Ireland’s brightest young economists – students from Benildus College in Stillorgan, Dublin – have claimed the top award at the national final in the Generation €uro Students’ Award run by the Central Bank of Ireland.
Now in its ninth year, the school competition, run by the Central Bank of Ireland in association with the European Central Bank (ECB), challenges Transition Year and 5th Year students to design monetary policy.
Economic students Joshua Finnegan, Senan Walls and Gagik Avetisyan from Benildus College, and their teacher Eoghan Coffey, will now represent Ireland at the European Central Bank (ECB) where they will meet ECB President Christine Lagarde and the other winning teams from across Europe.
Deputy Governor Sharon Donnery praised the budding economists for participating in the final, saying: “The Central Bank of Ireland is committed to encouraging the economists of the future, and the students demonstrate there is a strong pipeline of young people interested in economics who may choose to forge careers in this area. I congratulate all three teams for their perseverance in working together and reaching the final. The students showed a great understanding of the principles of economics and monetary policy, and the work performed by the ECB, the Eurosystem, and the Central Bank. Selecting a winner was a difficult decision for the judging panel. The teams analysed the challenges faced by the euro area and should be commended for their ability to assess the rapidly changing economic environment.”
Speaking about the winning team, Deputy Governor Donnery added: “Benildus College showed a great understanding of the principles of economics and monetary policy, the ECB’s mandate of price stability, and competently answered questions posed by Central Bank of Ireland economists, displaying in-depth knowledge of the topic.”
