Mark W. Johnston
H-index:
33
Economics revision – approaching data response questions
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/10/06/e...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/10/06/e...
Economics revision – approaching data response questions
The AS Level Paper 2 is tomorrow so below are some thoughts on approaching the data response. These questions are all about deep reading of the extract and interpreting the data/graphs. On too many…
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AS economics revision – elasticity of supply
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/10/01/a...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/10/01/a...
AS economics revision – elasticity of supply
This topic can be part of an essay question in Section B of Paper 2 at AS level – the focus is usually on the usefulness of PES. It refers to the ability of producers to adjust supply to a ch…
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A2 Economics – Perfect labour market and monopsony with a minimum wage.
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/25/a...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/25/a...
A2 Economics – Perfect labour market and monopsony with a minimum wage
Currently doing Cambridge A Level revision courses for the Association of Cambridge Schools New Zealand (ACSNZ) and today we went through the labour market. Marginal revenue productivity (MRPL) is …
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Cardboard packaging as an economic indicator
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/29/c...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/29/c...
Cardboard packaging as an economic indicator
Cardboard packaging often goes unnoticed, yet it is the backbone of the supply chain, with everything from groceries to heavy machinery passing through a box before reaching its destination.A decli…
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How to write AS and A2 essays in Economics
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/23/h...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/23/h...
How to write AS and A2 essays in Economics
A timely reminder about essay writing for economics as we approach the October external exams. Below is a mindmap on economic systems (market economy) which could be useful as an essay plan. I have…
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A Level economics revision – the natural rate of unemployment
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/21/a...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/21/a...
A Level economics revision – the natural rate of unemployment
The natural rate of unemployment is part of the Cambridge A Level course and is usually found in a multiple choice question or essay. Below is a useful video from Marginal Revolution University. Th…
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AS Economics Revision – Income Elasticity of Demand graph
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/19/a...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/19/a...
AS Economics Revision – Income Elasticity of Demand graph
Here are some revision notes on YED which might be useful for the CIE AS Economics exam in a few weeks time. Quite a few of the class had never come across this graph which is popular in multiple-c…
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Positive externalities of nature in Australia
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/16/p...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/16/p...
Positive externalities of nature in Australia
Nature in Australia is vital economic infrastructure. When the value of non-market ecosystem services—such as climate regulation, water purification, pollination, and flood protection—is included, …
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Overtourism and negative externalities
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/13/o...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/13/o...
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A Level Economics Revision – National Income
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/10/a...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/10/a...
A Level Economics Revision – National Income
GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP) – Under new definitions introduced in the late 1990s, Gross Domestic Product is also known as Gross Value Added. It is defined as the value of output produced wit…
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Developing countries move out of US$ debts
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/06/d...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/06/d...
Developing countries move out of US$ debts
Interest payments on developing countries loans have in some cases exceeded 10% of revenues. This surge in public debt servicing costs is alarming, limiting budgets in these countries. In 2023, a h…
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A Level and NCEA Economics – monopolistic competition
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/02/a...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/09/02/a...
A Level and NCEA Economics – monopolistic competition
With NCEA and CIE practice exams approaching, below is a mindmap about monopolistic competition which will hopefully help with revision of the topic. Adapted from Susan Grant – A Level Econom…
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Role of Price Elasticity of Demand – Wall Street Journal
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/08/31/r...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/08/31/r...
Role of Price Elasticity of Demand – Wall Street Journal
Below is a very good video from the Wall Street Journal on price elasticity of demand (PED). PED is key to understanding how companies price their products. Consumer spending has held up relatively…
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Debt supercycle and how it works
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/08/24/d...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/08/24/d...
Debt supercycle and how it works
John Mauldin’s book “End Game: The End of the Debt Supercycle and How it Changes Everything” and his weekly publication ‘Thoughts from the Frontline’ address the topic of debt and in particular whe…
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Indicators of an economy: tractors, concrete, imported cars, length of a ladder etc.
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/08/17/i...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/08/17/i...
Indicators of an economy: tractors, concrete, imported cars, length of a ladder etc.
I’ve always been on the lookout for different economic indicators not just GDP per capita. One which (literally) caught my eye was the size of Alan Greenspan’s (former US Fed Chair) briefcase befor…
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Developing economies debt crisis
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/08/14/d...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/08/14/d...
Developing economies debt crisis
Covering development economies debt issues with my CIE A Level class and the video below from the FT looks at the impact of higher interest rates. External debt can be a major obstacle to future ec…
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Behavioural Economics course for school students
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/08/07/b...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/08/07/b...
Behavioural Economics course for school students
Today I presented to our Yr 10 students about what to expect in the Yr 11 Economics course in 2026. As we don’t have an external exam in Yr 11 it gives us the ability to include other areas t…
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Market power, innovation and inequality
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/08/02/m...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/08/02/m...
Market power, innovation and inequality
In economics issues of competition, growth, and the distribution of their benefits have long been central concerns with the growing concentration of market power in the hands of corporations. Gover…
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Foodstuffs North Island and cartel conduct
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/07/15/f...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/07/15/f...
Foodstuffs North Island and cartel conduct
If you are covering market structures in NCEA Level 3 or in CIE A Level, the recent news that the New Zealand Commerce Commission is taking Foodstuffs North Island and its subsidiary Gilmours Whole…
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Stability breeds instability – the Minsky Moment
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/07/13/s...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/07/13/s...
Stability breeds instability – the Minsky Moment
I have shown my classes the documentary ‘Inside Job’ and the movie ‘The Big Short’ both about the 2007 global financial crisis (GFC). The GFC is often described as a Minsky Moment named after econo…
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Macroeconomic conditions and market performance.
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/07/12/m...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/07/12/m...
Macroeconomic conditions and market performance.
A report from Apollo (Asset Managers) Chief Economist Torsten Sløk talked of the threat of stagflation in the US economy. He states that tariffs are typically stagflationary shocks as they increase…
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Moral psychology and economic policy
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/07/10/m...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/07/10/m...
Moral psychology and economic policy
In recent years the discipline of moral psychology has generally been seen as separate to that of economics although historically (Adam Smith and Karl Marx) discussions of political economy* were c…
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Greater productivity needed for NZ food and fibre sector.
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/07/06/g...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/07/06/g...
Greater productivity needed for NZ food and fibre sector.
The food and fibre sector in New Zealand plays a crucial role in the economy, driving economic activity and serving as a major source of export earnings. It is also pivotal in supporting the govern…
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Regressive carbon pricing in the EU
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/06/26/r...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/06/26/r...
Regressive carbon pricing in the EU
In Germany and France, carbon pricing disproportionately affects low-income households compared to their wealthier counterparts. This disparity arises because products and services commonly consume…
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Barbers and imperfect competition in Senegal
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/06/22/b...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/06/22/b...
Barbers and imperfect competition in Senegal
The Economist had a short article on their correspondent getting a haircut in Dakar Senegal. Prices for a haircut in the low income countries should be a lot cheaper when compared to the developed …
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What is the best policy goal for growth? productivity or competitiveness?
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/06/20/w...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/06/20/w...
What is the best policy goal for growth? productivity or competitiveness?
An article in the June Finance and Development magazine from the IMF addressed the path to prosperity for economies and if the focus should be on competitiveness or productivity. The concept of com…
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Protestor brings economic theory to the front line
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/06/15/p...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/06/15/p...
Protestor brings economic theory to the front line
HT to colleague David Parr for this image. This protester against the Trump Administration’s use of tariffs has drawn a graph showing the impact of tariffs on quantity supplied, demanded and …
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Denmark’s farmers face $100 tax per cow
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/06/12/d...
econfix.wordpress.com/2025/06/12/d...
Denmark’s farmers face $100 tax per cow
Doing negative externalities with my NCEA Level 3 class and we looked at what is happening in Denmark and could this happen in New Zealand. Danish farmers are facing a US$100 annual tax per cow for…
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