Assignment:
Have a well-defined Abstract/thesis paragraph(s)
Utilize the data in the articles and present the Pros and cons of the topic. Evaluate the arguments and analyze its veracity. Then choose a side and defend your decision with data from the articles, BLS.Gov, federal reserves.gov or other PEER REVIEWED SOURCES. This is not your opinion or rant with normative or emotional statements. This is a well measured, considered analytical researched thesis presentation reinforced by scholarship and research.
Some of the questions the Research paper should address are Describe in general the issue that is being debated:
1. Read the relevant articles. There are at least two or more perspectives on this argument from both sides (support minimum wage increase, oppose minimum wage increase) and describe the authors perspectives on raising the minimum wage to reduce poverty and inequality.
2. Analyze the evidence that each author uses to support his/her thesis: What types of evidence are used? Does the evidence support his or her thesis?
3. Evaluate the qualification of the authors: What bias might the authors have?
4. Use statistics and facts and macroeconomic theories to evaluate the articles.
The older articles generated published critiques in peer reviewed articles. This means students should perform a literature review of "peer reviewed" articles to form their "measured, qualified conclusion.RESEARCH NOT RANTS"Students must research Peer Reviewed Articles, to bolster or critiques the claims of the presented articles. In Economics, Opinion is defined is the "well informed analysis of the thesis." Rants are not Research. Ill-informed emotional rants are awarded zeros.
5. Although the Question is the same for Macroeconomics and Microeconomics, the concepts used to evaluate the thesis are different. Submitting the "Same paper or similar paper for ECON 2301 and Econ 2302 is plagiarism. AT least one paper will Earn zero points.
6. From Macro: Public Policy Fiscal and Monetary Policy, Inflation, CPI,
7. From Micro: Theory of the Firm, Resources.
Professorial Hints:
- What is the Ultimate Goal of Public Policy; why would government want to increase minimum wage?
- What is (are) the strategic goal(s) of Increasing the Minimum Wage?
- Are there better tactical goals to reach the strategic Goals?
- What are the best tactical polices to attain the strategic Goals?
- What, in your research, supports or disavows the presented articles?
- What is the empirical evidence? What is the data?
- ECONOMICS is always asking "Why!"
- Use facts and Positive Statements NOT normative statements.
- Students must "Make A Decision." And defend their decisions within the parameters of Economics theory and peer reviewed articles that supports or disavows the given articles.
- Use Chicago Style Citations.
- The paper is graded on the students "ORIGINAL RESEARCH." Merely quoting the given articles without peer reviewed research will earn zeros. The odds of two students having the same articles are miniscule. Same "peer reviewed resources" may earn zeros.
- In other words, there is ZERO TOLERANCE FOR PLAGIARISM OF ANY FORM.
- The Name of Students who are suspected of plagiarism, dishonesty, sharing papers, G numbers to view papers etc., are forwarded to the ACADEMIC DEAN.
Here is a useful Website that may help students to distinguish between a Descriptive VS an Analytical Research Paper:
This website helps students with the Analytical Economic Research paper:
REFERENCE ARTICLES:
What's Best AT Reducing Poverty? An Examination of the Effectiveness of the 2007 Minimum Wage Increase.
Can Raising the Minimum Wage Reduce Poverty and Hardship?
- The Impact of a $9.80 Federal Minimum Wage.
- Is There Consensus in Favor of Wage Mandates?
2 Parties Place Political Focus on Inequality, by Jeremy W. Peters, The New York Times.
- 5 facts about the minimum wage
- Who makes minimum wage?
From the Center for America Progress:
- Real Family Values: Raising the Federal Minimum Wage
- Raising the Minimum Wage Would Help, Not Hurt, Our Economy