About this day
For A-level, IB, BTEC Level 3 and T Level economics students
Join us this autumn for an exciting day at Economics in Action, featuring informative discussions, interactive sessions, and inspiring stories. Our line-up of experienced speakers—including industry leaders, academics, and public servants—will offer expert insights and share their real-world experiences, covering topics across microeconomics to macroeconomics.
The day will also include a special session on examination success designed to provide students with the tools that they need to excel. With polls and quizzes throughout the day and plenty of opportunities to ask the speakers questions, this is an unmissable day, and we look forward to welcoming you and your students. Book now for Economics in Action!
Host: Dr Matthew Pritchard (Communicator) Exam Session: Peter Cramp (The Economics Factory)
“A great day with a lot of interesting ideas for our economic students!”
– Wellingborough School –
Programme & speakers
Fixed vs. Flexible Exchange Rates Paul Turner, Retired Professor of Applied Economics, Loughborough University
Paul Turner will be delving into the high-stakes debate on fixed versus flexible exchange rate regimes, revealing their critical advantages and drawbacks in shaping economic policies and driving impactful outcomes.
About Professor Paul Turner
Paul Turner, a retired Applied Economics Professor from Loughborough University, has over thirty years of teaching experience. He led disciplines in Macroeconomics, Money and Finance, Microeconomics, Industrial Organisation, and Trade. He is also the author of Modern Macroeconomic Analysis and Econometrics in Practice.
Rocks and Hard Places: the Economic Choices Facing the Next Government Stephen Davies, Institute of Economics Affairs
The next government, and indeed the one after that, will be facing a very difficult set of challenges, which will require both tough choices and radically new thinking, in a way that cuts across the divisions we have become familiar with since the 1970s. In macroeconomic terms the UK faces many of the challenges of a developing country, not a rich one. How to address and resolve these?
About Dr Stephen Davies
Dr Steve Davies is the Head of Education at the IEA. Previously he was program officer at the Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) at George Mason University in Virginia.
Are We Really Growing? Ayeisha Thomas-Smith, Broadcaster
What are the origins of GDP as a means of measuring economic growth? How do the economic indicators we choose shape the way we think about the world? And in a rapidly changing economy, is GDP the right goal to guide policy making in the 21st century, and if not, what other objectives might replace it?
About Ayeisha Thomas-Smith
Ayeisha is a presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Economics with Subtitles and she hosts weekly podcasts for The New Economics Foundation.
International comparisons of productivity and why they matter Vicky Pryce, Chief Economic Adviser, Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR)
In this talk, Vicky Pryce will discuss international comparisons of productivity, why they matter, where the UK is lagging behind and where it excels. She will also examine the role of business, regulators and the public sector in improving performance.
About Professor Vicky Pryce
Vicky Pryce is Chief Economic Adviser and board member at the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) and a Visiting Professor at King’s College, London. Formerly Joint Head of the UK Government Economic Service. Her recent books include How to be a Successful Economist, Women vs Capitalism and Mismanaged Decline.
The Rise of Rentier Power Beth Stratford, Political economist
Uncover the immense influence of gatekeepers, monopolists, landowners, and financiers. Discover how their consolidated power drives inequality, stifles innovation, and drives inefficient use of our precious natural resources. Together, we will explore strategies to tackle rentier power, to create a fairer, more resilient and sustainable society.
About Beth Stratford
Beth Stratford is a political economist specializing in the relationship between ecological crisis and rentier power. She has advised the Labour Party on housing policy and environmental tax reform. She is an Honorary Fellow at the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose at UCL, and an advisor to Positive Money and the Social Guarantee.