Junior Economist Qualification case studies
Junior Economist Qualification · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Junior Economist Qualification is an entry-level credential for people starting careers in economic analysis - recent graduates in economics, finance or statistics, analysts moving into an economics team, and staff in public agencies or research units who need a structured demonstration of core economic competence. It tests breadth rather than specialisation: microeconomic reasoning about consumers, firms and markets; macroeconomic models and policy transmission; the quantitative toolkit of probability, inference and regression; applied data work including model specification and interpretation; public finance and fiscal policy; money, banking and financial markets; international trade and open-economy issues; and the professional and regulatory context in which economists advise. The Junior Economist Qualification case studies are 5 cases and about 4,439 words.
1Cement Merger: Market Definition and the Price-Cap Offer
In the inland cement market, annual consumption is 5.0 million tonnes (Mt) and has grown 1% a year. Four suppliers serve the market: Alpha (46% share, 2.4 Mt capacity), Beta (24%, 1.0 Mt), Gamma (16%, 0.8 Mt) and imports (14%, 0.7 Mt, capped by a single rail corridor already at 95% utilisation in peak season).
828 words, about 4 min2Supply-Shock Inflation in a Small Open Economy with Indexed Wages
Kestrel is a small open economy with an inflation target of 3% with a tolerance band of plus or minus 1 percentage point, a floating currency and gross public debt of 78% of GDP. Headline CPI inflation is 7.2%, core is 5.9%, and the central bank's survey shows one-year-ahead expectations at 5.4%, up from 3.1% a year earlier.
921 words, about 5 min3Minimum-Wage Evaluation with Contaminated Difference-in-Differences
A labor ministry is evaluating a municipal minimum-wage increase. Six of fourteen matched cities raised their minimum from 12.00 to 14.50 per hour in January 2023; eight kept it at 12.00.
853 words, about 4 min4Liquidity Coverage Shortfall After a Peer Failure
Ravensworth Bank has EUR 52 billion of assets, EUR 34 billion of loans and EUR 38 billion of deposits, 34% of which are uninsured. After a mid-sized peer failed, Ravensworth lost 9% of deposits in six days, mostly uninsured balances.
902 words, about 5 min5Regulatory Impact Assessment Under Client Pressure
You are the lead economist at a consultancy commissioned by a pipeline operator to produce a regulatory impact assessment for a 40-year tariff extension. Your draft uses the national guidance rate of 3.5% for intergenerational infrastructure and a 40-year appraisal period, giving a benefit-cost ratio of 1.28.
935 words, about 5 min