Term Paper
This paper will be broad and open ended. You are to choose a question of interest to you related to labor labor economics/a policy related to labor of interest to you. Your paper is to have 3 main parts: a discussion of the context of your problem, which may include some relevant literature, a theoretical section, and an empirical section. The first part should be extremely through and clear and is otherwise self-explanatory. The theory section may involve one or several of the following forms of analysis with differing expectations for each:
1. A conceptual analysis should involve an analysis of the question or policy using concepts form labor economics. In general, weather your pursue 1, 2 or 3, you should have a conceptual analysis. If you choose to engage in an exclusively conceptual analysis, I will require an extremely through, complete, and nuanced analysis of the question, considering multiple sides. A purely conceptual analysis almost certainly demands a more extensive use of the relevant literature and its conclusions. You are not expected to use more than 3 relevant literature and its conclusions. You are not expected to use more than 3 relevant articles, and their conclusions are far more important than specific details. Of course, a deeper discussion of the literature will be rewarded. Also, it is good if you are debating an issue to present balanced views, and , should you take a particular perspective, highlight what you see as the flaws in any of the articles used. This is true for any approach.
2. A graphical analysis should involve creating graphs that are relevant to your question to come up with meaningful conclusions. Simple shifting of supply and demand curves or mere repetition of graphs presented in class or the textbook will be insufficient. You must create a specialized graph specific to your problem. Thus, based on what we have covered in class, an exclusively graphical approach is likely more amenable to some study of the supply of labor, as we have not thoroughly discussed more complex graphs involving labor, as we have not thoroughly discussed more complex graphs involving labor demand. You may, of course, use graphs to bolster any other types of analysis, and this may prove extremely helpful depending on your problem.
3. A model will involve writing an analytical model as we have done in class. This likely require less writing than a purely conceptual approach; you are expected to write a sensible model that is reasonably related to data that would be reasonably available. You should be very clear about your assumptions and explain why you choose to specify certain variables in your model and make various assumptions. Be clear about what your parameters represent.