Mr Stephen is Head of the Economics Department and also Head of Year 13. He can be found in his teaching room (GB6), the economics office (GB5) or the Heads of Years 12 & 13s office (GB Interview room).

Mr Stephen is especially interested in how the UK interacts with the global economy. He also has a keen interest in econometrics, the way in which mathematical modelling is applied to economics, which he developed at Warwick University.

He also supports a number of extra-curricular clubs, such as Economics Society and Model United Nations, and is also Year 9 rugby coach. Passionate about his homeland, he represented Wales whilst in the Sixth Form himself in public speaking. Typically, he is equally enthusiastic about rugby as one would expect, even though the demise of the Welsh rugby team has seen this enthusiasm decline somewhat recently!

He runs the departmental instagram feed: crgs_economics, which you should all follow!

 

Mr Nicotra teaches Economics and is a Year 12 form tutor. He can be found in his teaching room GB7. 

He has a deep passion for the way domestic and international political considerations shape the economic policies of countries, a focus he developed while studying Political Economy at the University of Essex. He first became interested in economics during the Great Recession (2007–2009) and was particularly engaged with the Sovereign Debt Crisis that affected several Eurozone countries (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain). He has since followed major debates such as the economic impact of the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union and the rise of China as a key global trading power and its effects on Western economies. He also enjoys exploring finance, combining his academic interests with practical experience through investing in the stock market.

Outside of economics, Mr Nicotra enjoys keeping fit, reading science fiction, photographing urban landscapes, and exploring subjects such as astrophysics, history, geopolitics, and many others.

 

Economics Resources

Economics is a fascinating subject in part because it is ever-changing. However, this presents a problem when providing resources for economics students. Textbooks are invariably out of date in some way by the time they are published! We therefore ensure that you are provided with up to date printed and electronic resources.

As well as your printed economics workbooks, you will find many resources on students shared resources, including examples of past exam papers, mark schemes, and much more.  Many useful resources can also be found at the following web sites:

 

1. Reading, News & Blogs

 

A Quality Newspaper – Reading the Financial Times (Free for CRGS students), The Economist (Look out for their student subscription offers), The Guardian, or The Times helps you see how economic theory applies in the real world. Focus especially on the business, economics, and politics sections.

VoxEU (CEPR Policy Portal) – Short, accessible summaries of cutting-edge economic research from leading academics. (voxeu.org)

Project Syndicate – Economics – Commentaries by Nobel laureates and leading thinkers such as Joseph Stiglitz and Dani Rodrik.
(project-syndicate.org/section/economics)

Bruegel Blog – Policy-relevant analysis from one of Europe’s leading economics think tanks.
(bruegel.org)

The IMF Blog – Accessible insights into the global economy, with an excellent “Chart of the Week.” (blogs.imf.org)

LSE Blogs – Academic insights on economics, politics, and policy in both UK and global contexts. (blogs.lse.ac.uk)

 

2. A-Level Economics Resources

 

Tutor2u Economics – Articles, case studies, and revision support directly linked to the A-Level syllabus. (tutor2u.net/economics)

EconplusDal (YouTube) – Outstanding video lessons and tutorials designed for A-Level Economics students. Perfect for revision and especially helpful if you ever miss a lesson.
(youtube.com/@econplusdal)

Marginal Revolution University (MRU) – engaging, high-quality video lectures by Tyler Cowen & Alex Tabarrok. Linked to the well-known blog Marginal Revolution. (mru.org)

Economics Help – Extensive learning resources and a blog by Tejvan Pettinger, covering theory, application, and current events. (economicshelp.org)

3. Talks, Videos & Podcasts

 

TED Talks on Economics – Inspiring short talks from leading thinkers. Try:

• Kate Raworth on Doughnut Economics
• Mariana Mazzucato on Value and the Role of Government
• Nick Hanauer on Economic Inequality
   

Planet Money & The Indicator (NPR) – Planet Money explains big economic ideas through rich storytelling (20–30 minutes per episode), while The Indicator offers short, sharp insights into current events and data (8–10 minutes).

New Books in Economics – Interviews with authors about their latest books, offering insights into new ideas and research.

Conversations with Tyler – Economist Tyler Cowen interviews experts across economics, politics, and culture, often uncovering fresh perspectives on key issues.

Macro Musings (David Beckworth) – In-depth interviews with leading economists on monetary policy, research, and current events.

The Sound of Economics (Bruegel) – Policy-focused podcast from one of Europe’s leading think tanks.

VoxTalks Economics (CEPR) – Conversations with economists about their latest research, presented in an accessible way.

 

 

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