Innovative Lesson Plans in Economics: 20 Creative Topics for IB Achievement Enhancement
In the realm of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Economics Extended Essay (EE), crafting a strong topic is crucial. Here's a guide to help you navigate the process, aligning with the Economics EE syllabus themes and RevisionDojo's guidance.
A good Economics EE topic should be specific and focused enough to explore thoroughly within the 4,000-word limit. It should revolve around a clear and relevant economic issue or question, allowing the application of economic theories and concepts. The topic should be grounded in real-world economic problems or phenomena and provide room for critical, analytical research supported by primary or secondary data.
The topic must be narrow enough to enable in-depth investigation and avoid being too broad or vague. For instance, instead of asking "What effect did COVID-19 have on small businesses?", a more focused question could be "What effect did COVID-19 have on small businesses in Munich between 2020–2022?"
Your topic should align well with microeconomics, macroeconomics, or global economics themes, focusing on economic principles, theories, or current applications, such as labor markets, recession causes, socioeconomic policies, or globalization. It should lend itself to using relevant economic models and theories to analyze data and draw conclusions.
Ideally, your topic relates to contemporary or recent economic issues to maintain relevance, while historical context can be used to support the analysis. Sufficient accessible data or case studies are essential to support the research and provide evidence-based analysis.
Your Economics EE should be both theoretical and data-based, using relevant economic models and empirically testing claims with data or cases. Example topics include evaluating the impact of ride-sharing on taxi fare elasticity in Casablanca between 2019-2024, and the effectiveness of micro-finance initiatives in generating female entrepreneurship in Fez's rural communities.
Remember, an IA topic cannot be used for an Economics EE, as IB requires EE to be independent, even if in the same subject. A strong Economics EE topic should be grounded in economic theory and data, using IB command terms (e.g., to what extent, evaluate).
To ensure your topic is feasible, it's recommended to spend 1-2 weeks refining Research Question drafts, checking feasibility, and getting supervisor feedback before settling on a topic. Personal observations can be used as data in Economics EE, provided they are backed by economic theory and clear analysis.
A Topic Evaluation Checklist is available on RevisionDojo to ensure your Research Question is focused, manageable, and theoretical. RevisionDojo's topic-checklist helps confirm your question is appropriately scoped and aligned with the subject area. Planner Templates on RevisionDojo help track data collection, analysis processes, and supervisor feedback.
Avoiding clichés, such as broad topics like "minimum wage impact", is recommended. Instead, opt for original yet feasible topics. RevisionDojo's "How Do You Know If Your EE Topic Is Good Enough?" checklist provides a simple evaluation framework.
In summary, a standout Economics EE topic should be focused and researchable, narrow enough to be explored thoroughly in 4,000 words. It should align with the Economics EE syllabus themes, be grounded in accessible evidence, and allow thorough economic analysis within the EE word limit.
- To delve into the world of Economics EE, it's important to select a topic that encourages personal growth through learning, such as examining the role of education and self-development initiatives in stimulating entrepreneurship among youth in developing economies.
- In the process of finding a suitable topic, consider a question that allows for analysis relevant to contemporary economic issues, like investigating the effects of online education platforms on the accessibility of tertiary education for marginalized communities.
