectives of different economic agents (e.g., consumers, producers, and governments), adjusting for changes where appropriate.

Examination candidates will take account of the benefits, constraints, costs, perspectives, and necessary information, while recognising the impact of intended and unintended consequences arising from the decisions made, and corresponding trade-offs. Examination candidates will also recognise that decision-making by economic agents can have multi-faceted, short and long term implications that impact other economic agents. 

The 9757 syllabus is intended to provide the basis for a broad understanding of economics. Specifically, the 9757 H2 Economics syllabus aims to develop in candidates an understanding of fundamental economic concepts, theories, and principles, and the tools and methods of analysis used by economists; the ability to use the tools and methods of economic reasoning to explain and analyse economic issues, and evaluate perspectives and decisions of economic agents; the habit of reading critically, from a variety of sources, to gain information about changing economic activities and policies at the national and international levels; and the ability to use evidence in making well-reasoned economic arguments, arriving at rational and considered decisions. 

Economics Assessment

The updated 9757 economics assessment comprises two compulsory written examination papers: Paper 1 (on Case Studies) and Paper 2 (on Essays), similar to the previous syllabus and not fundamentally different. Taken as a whole, both Paper 1 and 2 will incorporate a balance of microeconomics and macroeconomics questions. 

Examination candidates are required to answer all questions for each case study, which carries 30 marks and constitutes 20% of the total marks. About 12 marks of each set of case study questions will be for data response questions, and about 18 marks will be for higher-order thinking questions. 

Examination candidates are required to answer a total of three economics essay questions; one must be from Section A, one from Section B, and the final question from either Section A or B. 

Economic Themes

Theme 1 introduces candidates to the central economic problem of unlimited wants and limited resources. 

Scarcity of the factors of production of land, labour, capital, and entrepreneurship necessitates choice, and leads to economic decision-making. Through examining how the concepts of scarcity, rational choice, and opportunity cost are faced by economic agents (such as consumers, producers, and governments), examination candidates will be able to understand the central problem of economics facing all societies, and how economic agents use available information, consider perspectives, constraints, costs, and benefits in their rational decision-making processes. Examination candidates will also understand that decisions made by economic agents often have both intended and, more importantly, unintended consequences. 

In Theme 2, candidates examine how markets deal with the central problem of economics, and how decisions are made by economic agents in free markets. 

Theme 2 aims to provide candidates with a microeconomic analysis of how free markets function and how these markets may fail to achieve efficient and equitable outcomes, because of market failure and its various sources. 

Examination candidates will understand how the market forces of demand and supply interact to bring about market equilibrium (i.e., the economic concepts of the price mechanism, invisible hand, and coordination of the allocation of resources). Examination candidates will also examine the strategies of firms to achieve their varied objectives – and profit maximisation is not the only goal or aim of firms. 

In addition, candidates understand that while rational decisions made by consumers and producers are necessary for the functioning of markets, these individual decisions may lead to inefficient and inequitable outcomes. And in response, governments may intervene through public policy measures to improve efficiency and equity, while recognising limitations, unintended consequences, and possible trade-offs of government intervention. This theme provides insights into real-world microeconomic issues and opportunities to deepen economic reasoning, analysis and application of microeconomic concepts to both Singapore, and the global economy.

Theme 3 provides examination candidates with an overview of the workings and linkages of the national and international economy. 

The key focus for this theme is on governments as economic agents, while recognising that the extent of government intervention differs among economies. Examination candidates will examine macroeconomic aims, issues, and policies relating to economic growth, inflation, unemployment, exchange rate determination, balance of payments, and income distribution. There will be a strong emphasis and reference to the Singapore context and current examples worldwide. Examination candidates will be able to examine Singapore’s position in the global economy, and the impact of globalisation on the Singapore economy. In this theme, examination candidates will use economic concepts, theories, and principles from Themes 1 and 2 to examine the problem of scarcity of resources and the concept of trade-offs at the broader level of the national and international economy. 

Conclusions

In conclusion, it is quite evident that there are many similarities between the economics syllabi (i.e., focus on Singapore and on markets and market failure, for example) and there are a few differences (i.e., no AE-Y or Keynesian cross diagram is mentioned in the 9757 syllabus, for example). 

However, as long as economics students focus on learning and developing their economics writing skills, practising writing solid explanations of core economic concepts, using real world and relevant examples to strengthen arguments, and developing a generally a good understanding of economics, they will do well in any syllabus. Focus on making real improvements in writing strong economics essays. 

As I said before, that is what JC Economics Essays contributors and I as the editor of this economics blog believe in. 

And the use of good examples of economics essay and sample answers will help economics students learn, grow, and eventually write better economics essays. 

Thank you for reading and cheers. 

JC Economics Essays – This post is a simple reference and summary of the A Level Economics Syllabi/Syllabuses for H2 Economics. Special thanks to WWT for her kind request to write this post, and hopefully it is useful for providing a quick understanding of the new MOE A level economics syllabus. 

Notice to Readers: What is JC Economics Essays All About? ... and A Sales Pitch

Hi everyone, and welcome to JC Economics Essays. This is an important notice and also a sales pitch for economics and for social enterprise. 

The history and backstory of JC Economics Essays

I am the editor of JC Economics Essays - I am an economics blogger who curates this blog I set up years ago. 

I set up this economics blog in late 2007 (technically, in 2007, the blog people read back then was the predecessor or grandfather of today's wildly successful and popular site you now see right here). 

Back then, I wanted to share essays to help students understand what it took to craft a good economics essay, and to share good or interesting essays that I have read or written. 

These values still hold true today. 

In fact, many years later, this collection of essays written by a multitude of wonderful and hardworking contributors, as well as my kind self, has become a famous and popular blog.  

What is JC Economics Essays about?

JC Economics Essays is an economics blog that shares mainly economics essays contributed by A level students from many junior colleges all around Singapore, as well as economics essays contributed by teachers and professors alike. 

However, beyond H1, H2, and H3 economics essays, it also shares essay writing tips and techniques, methods of addressing examination questions, economics quotes, and undergraduate and post-graduate economics essays on a variety of related topics. It also features some London School of Economics masters essays too, as a matter of fact!

Basically, it's an economics blog of fairly wide range and scope. 

What is it not?

However, JC Economics Essays is not affiliated to any economics tuition centres or businesses with similar names, although I am flattered that they have tried to mimic our success. We have over 56,000 unique visitors from all over the world and from Singapore at the time of this notice (5th June 2015). 

Competition in a free market is a real thing - there are lots of people attempting to copy my site's success. One particular competitor even copied the concept of the picture I took - but then again imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Some competitors are even using the same keywords that I have been using since 2007. 

To emphasise my point: the ideas, concepts, words, and economics essays from this economics blog are free for everyone to access, with the caveat that plagiarism is not good for learning. My emphasis will, and always has been, that learning economics should be a proactive process of reading and self-directed learning. This is a free website, with good material for reading - but not for copying of course.  

I also have to say that if any of the essays are copied from this site, that would constitute copyright infringement, which is illegal, in additional to plagiarism, which is intellectual dishonesty. 

Why do I explain what it is not?

Why I wrote this section on what this site is not about comes from something a friend told me. 

She told me that, wow, you have so many competitors with the same or similar name as yours - JC Economics this, and JC Economics Essays that! Some of them even have similar and undifferentiated domain names. And she even spotted that particular website by another author who also used a similar picture to mine (mine was taken earlier). She also commented that there are a lot of tuition centres following the model essay approach I used, way back in 2007. (They have the right to do that, by the way. It's perfectly fine. I am purely writing this so that you know that they are not me, and my economics blog is different and unique.)

Well, the name I chose for my blog was common and totally "unbranded", with simple words, because I wanted to make it easy for students to find good, useful, and accessible economics materials. 

In fact, it's literally JC Economics Essays.  

I wrote this to help new readers differentiate between this economics blog and other sites you may see online, because lots of people use a similar name (as I said, they are free to do so, naturally). 

First, JC Economics Essays is not a business, and is a free economics essays blog with contributions and perspectives. Yes, Google Ads may provide sponsorship, but you do not pay when you visit this site. 

Second, this site is also about self-directed learning and research, and not about tuition. In fact, I do not even include diagrams in the blog so that students can get some practice thinking or drawing. 

If you want economics tuition, you can get it. 

You can get tuition from those other companies, if you want tuition. 

My point, to reassure fans, friends, and loyal readers is: JC Economics Essays was and will always remain a free economics blog. It is not a business, and it is not about tuition. 

... For tuition, please refer to my kind sponsors and my kind competitors. 

However, although this site is free, now I do indeed have a sales pitch or proposition to make which might benefit society. So, please do help me here. 

Support Social Enterprise

If you are interested in buying excellent quality yet affordable economics material - namely How to Study Economics (3rd Ed.) and economics notes, please visit Sallyforth Enterprise (online shop). For the economics e-books that we have written, they do have diagrams and pictures, and provide useful and affordable material that are relevant, impactful, and effective to use. 

We have donated our e-books to Sallyforth Enterprise, a social enterprise that donates portions of profits to charity. You can buy our e-books and economics notes (coming soon!) from Sallyforth Enterprise. 

By the way, some very kind and encouraging supporters bought the earlier editions of the book, even though the costs were higher back then; if you are reading this, thank you for your kind support and also for putting up with the fact that back then technology was limited (I admit, I was a luddite). Thank you because your support is really valued and important. 

What is Sallyforth Enterprise? Please click here to visit Sallyforth Enterprise (her weebly.com website). 

Sallyforth Enterprise is a social enterprise providing education on personal effectiveness, financial management, entrepreneurship, and business strategies, while contributing portions of profits to support the needy and underprivileged, especially in less developed economies, and especially for women and widows. We strongly support what Sallyforth Enterprise's charitable work. 

Please help support social enterprise in Singapore! Thank you very much for your kind support.

So, to wrap up -

In conclusion, I hope to have shown you that this a free economics essays blog that is not a business nor a tuition centre (those people are using similar names, but it is not me and my kind friends). 

I also hope to have shared my enthusiasm and passion for supporting social enterprise, as well as effective and affordable economics e-books and material. 

Finally, I would love to thank once again all kind contributors, supporters, friends, and family for your kind support, without which this economics essays blog would not have had its amazing success. You have made it all happen with your generosity, kindness, and spirit of learning and adventure. 

Thank you especially to the loyal fans who really make this work. For all your feedback and support through thick and thin - simply wonderful and amazing. 

Thank you very much for your kind support! Thanks for reading, and cheers.  

JC Economics Essays

Additional Economics Essay Questions (EQs) for Practice

Here are some additional economics essay questions (EQs) for practice, which hopefully will be useful, relevant, and helpful to you in your revision. In this post, you will find a list of economics questions. 

Where are these essay questions from? 

Some of these essay questions were adapted from actual or past year A level essay questions, and some were actually from various countries' revision examination papers, or general questions on the world's economies. 

What can you use these essay questions for? 

These economics essay questions will be useful for the A level Economics examination paper, or for general economics essay practice, and will cover essay questions from various regions of the world such as Singapore, China, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States of America (USA). 

Practising these economics questions will allow you to apply your economics concepts and also engage with your material in an interesting and relevant way, and you can apply your critical thinking as to whether economic theories are validated in the real world, through real life economics examples. You can learn about economic perspectives  through application. 

Hopefully, for the next few posts here on JC Economics Essays, we will address (some, if not all of) these essay questions with a few suggested responses or model answers for you to think through and learn from, so that you can improve upon your essay skills and techniques for economics essay examinations. 

Good luck, and all the best! Thank you. 

***

Explain how benefits to the UK economy can arise from exchanges, arising from specialization to address the central problem of economics. [10]

In a particular year, the United Kingdom (UK) had poor harvests for grain and potatoes, major ingredients of many of foods of UK consumers and inputs for animal feed for much of Britain’s livestock. At the same time, there was a decline in the real incomes of many UK citizens, hitting lowest income earners the hardest. Through economic analysis, discuss the impact these two events are likely to have had on UK consumers and farmers. [25]

Explain why microeconomic markets might fail in the case of non-provision of public goods and where information is imperfect or asymmetric. [10]

Explain the relative importance of key sectors of the circular flow of income in determining the national income in Singapore’s case. [10]

Explain the relative importance of key sectors of the circular flow of income in determining the national income in the United States of America. [10]

There is considerable agreement over the need for governments worldwide to provide public goods for their electorates. There is less agreement, however, over the extent to which markets fail, because of imperfect information. Assess the alternative policies that are adopted by the Singapore government to correct for both these types of market failures. [15]

Explain the main determinants of actual and potential economic growth in Singapore’s context. [10]

Assess alternative real world economic policies Singapore could adopt to maintain a long run, sustained, and non-inflationary rate of economic growth in the future. [15]

Explain, with real world examples, ways in which an economy might move from a point within its production possibility curve (PPC) to a point on it. [10]

Discuss the most effective real world economic policies to move the PPC outwards. [15]

Explain with economic analysis the factors that influence the market demand and supply for a product such as mobile telephones. [12]

Explain why, according to microeconomic analysis, there are economic benefits from large scale organisations. [12]

Explain, with real world examples, why barriers to entry are a key determinant of a firm’s pricing behaviour. [10]

Discuss the extent to which the behaviour of firms depends on the actions of their rivals. [15]

Explain how a monopolist would determine the price that would maximise profits. [10]

Discuss, with relevant real world examples, whether firms actually set prices at profit-maximising levels. [25]

In the UK, railway tickets for train journeys may be obtained cheaply if bought in advance. In 2000, railway companies jointly announced that these tickets would be available only at major stations. Passengers living near smaller stations would have to pay the full cost. Explain what is price discrimination, and discuss whether this is an example of price discrimination. [25]

Discuss what advantages and disadvantages occur when large companies in the same industry “co-operate” with each other. [15]

Explain, with real world examples, why pollution and congestion caused by cars are likely to cause market failure. [10]

Explain, with suggested real world examples, what might happen to the United Kingdom’s national income if a newly-elected government were to reduce personal income and corporate income tax rates. [10]

In the United Kingdom (UK), the growth of retail sales in 1996 was higher than expected. As a result, it was suggested that the Chancellor should consider raising interest rates to prevent inflation. Discuss whether interest rates are likely to be an effective method of controlling inflation. [25]

Discuss, with real world economic examples, whether the growth of China’s economy would be detrimental to Singapore. [25]

Discuss, with real world economic examples, whether the recovery of  the US economy would be undoubtedly positive in its impact for Singapore. [25]

Should increasing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) be the only objective of a country's economic policy? Discuss the validity of this question. [25]

Explain what went wrong with the US economy during the great global financial crisis. [25]

***

JC Economics Essays - here you will find many varied samples / practice / model GCE A level economics essays, GCSE A, AS level essays, H2 Economics Essays, H3 Economics Essays for students of economics or as background reading for first year university undergraduates 

JC Economics Essays - Notice to Readers (Happy 2014!)

Happy New Year 2014, and welcome to JC Economics Essays!

I set up this economics blog several years ago, in late 2007 (so it's really in 2008 that I started the ball rolling), and it has been a long six years.

In that time, there have been essay contributions from junior college students from all over Singapore, as well as many kind sharings by my colleagues and friends from the National Institute of Education as well as some of my own essays and writing.

Recently, I have not been writing or posting many essays, and that is about to change. Also, for this coming year in 2014 there should be a wider range of more interesting materials, including economics materials for case studies and general knowledge. Hopefully I manage to achieve my resolutions for the year 2014, and this proves to be another record breaking year! :)

On this celebratory note, I would like to start 2014 by thanking my loyal readers and students who have been supporting this economics website. Thank you for reading, and thank you for your very kind, constructive, and interesting comments. It has been a joy sharing and contributing these essays for students' benefit, as well as for the general reader who would like to learn a bit of economics - I hope!

In any case, the next post to follow is a sharing on my favourite economics quotes by famous economists - and I choose those economists I like, as well as some of those economists who I don't really subscribe to, but who are famous enough to appear on the H1, H2, and H3 economics A level syllabus. Most of the time, I find, the Austrian economists I so adore and admire and not really present in the A level syllabus or the undergraduate economics curriculum, but one day this situation might change - hopefully for the better! This is because to me, economics is a really beautiful subject and it is rich, diverse, and really, really interesting because of its range of views and perspectives.

I hope reading this blog widens your perspective as well, and you appreciate the various views that various students of economics bring to the table.

Thank you for reading this basic introductory note, and welcome (back) to JC Economics Essays. Thanks for reading and cheers!

For new readers of JC Economics Essays: you can navigate using the labels on the right hand sidebar, the search function on the main part of the blog, and you can also navigate using the popular links called "Economics Questions, Quick Economics Links, Best Attempts/ Contributions" at the lower bottom part of the main-page.

For JC economics students & for JC students in general: I have also set up a Facebook page of motivational and encouraging quotes for students - I hope these motivate you to study hard and do your best :)  This page, "imaginatively and creatively" titled Encouragement for JC Students, was inspired by a former student of mine. Hope you like it!

The link should be:
https://www.facebook.com/EncouragementForJCStudents

JC Economics Essays - H1, H2, and H3 Economics essays and economics materials for revision, studying, and fundamental economic analysis