I.  (25%) Long Essay Question

What is the German Sozialmarktwirtshaft, or “Social Market Economy”?  What are its philosophical sources?  What are the primary components of government policy that define it?  How did its implementation lead to the Wirtschaftswunder (economic miracle) in the post-war period?  How was it shaped by Germany’s experiences from Bismarck’s Imperial Germany, the Weimar Republic, and Hitler’s National Socialist Dictatorship?  Finally, why has Germany’s growth slowed down since the 1980s?

II.  (45%) Short Essay Question: Answer three of four (15% each)

1. Many scholars see the administration of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as marking a significant turning point in the British economy.  Describe economic policies and performance in the United Kingdom after the Second World War, before and after Thatcher.  In what ways were they different, and it what ways did they remain mostly unchanged?

2. Describe the chief components of Sweden’s economy during the post-war period.  What is unique about its labor markets and government policies?  Why did those of the Stockholm School consider Sweden to be a “Middle Way”?

3. How did the Japanese keiretsu, or "main bank" system affect Japan's postwar economic growth?  What was the bubble economy, what caused it, and what has led Japanese growth to slow so dramatically in the last decade?  What role was played by the government and the banks?

4. What economic development strategies were followed by the four tigers (Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea)?  In what ways were they similar, and how were they different?  Why did they lead to the so-called East Asian Miracle?

III.  (30%) Short Descriptions: Answer 10 of 12

 (3% each)  In two to three articulate sentences each, explain each of the following, along with their importance, context, or relevance.  Clearly mark which two you are dropping.  If you answer all 12, I will drop the last two.

a. Active Labor Market
b. Asian Financial Crisis
c. Common Agricultural Policy
d. European Coal and Steel Community
e. European Union
f. Maastricht Treaty
g. Marshall Plan
h. Meiji Restoration
i. Monnet Plan
j. Ni-Ni Policy
k. Saltsjobaden Agreement
l. Treaty of Rome