IB Economics HL case studies
IB Economics HL · Put your knowledge to work in context.
IB Economics HL is the higher-level economics course within the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, normally taken over two years by students aged roughly 16–19. It suits candidates who want a rigorous, internationally minded treatment of economics rather than a purely national one: you learn to model markets, evaluate government policy, and apply theory to real economies and news events. The syllabus moves from scarcity, choice and opportunity cost through microeconomics (elasticity, intervention, market failure, theory of the firm), macroeconomics (AD/AS, inflation, unemployment, policy, HL extensions such as the Phillips curve), the global economy (trade, protectionism, exchange rates, balance of payments, integration) and development economics. HL differs from SL mainly in extra content, greater mathematical and analytical demand, and the additional policy paper. The IB Economics HL case studies are 5 cases and about 2,976 words.
1Rent Ceiling in Metroville
Metroville, a city of 3.4 million people, has a competitive rental market. The market-clearing rent is 1,800 per month, with 1.2 million units rented.
640 words, about 3 min2Duopoly Airlines on a Domestic Route
SkyHigh and AeroOne are the only two airlines licensed to fly a 900-km domestic route. Each has 50% of the 2 million annual passengers.
619 words, about 3 min3Policy Mix in a High-Debt Economy
Country A has potential GDP of 2,000 billion and actual GDP of 1,880 billion. Unemployment is 8.5%, and CPI inflation is 5.2%, well above the central bank's 2% target.
604 words, about 3 min4Steel Tariff in a Small Open Economy
Steelville is a small open economy that imports steel at the world price of 450 per tonne. At that price, domestic producers supply 20 million tonnes and domestic consumers demand 50 million tonnes.
563 words, about 3 min5Commodity Dependence and Debt in Narania
Narania is a low-income country of 28 million people. GDP has grown at 6% a year for a decade, but GDP per capita is only 1,900 and the Gini coefficient has risen from 0.38 to 0.47.
550 words, about 3 min