Assignment:
Macroeconomics: Research Paper
Topic
Choose a macroeconomic topic to explore in depth. This should be a current, debatable issue with multiple sides or points of view.
Possible topics include:
• Almost anything related to the financial crisis or stimulus package - What caused the crisis? Was the stimulus package too much? Not enough? How do we avoid repeating this?
• The government debt or deficit - Is the size of the debt a problem? Should the government be required to balance its budget?
• Social Security or Medicare - Can these programs continue as is? How do we keep them solvent? Should we privatize Social Security?
• Healthcare - Should everyone have access to free healthcare? Or, should everyone be guaranteed insurance they can afford? Should the government provide healthcare?
• Trade - Should the U.S. move toward greater free trade with other nations? Or, should we have more tariffs and subsidies to protect U.S. companies from foreign competition?
• Underground economy - What is the scope of this untaxed activity? Should we be taking steps to bring some of this above ground?
• Sports stadium subsidies - Good economic development, or a waste of taxpayer dollars?
• Global issues- Sweatshops and outsourcing jobs are just a few good of the good topics here.
• The great depression - Resources/information are more scarce, but this is a great topic!
• Another current, debatable issue in macroeconomics on my approval.
Sources
Find at least five electronic, reputable sources. Most of your sources should be published within the last two years. Wikipedia and similar encyclopedia-like works cannot be used as a source. You will definitely want to use our college's Online Library resources. There is a lot of help at the Library link within the course in Blackboard. Please also feel free to use the "Ask a Librarian" feature to e-mail or IM a librarian for additional help with research.
Paper Specifications
• Your paper should include an introduction, background information, some different solutions/sides, your opinion as to which solution/side is best, your defense of your opinion, and a conclusion.
• Write your paper in APA format, including internal citations and a works cited page. There is an APA citation guide at the Library link in Blackboard.
• The text of your paper (excluding titles, headings, citations, and so on) must be at least five pages using a standard 12-point font, double spacing, and one-inch margins on all sides.
• You must write everything in your own words AND cite the source of your information. Using the same or similar language as a source is plagiarism, and will not be tolerated. The only exception is for short quotations contained in quote marks, but these should be used sparingly. I will process all papers through Safe Assign, which checks the language of your paper against the entire Web and databases of print material. If you plagiarize, you will be caught, you will receive a zero, and other disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate.