The Mint Magazine covers a wide range of topics that align with the A Level/IB syllabus enriching student learning by offering different perspectives that build the critical capacity of students. Below we have sought to illustrate this by matching recent articles, columns, reviews and interviews against the topics in the Edexcel Economics A syllabus.
We have also given a word or phrase you can use to search for more relevant material for each topic, including news items.
Theme 1 - Introduction to Markets and Market Failure
Nature of Economics
Understanding economics as a social science, what the economic problem is and the economic rationale. Use search term ‘economics’ for more.
The illusion of stability
Economic calm is always the precursor to a storm. Economics says stability is the sign of a healthy economy. There may be shocks that temporarily knock an economy out of
Sharks are eating the whales
Alex Kozul-Wright reviews The Value of a Whale by Adrienne Buller, Manchester Press (2022) and The Finance Curse by Nicholas Shaxson, Penguin Random House (2018). Though distinct in their focus,
How scarce is an opportunity
William Darity Jr. explains why scarcity isn’t everything. One of the consistent obstacles for aggressive action to address global warming is encapsulated in the question, “How will we pay for
How Markets Work
How do the demand and supply forces work in tandem? How are prices determined? Do all consumers behave the same way? Use search term ‘markets’ for more.
Holding it all together
Isaac Stanley explains why care is infrastructure. Biden’s much-discussed Infrastructure Bill eventually passed into law in October in the US. This followed extensive political wrangling between different wings of the
Off the scale
Locally grown food is growing. Can data help plough the furrow? By Lynne Davis 2020 was a year like no other, but for those of us working in community-led food
Algorithm and blues: whose tune do we dance to?
Artificial intelligence rarely gets it wrong – it’s the culture that programmed it that’s messed up, says Madhavi Venkatesan. I have become accustomed to my smart phone alerting me in
Market Failure
What happens when things don’t go to plan… what causes these issues and why, and what the implications may be. Use search term ‘market failure’ for more.
Who will save the world?
Raj Thamotheram is, in theory, betting on pension funds. Covid has transformed global politics and the Omicron variant has caused markets to tumble. Meanwhile COP26 failed to address, adequately, the
Living off a box of chocolates
Private equity in the care sector is thriving on growing demand and dwindling state provision. Vivek Kotecha asks whether its sweet tooth for debt might not bode well for its
The economics of corruption and the corruption of economics
The true meaning of corruption has been distorted, leaving research, policy and the public to allow it to continue unchecked. Geoffrey M. Hodgson explains. Some authors – particularly economists –
Government Intervention
How may governments intervene? What policies are implemented on the national level? What to do when governments go wrong? Use search term ‘regulation’ for more.
Give and Take
The boycott is a vital tool for consumers to punish perceived corporate misconduct. But Ted Lechterman asks: under what conditions should firms use the same tool? In June 2020, over
The realities of artificial intelligence
Tania Duarte explains why, in post-Brexit UK, the scrutiny of ethics in advanced tech cannot be left to companies or governments. We have all been made keenly aware of the
Deforestation: the route away
Without robust due diligence, financial institutions will continue to fund soy-driven deforestation. By Daniel Jones. Late last year, the UK government announced “world-leading new measures” to protect rainforests. Enshrined in
Theme 2 - The UK Economy - Performance and Policies
Measures of Economic Performance
Is GDP the only way to measure growth? What factors are missed out in economic calculations? Are there better alternatives to measure a country’s performance? Use search term ‘measures of economic performance’ for more.
Why we should abandon GDP
Gross Domestic Product is the most popular and useless quantity in economics say Erald Kolasi and Blair Fix. For all that it purports to say, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fails
Here We Go
Incheon towards the future: the city hosted 3,000 people for the 6th Wellbeing Forum. There is an international group of government officials labouring to make life better for people. Wellbeing
The human touch
There is a world of innovation and entrepreneurism where the bottom line is the last thing that matters. René Kemp tells. We live in a world of marketisation with its
Aggregate Demand and Supply
How do the levers of consumption, investment, government expenditure and net trade work? How does the government look to build capacity? Use search term ‘aggregate demand and supply’ for more.
Constructive argument
‘Building back better’ is all well and good but, ask Kate Bayliss, Ben Bowles and Elisa Van Waeyenberge, better for whom? Investment in infrastructure is a major part of the
Pot look
Problems with pensions exhibit the same concerns that drive our inability to tackle the environmental crisis and other great societal issues. We need to recognise uncomfortable truths and meaningfully support
Home Truths
Government spending that is not investment is like continual partying and drinking. Tanweer Ali tells how austerity was sold as common sense. In the early days of David Cameron’s coalition
National Income
What are impacts of injections and withdrawals in the circular flow of income? How does saving and spending differ across socioeconomic strata? Use search term ‘national income’ for more.
Democratically digital
Internet access has been a lifeline during the Covid pandemic. Miriam Brett argues it is too important to remain in the hands of private sector interests. An invisible lifeform has
Tax in the time of coronavirus
More tax reform is needed to repair the economic damage Covid-19 will wreak. But tax hikes are not the way forward. Richard Murphy explains. We can only hope the worst
The only way out
Post-war reconstruction involved taxing the richest – it could help with building a low-carbon economy according to Dario Kenner. Amid the worst public health crisis in a generation, an economic disaster has
Economic Growth
What determines growth? How does an economy build (back better) and maintain itself? What impacts does this have on stakeholders and their living standards? Use search term ‘economic growth’ for more.
Cents and sensibility
Fifty years ago the Limits to Growth report started a debate that pitted environmentalists against economists — and the economists won. Richard McNeill Douglas investigates why and what comes next.
Debt crisis: paradox or plain wrong?
Guy Dauncey says we can dig ourselves out of the accumulating mountain of private debt but a lot needs to change. The Paradox of Debt is a new book by
Broken China
The world’s second largest economy may have reached its zenith, says Richard Vague. China failed to deliver anything close to its historically-robust growth in the September 2022 quarter, with 3.9%
Macroeconomic Objectives and Policies
What policies does the government consider during a boom, a recession, in protecting the environment, in achieving a more equitable distribution of income? How does the government learn from its mistakes? Use search term ‘macroeconomic objectives and policy’ for more.
Why didn’t the balloon go up?
When the US military shot down an unmanned Chinese aircraft many thought the worst. Joshua Brown looks at why things might have even grown better. When a Chinese surveillance balloon
Was Truss on the money?
Dirk Ehnts suggests that Liz Truss’s downfall may have not been because she was wrong. Shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said in 2021 that delaying tackling climate breakdown would be at
More ore or less waste?
Paul Ekins warns of the need for low-carbon-economy policymakers to consider the full circle. Many of the technologies seen as critical for the shift to low-carbon energy, as well as
Theme 3 - Business Behaviour and the Labour Market
Business Growth and Objectives
Do business always look at profit maximisation? How firms scale, whether they are private or public, to merge or divest, customer loyalty, regulation and shareholders versus stakeholders are all other factors that are taken into account to consider why some businesses decide to grow while others decide to stay small… Use search term ‘business growth and objectives’ and/or ‘stakeholder economy’ for more.
Living off a box of chocolates
Private equity in the care sector is thriving on growing demand and dwindling state provision. Vivek Kotecha asks whether its sweet tooth for debt might not bode well for its
The troubles with peace
Brendan Murtagh tells how in the face of inadequate investment there is potential in the poorest communities in Northern Ireland’s capital to share the economic benefits of peace. Despite recent
Out of our heads
Lindsey Hall tells of the ideas behind Real Ideas. Since we founded Real Ideas fourteen years ago, we have worked with all kinds of ideas – big concepts, quirky thoughts,
Revenues, Costs and Profits
How much can a business compromise to survive in the market, who reaps the benefits in the short- and long-term? Use search term ‘revenues-costs-profits’ or ‘stakeholder economy’ for more.
Selling the circular
Thinking out of the box: currently, retail is largely about mass, transactional relationships. Can business ever be good? Henry Leveson-Gower explores. A year ago I was on the hunt for examples
Life in the cross hairs
Being a good corporate citizen comes with risks. Andrew Black tells the tale of a close escape. For corporates that have medium-term planning regimes, taking seriously the considerable challenges posed
The right chemistry
“Do we have anything for a serious case of chronic CEO?” Boots was the most trusted brand for decades – Victorian values and all. Now it has slipped down the
Market Structures
In what markets do firms compete? How are these markets regulated? Is it better or worse to compete or collaborate with each other? Use search term ‘competition’ for more.
Why didn’t the balloon go up?
When the US military shot down an unmanned Chinese aircraft many thought the worst. Joshua Brown looks at why things might have even grown better. When a Chinese surveillance balloon
Down to business
Martin Parker asks whether business schools might be able to help address carbon capitalism, rather than simply teaching it. On Wednesday 3 June 1970, the Board of Social Studies at
Big guy for the little guy
Tim Cowen is a campaigning barrister representing small businesses against the dominant players in digital. The Mint heard from him about the new international coordination of anti-trust action against the
Labour Market
What causes demand and supply for labour? Which industries are more competitive? What factors cause barriers in entering the marketplace? How are wages determined between and within regions? Use search term ‘labour market’ for more.
Time of your life
Having free time need not require great wealth – Guy Standing’s The Politics of Time explains why work is overvalued. Review by Alex Kozul-Wright. The Politics of Time is not
How artificial intelligence is recolonising the Global South
Patricia Gestoso tells how the Global North exploits poverty and weak laws in the South to accelerate its digital transformation. The hype around idyllic tech workplaces that originated in Silicon
A change of key
How can we make work in the post-pandemic world work for us? Richard McNeill Douglas plays with some ideas. Covid has not been the only pandemic we have had to
Theme 4 - A Global Perspective
International Economics
Exploring globalisation, international trade and patterns in trade over time. What bodies regulate trade, what advantages do trading blocs have and how do countries remain internationally attractive? Use the search term ‘international economics’ for more.
Why didn’t the balloon go up?
When the US military shot down an unmanned Chinese aircraft many thought the worst. Joshua Brown looks at why things might have even grown better. When a Chinese surveillance balloon
Was Truss on the money?
Dirk Ehnts suggests that Liz Truss’s downfall may have not been because she was wrong. Shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said in 2021 that delaying tackling climate breakdown would be at
More ore or less waste?
Paul Ekins warns of the need for low-carbon-economy policymakers to consider the full circle. Many of the technologies seen as critical for the shift to low-carbon energy, as well as
Poverty and Inequality
What causes poverty and inequality within and between developing and developed economies? How has capitalism played a role in paving the path? Use search term ‘inequality’ for more.
Is the opposition equal to the challenge?
Stewart Lansley provides a measure of the task faced by any party that might genuinely seek to tackle poverty in the UK. Labour’s shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has said that a Labour
Money talks
Willy Diddens on why philanthropists think they have to evade tax. Call it branding, public perception, corporate image or optics, ultimately the great majority of people, businesses, governments spend a
Deception and perception
When money is the messenger, why do the poor believe it? Paul Frijters questions the truth. According to Max Lawson of Oxfam, who recently gave a fascinating interview in The
Emerging and Developing Economics
What are the dimensions of development, how is development different to growth? What factors and strategies influence growth and development? Use the search term ‘developing countries’ for more.
Sovereign states on a leash
Foreign investment: Rick Rowden recounts the tale of who’s wagging the dog. When Mexico adopted a tax on high-fructose corn syrup as part of an effort to address the
Plumbers and pedagogues
Does development always eliminate gender discrimincation? Naila Kabeer scrutinises the thinking behind the recent Nobel prize-winning methodology in development economics. The 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to three
Hardcore Peripheries
Ingrid Kvangraven, Farwa Sial and Carolina Alves explore the relevance of dependency theory today. Why are some countries rich and some poor? Why is it difficult – seemingly impossible –
The Financial Sector
What are the role of financial markets? How do central banks play a role and what does market failure look like in the financial sector? Use the search term ‘finance’ for more.
Was Truss on the money?
Dirk Ehnts suggests that Liz Truss’s downfall may have not been because she was wrong. Shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said in 2021 that delaying tackling climate breakdown would be at
Can finance save polar bears?
Frederic Hache questions proposals that perpetual growth can be made sustainable by planting trees. In an article published by Le Monde in December, 2023, the President of the French Republic,
Go West
The developed world’s delivery on commitments to help pull the poorest countries out of their tailspin into destitution is arguably as crucial as it is unlikely. Niko Humalisto suggests reflection.
Role of the State in the Macroeconomy
How does the government manage its finances in different economic conditions? How do international actors play a role? Use search terms ‘central banking’ and/or ‘austerity’ for more.
Paradigm Shift
Our collective memories of the lessons learned from wars and crises past have faded. Frances Coppola looks for future guidance. The longer our financial and economic system goes without a
Central concerns
In his book, Building a Better world for All, former governor of The Bank of England Mark Carney, looks at value beyond dollars and demands your attention. Review by Guy
Lose change
There’s a digital revolution in money on the way. Barry James reports. A major new disruption to global monetary systems, perhaps the greatest yet, is moving in fast from left