This year I’ve been very pleased to be able to extend the economics department’s involvement with external speakers and visits, and a big thank you (in chronological order) to Richard Alden, Marivi Lorente and Hector Moreno (senior) for their very welcome help.

It’s been quite a year in economics. After so many years of everything looking rosy, rising commodity prices and the credit crunch came along to dash our hopes of stability in the near future. Fortunately for myself, such turmoil did not infringe on economics at Runnymede. For the first time there were two groups at AS and A2, with nigh on half of the sixth form coming under my wing.

As ever, it was recent economic developments that dictated our year’s studies. In year 12 we looked at the workings of markets such as for the upwardly mobile uranium and rented accommodation, whilst also considering how market failure can be corrected (or indeed augmented), the exam covering competition in postal services and the Stern Report on climate change.

Macroeconomic study included the tightening of monetary and fiscal policy and improving UK productivity, essential if the UK is to weather the current so-called crisis.

As ever, we embarked on year 13 considering the workings of various industries, with the current wave of mergers and consolidation at the heart of case studies on banking mergers and confectionary marketing. Following on into development economics, the debate on how the developed world can help LEDCs, with the Millennium Development Goals on key areas such as infant mortality and incidence of AIDS receiving a welcome review in the A2 exam. As ever, the importance of the UK as a part of the global economy formed the basis for the end of our studies, with international competitiveness, liberalised world trade and control of public finances all getting a look in.

A final word to the prize-winners. In year 12, Natalia pipped it at the last from certificate winner Cristina and Ben. In year 13, Alberto blossomed into a very fine economist, and he’ll be thankful to the ever-present look over the shoulder at the certificate winner Tereza who pushed him all the way. There have been many other fine performances, but alas space dictates I cut it short at these few.