School of Economics

Borderless: an interuniversity economic competition series

Join students from universities around the world and collaborate digitally in the Borderless competition series.

About Borderless

Borderless competitions are open to UQ students who have previously completed a course within the School of Economics. The competition is an opportunity to connect up with economics students overseas to work together and present via a video submission to a panel of international judges. 

You will work together online to tackle an economic issue over a four week period in a semester (8-12 contact hours) with the opportunity to win cash prizes. 

Benefits

The benefits of taking part include developing employability skills:

  • collaborate with others to achieve a common outcome
  • communicate economic analysis through written, spoken, and digital modes
  • prepare reports and deliver presentations
  • work independently when required
  • solve problems and provide workable, realistic solutions
  • critically analyse proposed alternatives
  • work in a globally connected, culturally diverse environment.

Eligibility

Postgraduate and undergraduate students are welcome.

You must be currently enrolled with UQ and in your second year or above of undergraduate study or your second semester of study or above of postgraduate study. You must have completed at least one unit within the School of Economics.

 

Semester 1, 2022 Competition details
Marine sustainability with National Chengchi University
Your task: Form a team with students from National Chengchi University, Taiwan, research a problem related to the oceans, seas and marine environments and apply economic theory to propose a sustainable solution.
Borderless with King's College London
Pair up with students from KCL and in teams, critically analyse a research article’s design, methods and conclusions.

Past competitions

See some of the previous competition responses by UQ students and their overseas partners.

Exeter - Semester 2, 2021
Students participated as individuals and teams in a virtual economy, producing, selling and consuming goods, and made a team video reflection on learnings.
Exeter - Semester 2, 2020
Students could either provide an in-depth explanation of a clean energy market model in which negative prices might occur, or identify a specific issue that emerged as a result of the 2019/20 bushfires.
King's College London - Semester 1, 2021
"The differences between countries' performances in handling the COVID-19 pandemic are best explained by a country’s characteristics before the pandemic rather than by a country’s response to the pandemic."
NCCU - Semester 1, 2021
The students must propose an initiative between non-government entities within Taiwan and Australia that could improve their economic resilience in the face of possible future global crises.

The Borderless experience

What is it like participating in the Borderless competition? UQ students reflect on challenges bested, skills learned and coordinating with students halfway across the world. 

Yu Shuen Leong


Breaking down barriers and absorbing new ideas: What to expect from the Borderless competition

Fresh off his team's second-place finish in the Borderless competition, Yu Shuen gave us the rundown on his journey and what future participants can expect from the experience.

 

group discussion


Three reasons to enter an economic competition

When you think of ‘economics’, one of the first things that comes to mind is probably money, but the Borderless experience reminded Jennifer Min that there's more to it than crunching numbers. 

 

Max Broad


PPE student tackles bushfires and the film industry

The Borderless competition allowed Max to take on contemporary, real-world issues that you don’t often see in the lecture theatre.