On 14 March, the final of the University of Bristol School of Economics Debate Competition took place at the Wills Memorial Building.
The competition had initially been open to all Bristol economics undergraduate and postgraduate students to enter. After a series of compelling submissions and a competitive individual round, an academic panel selected the finalists.
For the final, students were allocated to one of two teams to debate for or against the motion: ‘This House Would Cap UK Immigration to Protect Wages, Productivity and Public Services’.
Final year BSc Economics student, Durra, watched the final unfold – along with an audience of other students and a judging panel of academics and alumni. Durra said: “The arguments presented were thought provoking and showcased the depth of research each team had undertaken.”
Senior Lecturer in Economics, Dr Ruth Badru, who leads the School’s student engagement activities, said: “This is the second year we’ve run the Debate Competition, and it’s been brilliant to see how much students have embraced the challenge. Events like this give them the chance to bring economics to life — applying what they’re learning in the classroom to real-world policy debates, and building skills and confidence they’ll carry into their future careers.”
The well-attended event also included an economics ‘meme competition’ – with the audience invited to vote for their favourite of the memes submitted by economics students in advance. There was also a mixer and networking session afterwards, where current students had the opportunity to engage with economics alumni now working across a range of different industries.