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Student Essay Contest Archive

The Minneapolis Fed hosted an annual essay contest for high school students from 1989 – 2021.

2020-2021

What, if anything, should the federal government do to alleviate persistent economic disparities faced by African Americans?

2019-2020

What, if anything, should government do to address the adverse consequences of free trade for some firms and individuals?

2018-2019

Use economics to describe and defend an effective immigration policy.

2017-2018

Should the federal government increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour?

2016-2017

Can the U.S. economy still grow the way it once did?

2015-2016

What change in the American K-12 education system would result in the most cost-effective improvement in student outcomes?

2014-2015

What are the most important influences on economic inequality in the United States?

2013-2014

The Federal Reserve: The Next 100 Years

2012-2013

How should North Dakota handle its oil boom?

2011-2012

What is the value of higher education?

2010-2011

What role, if any, should government play in job creation?

2009-2010

What economic factors may be contributing to the problem of obesity, and how can economics be applied to address the problem?

2008-2009

What role, if any, should the government play in energy markets?

2007-2008

Hamilton vs. Jefferson: Whose economic vision was better?

2006-2007

Is immigration good or bad for the U.S. economy?

2005-2006

What economic lessons can be drawn from an illegal drug deal?

2004-2005

Why are some countries rich and some countries poor?

2003-2004

What role, if any, should the government play in addressing income inequality?

2002-2003

Select a major problem concerning the ecological environment. Using economic analysis, show how this problem could be addressed.

2001-2002

Is there a housing shortage? What role should the government play in the housing market?

2000-2001

The Great Depression: Could it happen again?

1999-2000

What does this 1973 picture, of a gas station without gas to see, imply about how markets work? How can the lessons portrayed in the picture guide policymakers today?

1998-1999

What economic lessons can be drawn from this painting of a bustling sixteenth century Dutch market?

1997-1998

Why do some countries grow faster than others? What, if anything, can a central bank do to enhance economic growth?

1996-1997

Should states be permitted to use targeted incentives to recruit businesses?

1995-1996

What exchange rate system should central banks adopt?

1994-1995

What role should the Federal Reserve Play in the payments system?

1993-1994

Is the Community Reinvestment Act a necessary and effective tool for eliminating discrimination in lending?

1992-1993

Central Banks in Emerging Economies

1991-1992

Is reform of the banking system necessary and, if so, what types of reform would be most effective?

1990-1991

How successful has the floating exchange rate system been compared to the fixed exchange rate system? And, what modifications would you recommend, if any?

1988-1989

Is the Federal Reserve Too Independent?