Tuvey Prize winners take on Economics research challenge

The Economics Department at UCS has announced the latest recipients of its Tuvey Economics Research Prize, following a competitive process in which pairs of applicants from Year 12 and Year 13 submitted proposals to research an Economics question of their choosing.

The two winning pairs who assume the mantle of UCS Tuvey Scholars for 2023 are: Kristian Partridge and Jack Harding (both Year 12), with the topic ‘Is nationalisation (or partial nationalisation) of utilities necessary in the UK? A comparative study’; and Jeremy Feiereisen and Jamie Abehsera-Cohen (also Year 12s), with the question ‘How do firms use the insights of behavioural economics to make consumers buy more?’. The two sets of pupils must now produce paired dissertations.

The Tuvey Prize is a sum of money donated to the Economics Department by the Tuvey family (Old Gowers). The department uses this fund to support pupils in genuine economic enquiry and in collaborative work, whereby students investigate questions of their own choosing.

In conducting their research, students develop knowledge and skills that take them well beyond the A Level syllabus. Their research includes active investigation and the gathering of real world, primary data. This will be used to test a hypothesis; the Tuvey Scholars will then present their findings alongside their reading and review of academic literature.

The Tuvey Prize resonates perfectly with the concept of liberal scholarship that defines a UCS education – and which nurtures qualities such as intuition, curiosity, confidence, entrepreneurialism and creativity. UCS regards education in the broadest possible sense and encourages pupils to make connections between subjects, beyond exam specifications.

A condition of the prize is that pupils work in pairs; alongside the requirement to employ primary data, this makes the prize unique at this level of study. Students have the full backing of the Economics Department and the Library, where they can access worldwide academic journals.

Given the imperative to produce research and findings of the highest standard, the scholars are given plenty of time to conduct their work. Their findings and dissertations are due for submission in September 2023.

If you would like to discuss further philanthropic opportunities at UCS, please contact Edd Pickering on [email protected].