Doing Economics

2.7.2 Introduction

---

I list the introduction second after the title and before the abstract because
writing an abstract is much easier once the introduction has been written.
The best way to write an introduction is to follow Keith Head’s (2020)
introduction formula.
I remember coming across that formula while in graduate school (and so
it has been around since at least 2006) and thinking “I know how to write, I
don’t need this.” Do not make that mistake. Even if you (think you) know
how to write, the beauty of Head’s formula is that it removes all uncertainty
as to the order in which an introduction’s sections should be presented.
The formula—and really, all credit goes to Keith Head for articulating it
—is as follows:
• Hook. A good introduction starts with a good “hook,” i.e.,
something that grabs the reader’s attention and makes them want
to keep reading. Here, the closer one can get to the reader, the
better. Likewise, the broader one can go, the better. Bad hooks
tend to appeal to the literature: “A long literature in economics
has looked at . . .” Then why should anyone put up with your
attempt to make that literature any longer? Good hooks tend to
relate to the real world: A lot of the food we buy at the grocery
store is grown in the context of long value chains. What does the
first link in that value chain look like? What does participating in
those value chains do for the people who actually grow the food
we eat? The hook should be one or two paragraphs long.
• Research Question. After hooking the reader in and setting the
stage, it is time to state your research question as clearly as
possible. I like to do so by stating my actual research question as
the first sentence of this part of my introductions. To carry on
with the example in the previous bullet point: “What is the impact
of participation in contract farming on the welfare of those who