If you hear the word “economy” and your only thought is that you need to get to your local warehouse store to buy another economy-size container of cheese puffs, it’s probably good that you’ve decided to read this post for a few ideas for your upcoming economics essay.
So wipe your hands of that sparkling cheese dust, and let’s take a look at 10 economics essay topics to help you get started with your economics essay.
10 Economics Essay Topics That Will Improve Your Bottom Line
I’ve included a broad list of topic ideas with suggestions on how you might develop the topic into a specific type of paper, such as an argument, compare and contrast, or pros and cons essay.
Keep in mind that your prof may, of course, have different ideas as to what type of assignment you should be writing. In other words, read your assignment guidelines closely.
Within the list of economics essay topics, I’ve also included several sample essays for added inspiration. So make sure to check them out as you scroll through the topics.
1. Supply and demand
Gas prices are an excellent example of supply and demand. Gas prices often rise in the summer due, in part, to the high demand of summer travelers. If the prices rise too high, however, demand falls, there is a surplus of gas, and thus prices will usually fall.
If you’re writing about supply and demand, you might write an informative essay to simply explain the supply and demand of a product. You could also write an argument essay about how supply (or prices) should be higher or lower based on the market.
Sample essays:
- Economics in the Supply and Demand of NBA Tickets
- An Analysis on Economics, Supply and Demand in the Babysitting Field
- Economics: The Supply and Demand on Gas and the Price Hikes
2. Culture and economics
A discussion about culture and economics might revolve around several cultural groups and how they impact the economy. Or the discussion might focus on one specific group (such as millennials) and how they affect the economy.
Sample essay:
3. Consumerism
I’m sure you’ve purchased your share of products in your lifetime. So writing about consumerism might be one of those essays in which you can share personal experiences. Perhaps you can even discuss how and why you spend, and how it has affected your life.
(Think cause and effect essay—did overspending on those concert tickets put a big dent in your budget? How did this affect your spending the following week?)
Sample essays:
- Understanding New Consumerism in the American Culture
- An Analysis of the Economy and the Role of Consumerism in the 1950s After World War Two in the United States
4. Historical overview
A historical overview economics essay could take the form of a comprehensive overview of a specific time period (and its impact on society).
An overview might also focus on one specific component of the economy (such as interest rates or technology) and trace its impact throughout a time period.
Sample essays:
An introduction to the history of…
5. Immigration
Immigration is another one of those topics that lends itself to a cause and effect essay.
You might consider the impact of immigrants (either legal or illegal) in an entire country, one region, or one city. Or you might consider the impact of immigrants on an industry, such as farming.
You could also take another approach. Discuss what would happen to the economy if immigrants were no longer allowed to enter the country. Or conversely, you could discuss what would happen if current immigrants left the country.
Sample essay:
6. Trade policies
If you’re writing about trade policies, perhaps explain how policies impact one country. You could also try comparing and contrasting the policies of two or three different countries.
Sample essays:
- An Overview of Argentina’s Economy and Trade Policy
7. Interest rates
Ever buy something with a credit card and then look at your statement the next month to see how much you’re paying in interest? (It’s painful. Try to pay off your credit cards ASAP!)
This personal experience with credit card interest rates might help you envision how interest rates can affect purchases in a larger company. It might also help you understand how and why interest rates may change.
Have an awesome idea for an explanatory essay about interest rates but just can’t seem to get the words in place? Check out 4 Proven Ways to Keep Writer’s Block From Ruining Your Essay.
Sample essays:
- A Discussion on the Expectation of the Federal Reserve Raising the Interest Rates
- Interest Rates as a Political Factor in a Company
8. Recession
Recessions affect just about everyone. If you know people who’ve lived through a recession (or two), their insights might be just what you need to add a local perspective to your research.
Need a few ideas to help create a survey for your economics essay? Read How to Write Perfect Survey Questions for Your Paper.
Sample essay:
9. Inflation
Some amount of inflation can actually be good for an economy. But if inflation increases too much, it can cause some instability and discourage spending and economic growth.
Making a list of the advantages and disadvantages is the perfect start to writing a pros and cons essay about inflation.
Sample essays:
- An Economical Study on the Relationship Between Inflation and Unemployment
- An Analysis of the Causes, Measurement, and Effects of Inflation, a General Rise of Prices
- An Analysis of the Government Measures and Motivations in the Cases of Economy Recession or Inflation
10. Employment rates
Employment rates and the economy go hand in hand. If your goal is to explain how the two are connected, this is the perfect time to brush up on your research paper skills. That might include brushing up on MLA or APA citation styles.
Sample essay:
Word Economy
Writing an economics essay doesn’t mean that you throw out a bunch of ten-dollar words that you learned in class just to make yourself sound smart. You also shouldn’t add those words just to fill up space to meet word count.
Once you settle on one of the above economics essay topics, check out these resources to help you keep your word choices economical:
- The Ultimate Guide to the Perfect Word Choice for Your Essay
- Why Eliminating Wordiness Is So Important for Your Essay
- How to Become a Better Writer: Don’t Use Words That Sound Smart
Don’t forget: Kibin editors are also here to help with word choice–and all things related to your essay.
