Term Paper Assignment Instructions

The main objective of this assignment is to encourage the student to undertake basic economic research and analysis and write an economics term paper. The student is expected to write an original paper based on his/her own collection, analyses and interpretation of data.  The paper could be written on any topic pertaining to the economy of any country in the world.

The first part of the paper should include an introduction or problem statement, clearly indicating what your paper is about and why the topic you chose is significant for the economy of the concerned country or region or area. The collection, presentation, and analysis of economic data should form the second part of the paper. The third and final part should include conclusions and recommendations based on the preceding data analyses. Information on major aspects of the economies of all the countries of the world are available from the library and from various internet sources.  Subject country agencies, World Bank, IMF, CIA, BBC and many other organizations also display such information on their web sites.

The following example may be helpful. Over the past few years, unemployment has been a huge problem in most countries of the world. If you choose to write your paper on causes of high unemployment in a country, say Mexico, then the following procedure may be followed:  First, collect data and determine the extent and severity of the unemployment problem that Mexico faces. Then, based on your knowledge of basic economic theory and on the economic research that you performed for your paper, determine what factors are causing high unemployment in Mexico. Collect data on the relevant factors, perform necessary analysis and draw conclusions. Please remember that your findings and conclusions must be supported by economic/statistical data, the sources of which must also be included in the Bibliography.

There are no page requirements and a paper of any length is acceptable as long as it includes the sections/parts mentioned above. Please use APA style of citation and bibliographic entries.