BCS Written Economics study plan

Derive and interpret Marshallian and Hicksian demand functions for Cobb-Douglas, CES and quasilinear preferences, showing the substitution and income effects separately

Construct indifference-curve and budget-line diagrams to classify goods as normal, inferior, Giffen or Veblen and explain each classification verbally in exam style

Solve first-order and second-order conditions for cost minimisation and profit maximisation under perfect competition and monopoly, including a worked numerical example

State the Slutsky equation and apply it to predict how a price change affects quantity demanded when the good is a large budget share

Analyse market structures (perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition, oligopoly) using payoff matrices and the Cournot and Stackelberg reaction functions

Explain market failure sources (externalities, public goods, asymmetric information, common-pool resources) and evaluate corrective instruments such as Pigouvian taxes, Coasean bargaining and tradable permits

Derive the conditions for Pareto efficiency in exchange and production using Edgeworth box reasoning and the contract curve

Apply consumer and producer surplus to evaluate welfare changes from a tax, a subsidy and a price ceiling in a small open economy

Build the IS-LM model from goods- and money-market equilibrium, then derive the aggregate demand curve and trace the effect of fiscal versus monetary expansion under different slopes

Derive the Solow growth model steady state algebraically and graphically, and compute the golden-rule saving rate for a given production function

Distinguish demand-pull from cost-push inflation using the Phillips curve and the expectations-augmented version, and explain the sacrifice ratio

Explain the consumption theories of Keynes, Friedman and Modigliani and identify the empirical prediction that separates them

Explain the money multiplier, the money-supply process and the instruments of monetary policy (open market operations, reserve requirements, policy corridors) with reference to a central bank balance sheet

Derive the quantity theory of money and the Fisher equation, and link them to the transmission mechanism from policy rate to output and prices

Contrast the Keynesian, monetarist and new classical positions on the short-run neutrality of money and state each school's policy prescription

Analyse the trade-off between inflation targeting and exchange-rate stability in a small open economy using the Mundell-Fleming framework

Compare the Lewis dual-sector model, the Harrod-Domar model and the Solow-Swan extension with human capital, identifying the assumption each relaxes

Evaluate the roles of savings, foreign aid, FDI and institutions in financing development, citing the empirical debates on aid effectiveness

Explain poverty measurement (headcount ratio, poverty gap, squared poverty gap, multidimensional indices) and compute each from a small hypothetical distribution

Assess the trade-offs between growth and inequality using the Kuznets hypothesis and the capability approach, and relate them to the SDGs

Classify taxes by incidence and base, and derive how statutory incidence differs from economic incidence under elastic and inelastic supply and demand

Explain the structure and instruments of fiscal policy (automatic stabilisers, discretionary spending, debt sustainability) and evaluate crowding-out in an open economy

Derive the conditions for balance-of-payments equilibrium and explain how a devaluation affects the trade balance through the Marshall-Lerner condition and the J-curve

Compare fixed, floating and managed exchange-rate regimes and interpret the implications of a tariff or quota under partial equilibrium

Summarise the structural features of the Bangladesh economy (sectoral composition, remittances, RMG dependence, export concentration, inflation and fiscal stance) and identify the main policy debates

Describe the instruments and independence of Bangladesh Bank and evaluate the exchange-rate and reserve-management stance

Interpret OLS regression output (coefficients, standard errors, t-statistics, R-squared, F-test) from a printed table and explain the Gauss-Markov assumptions

Diagnose heteroskedasticity, autocorrelation and multicollinearity from diagnostic evidence and state the consequences and remedies for each

Distinguish cross-sectional, time-series and panel data designs and select an appropriate method for a stated research question

Synthesise the eight domains into a one-page revision map linking each model to its assumptions, predictions and policy implications

Complete a full-length timed mock paper covering all eight domains and identify the three weakest topics from the marking

Re-drill the three weakest topics with targeted derivations and past-paper-style numericals until each can be reproduced unaided

Practise diagram recall under time pressure, redrawing the ten most examinable diagrams (IS-LM, Solow, Edgeworth box, Phillips curve, J-curve, externality, monopoly, Lorenz curve, tariff, money multiplier)