EC1103/EC1133 Project 2 assignment
Deadline: 2nd December 2015, 23:59
Format: The first page must give the project title, your name, your student number, and
a word count. The project essay should be no more than 2,000 words long. Any words
beyond 2,000 will not be read; only the first 2,000 words will be assessed. The words on the
title page and in the bibliography do not count towards the word limits. You must reference
all sources (including the assigned articles) and you must include a separate bibliography.
You are being asked to create graphs and perform calculations. Make sure that you label all
graphs properly. Both the X and Y axis should be labelled. There should be a legend showing
each series on the graph. In short, someone who hasn’t read the questions should be able to
understand what is shown in your graphs. Be sure to show your work for the calculations.
You should write down the general formula and the specific numbers that you are using to
reach your answer. You will lose marks if we cannot see how you reached your answers,
even if your final answer is ultimately correct.
Task: Go to the Maddison project database http://www.ggdc.net/maddison/maddisonproject/
home.htm (also available through the course Moodle page)
Click on Maddison Project Database. Save the Excel file (open the file in Excel and use <file,
save as>).
Students should submit either I. (Latin America) or II. (Asia). Do not submit both!
I. Reading (particularly for question 6): Kenneth L. Sokoloff and Stanley L. Engerman,
“History Lessons Institutions, Factor Endowments, and Paths of Development in the New
World”, Journal of Economic Perspectives—Volume 14, Number 3—Summer 2000 —Pages
217-232. (Available through JStor or at
http://www.econ.nyu.edu/user/debraj/Courses/Readings/SokoloffEngerman.pdf)
1. Use Excel to graphically show GDP per capita for the largest 8 Latin American nations
(Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela). [Show all 8
on one figure, do not use the 8 L. America total.] Create separate figures for 1920,
1950, 1980, and 2010. (Hint: use <insert, charts> in Excel).
2. Calculate the growth rate for Argentina and Peru between 1920 and 2010. What is
the average annual growth?
3. Have the Latin American countries that were richer in 1920 grown faster or slower
than those which were poorer?
4. Create a table showing GDP per capita for the 12 Western European economies and
8 Latin American economies in 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990,
2000, and 2010 (use columns N and BQ, do not have 20 columns).
5. Compare the growth rates of Latin America to those of Western Europe.
6. What explanations have scholars offered for lower growth rates in Latin America
than in Western Europe?
II. Reading (particularly for question 6): Joseph E. Stiglitz, “Some Lessons from the East Asian
Miracle”, World Bank Res Obs (1996) 11 (2): 151-177. (Available at
http://wbro.oxfordjournals.org/content/11/2/151.abstract click on <full text pdf>)
1. Use Excel to graphically show GDP per capita for the following Asian nations:
China, Japan, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Korea, Thailand. Create
separate figures for 1950, 1970, 1980, 2000, and 2010. (Hint: use <insert, charts> in
Excel).
2. Calculate the growth rate for India and China between 1950 and 2010. What
is the average annual growth?
3. Have the Asian countries that were richer in 1950 grown faster or slower
than those which were poorer?
4. Create a table showing GDP per capita for the 12 Western European
economies and 16 Asian economies in 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, and 2010
(use columns N and CZ, do not have 28 columns).
5. Compare the growth rates of Asia to those of Western Europe.
6. What explanations have scholars offered for higher growth rates in Asia than
in Western Europe?
Submission: Please submit a word or pdf document via moodle (button labelled “Submit
Project 2 here”).