TL;DR

This list includes 29 economics research ideas across climate economics, game theory, AI, gender and labor economics, consumer behavior, agriculture, and public policy and finance. Some topics can be explored using public data, existing research, economic models, or policy documents, while others can involve surveys or local evidence. If you want to turn one of these ideas into an independent research project with 1:1 PhD mentorship, you can explore the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. 

If you are a high school student looking for an economics research topic, you have many directions to explore. You could study how people make economic decisions, how policies affect communities, how technology is changing markets, or how climate change affects economies. This list brings together a wide range of research ideas across these areas to help you find a topic that interests you.

How do you choose an economics research topic?

Start with an area of economics that you already find interesting, then narrow it into a question you can actually investigate. A useful topic should be specific enough to analyze, supported by evidence you can access, and manageable within the time and resources available to you.

It also helps to decide what kind of economics research you want to do. Some questions can be studied using existing economic data, while others work better with mathematical models, surveys, case studies, policy documents, or comparisons between countries and regions. For more guidance on developing a focused research question, read What Makes a Good Research Question.

Which economics research topics can you study using data, models, or existing research?

Economics research does not always require you to collect your own data. You can analyze public datasets, compare economic indicators across countries or regions, examine published research, or use economic models to study how people, businesses, or governments make decisions.

For example, topics such as income inequality, climate impacts, consumer behavior, agricultural markets, and economic policy can often be approached using existing data and reports. Game theory and some questions involving AI can also be studied through mathematical or computational models.

Which economics topics overlap with computer science, psychology, finance, or public policy?

Economics connects with many other subjects. Behavioral and consumer economics overlap with psychology, economics and AI can involve machine learning and data science, and public policy and finance connect economics with government, law, and international relations.

These intersections can be useful when you already enjoy another subject. You could study how AI affects economic decisions, how psychological factors influence consumer behavior, how climate policy affects markets, or how financial and public policies affect households and businesses.

Which economics research topics can you explore through local or real-world evidence?

Some economics questions become more manageable when you focus on a specific region, industry, community, or policy. Research on agriculture, food waste, labor markets, healthcare access, and local economic policy can be narrowed to a state, city, or region instead of trying to explain a global trend.

This approach can also make it easier to connect published economic research with real-world evidence. Depending on the question, you could use local reports, government data, policy documents, interviews, or other publicly available information.

Economics research you can explore with public data, reports, and other sources

The same project can use more than one type of evidence. For example, you might combine published research with public data or use policy documents alongside economic indicators.

Economics research ideas for high school students

1. Climate crisis through an economic lens

Climate change affects economic activity through areas such as energy, food production, prices, monetary policy, and household behavior. These questions can be studied at a local, regional, national, or global level depending on the research question.

1. Analyze differing viewpoints on how central banks can or should respond to climate change and its associated risks.

2. Study how the economic impacts of climate change are likely to vary across different regions and income groups.

3. Study the potential impact of climate change on monetary policy.

4. Investigate the barriers to climate-friendly diets and the behavioral strategies that could encourage them.

Ideas contributed by Lumiere mentors from Boston University, the London School of Economics and Political Science, the University of Cambridge, and University College London.

2. Game theory and its applications

Game theory examines situations in which the outcome of one person's or group's decision depends on what others do. It can be applied to markets, negotiations, international conflict, politics, and other areas where multiple decision-makers interact.

5. Apply game theoretic methods to improve market outcomes in matching markets, such as labor or dating markets, and negotiations.

6. Use game theory to analyze strategic interactions in questions such as why wars occur, what strategies conflicting parties might use, and what peacekeeping strategies could be effective.

7. Examine the impact of information on strategic decision-making.

Ideas contributed by Lumiere mentors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Cambridge.

3. Economics and AI

AI is increasingly connected to economics through predictive analytics, machine learning, automated decision-making, and large-scale data analysis. This area can be a good fit if you are interested in economics alongside computer science, algorithms, or data science.

8. Examine the relationship between income inequality and economic growth using data from different countries or regions.

9. Study potential biases and fairness issues in AI-powered economic decision-making, particularly in lending and credit decisions.

10. Study how machine learning algorithms can be used to predict stock prices, economic indicators, or other financial metrics.

11. Study how technologies such as blockchain could be used to increase trust in increasingly decentralized systems.

Idea contributed by a Lumiere mentor from the University of Southern California.

4. Gender studies from an economics perspective

Economic research can examine how gender relates to employment, unpaid work, education, wages, and access to social programs. These questions can also draw on research from sociology, anthropology, and psychology.

12. Explore the factors that influence labor force participation rates for men and women.

13. Study the economic value of unpaid work, particularly unpaid household work traditionally performed by women.

14. Examine how changes in social safety net policies affect economically vulnerable families. Possible questions include how health insurance affects young adults, how minimum wage policies affect employment and earnings, and how paid maternity leave affects the gender wage gap.

15. Explore differences in STEM course enrollment between male and female students and use principles from behavioral economics to investigate possible explanations.

Idea contributed by a Lumiere mentor from the University of California, Davis.

5. Consumer behavior through an economic lens

Consumer behavior sits at the intersection of economics and psychology. You can use economic concepts to examine how people respond to prices, contracts, incentives, discounts, and information.

16. Analyze contract design used by firms and examine which factors contribute to acceptance, negotiation, or rejection.

17. Study how consumers respond to energy efficiency programs that provide information or incentives, and examine how these programs could increase demand for energy-efficient products.

18. Research different pricing strategies, such as discounts, coupons, and bundling, and examine how they affect consumer behavior.

Ideas contributed by Lumiere mentors from INSEAD and Cornell University.

6. Agriculture and rural development

Agriculture provides a way to study economics through specific industries, communities, regions, and supply chains. You can explore how markets, trade, government policies, and climate change affect farmers and rural communities.

19. Study how the market power of intermediaries in agriculture affects farmers' incomes, using a particular agricultural market or policy as a case study.

20. Analyze the potential for reducing food waste to support sustainable agriculture and rural development, and develop strategies that could be studied at a local level.

21. Examine the economic implications of climate change for farmers, rural communities, and food security.

22. Study the effects of global food trade on different farming communities.

23. Examine the impact of supply chain issues on an industry, including food waste and supply chain disruptions.

24. Analyze how labor issues in your state or region affect the agricultural industry and evaluate possible responses.

Ideas contributed by a Lumiere mentor from the University of Michigan.

7. Public policy and finance

Public policy and finance connect economics with government, law, markets, and international relations. Research in this area can examine how policies affect inequality, competition, government revenue, healthcare, and access to services.

25. Study how federal and local tax policy has evolved and examine its potential impact on structural inequalities and wealth and income inequality.

26. Study vertical mergers and their impact on the economy, including how large firms may try to reduce market competition and how policymakers respond.

27. Examine policies that allow governments in low-income countries to collect more revenue and provide better public services.

28. Study the impact of healthcare policies in your state or region on access to and the cost of healthcare.

Ideas contributed by Lumiere mentors from the University of Michigan and the University of Southern California.

Economics research categories, methods, and typical output

One other option: the Lumiere Research Scholar Program

If you want to take one of these economics topics further, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program gives high school students the opportunity to develop an independent research project with 1:1 PhD mentorship. You can narrow a broad economics interest into a focused research question and work through the research process with guidance.

Economics research: what high schoolers often want to know

1. Do I need to know advanced math before starting an economics research project?

Not necessarily. Some economics projects rely more on literature reviews, policy analysis, case studies, or existing data, while others use mathematical models or statistical methods that require stronger quantitative preparation.

2. Can I do economics research without collecting my own data?

Yes. Many economics questions can be explored using public datasets, government reports, published research, economic indicators, and existing case studies. The type of evidence you need depends on the question you choose.

3. Can I combine economics with another subject like computer science or psychology?

Yes. Economics overlaps with fields such as computer science, psychology, finance, political science, and environmental studies, so combining two areas can help you develop a more specific research question.

4. Do I need someone to guide me through an economics research project like this?

You can start exploring an economics topic independently, but guidance can help you narrow the question, choose an appropriate method, and work through the research process. If you want 1:1 support from a PhD-level researcher while developing an independent economics project, you can explore the Lumiere Research Scholar Program.