PAPER 1

Topic:

What are the theoretically appropriate roles of government in a market (capitalist) economy?  Consider and explain the pros and cons of government intervention versus laissez faire.  Next, contrast this discussion with the theoretical role of government in a socialist economy based on Marxist-Leninist principles.  Be sure to consider the views expressed in Mancur Olson's Power and Prosperity on this topic.  Finally, choose one of the countries in Part III of the Schedule of Readings and Lectures, and use it as an example to illustrate your theoretical discussion.

This first paper should require only a little research beyond the lectures, assigned books, and suggested readings.

Due Date:  Tuesday, March 19, 2002.  Late papers will lose one full grade per week

Format:

The paper should be between five and seven pages long, not including the cover page and any references or tables.  This paper must be typewritten and double-spaced, with one-inch margins all around the text, and I prefer fonts of 10-12 points. Put page numbers at the bottom.  In addition, your paper should have an unnumbered cover page that has a title for your paper, with your name, the class name, the date, and a one-paragraph summary (called an abstract) of your paper's conclusions or major findings.  You should use section headings to clarify your paper's organization, with an introduction that begins on page 1, and a conclusion at the end.

I have pet peeves you should know about.  Some are careless errors, and some are issues of preference.  I like two spaces after a sentence.  "It's" means "it is," while "its" is possessive.  Paragraphs need to hold together, not be too long or too short, and the first sentence should give the reader some clue of what the paragraph is about.  Vary your sentences a little for more interesting reading.  Your paper should not ramble, and should make logical sense.  Learn to use colons and semicolons properly.  In the U.S., commas and periods go within the ending quote mark.  Don't quote unless the quote is just too good to pass up; instead, learn to paraphrase.  All sentences must have, at minimum, a subject and a verb.  I like papers that try to be objective, and I suggest you avoid being flip, funny or sarcastic.  I don't like too many exclamation points!  I have more peeves I will remember when I read your papers.

This is NOT an Opinion Paper!  As much as possible, you are expected to base your paper on material you have studied for this class, and not base it on opinions that you had coming into this class.

Back Up!  Every semester somebody forgets to back up their document, and they lose it the night before it is due when a virus hits them or their computer crashes.  I don't know how, but your computer seems to know when you are stressed.  Make a second copy on another diskette, for security.

Citations and References:

Though this is not intended to be a research paper as much as it is a thought paper, you will still need to cite any sources you use in the body of your paper, and list your references alphabetically after your conclusion.  You do not need to cite material from my lectures, since I will recognize this.  Do not use footnotes for citations; use them instead to explain points in more detail if necessary (single-spaced).  For citations, use parentheses for (lastname(s), year: page numbers), and put this at the end of the sentence before the period, as in: "Schumpeter emphasized the role of entrepreneurship in driving economic development (Gregory & Stuart 1995: 66)."  If you already mention the author in the sentence, cite after the last name, as in "Hayek (1945) argued that prices served to convey information."  Do not list first names or titles in the body of the text.

References go on a separate page entitled "References," and you should list your sources alphabetically and unnumbered.  Here are seven sample references, for (1) a book, (2) an article in an edited book, (3) an article in a journal, (4) multiple authors, (5) a newpaper article where no author name is listed, (6) institutional author, and (7) an internet source where the print version is not available.  (These would be cited in the text as Olson, 2000; Olson, 1997; Hayek, 1945;, Bhattacharyya, Parker, and Raffiee, 1994; Economist, 1997; World Bank, 1993, and IMF, 2001.)  Don't forget to give page numbers for a quote or something from a book, e.g., (Olson, 2000: 68-69).  Books and journals are underlined (you may use italics instead of underlines if you wish), while articles are in quotes.  For sources with more than two authors, cite all authors the first time and then later use et al. (et alia, Latin for "and others").  For example, source (4) below would be cited as (Bhattacharyya, et al., 1994).  If you are citing two sources with the same author(s) and year, cite and reference them with the year plus a, b, ..., e.g., Parker (1995a) and Parker (1995b).

Olson, Mancur (2000), Power and Prosperity (New York, NY: Basic Books).

Olson, Mancur (1997), "The New Institutional Economics: The collective choice approach to economic development," in Clague, Christopher (ed.), Institutions and Economic Development : Growth and Governance in Less-Developed and Post-Socialist Countries (Baltimore, MD:  Johns Hopkins Press).

Hayek, Friedrich A. (1945), "The price system as a mechanism for using knowledge," American Economic Review 35(4): 519-30.

Bhattacharyya, Arun, Elliott Parker, & Kambiz Raffiee (1994), "An examination of the effect of ownership on the relative efficiency of public and private water utilities," Land Economics 70(2): 197-209.

Economist (1997),  "Banking in emerging markets" (April 12): 34-37.

World Bank (1993), The East Asian Miracle: Economic Growth and Public Policy (New York, NY: Oxford University Press).

IMF (International Monetary Fund, 2001), International Capital Markets:  Developments, Prospects, and Key Policy Issues <http://www.imf.org/ external/ pubs/ ft/ icm/ 2001/ 01/ eng/ index.htm>.

Remember, you don't have to go overboard and cite the same source over and over within the same paragraph, as long as it is apparent that you are giving appropriate credit where credit is due.

Plagiarism:

Use your own words and ideas, or cite your source clearly to avoid plagiarism.  If you quote my lecture notes then you need to cite them, but I give you permission to paraphrase material from my oral or written lectures without attribution.

You will need to turn in your manuscript as both a paper hardcopy and as a file on a 3.5" diskette (Word, Wordperfect, or even simple text).  In some circumstances I may accept your file as an attachment to an e-mail.  I will use this file to run your paper through some plagiarism-checking software, and I will return the diskette to you afterwards.  Be sure to put your name on your disk.

Every semester or two I catch somebody cheating.  Punishments for academic dishonesty are severe, beginning with an F on the assignment.  You will find that I am more than willing to contact Student Judicial Affairs and have a hearing, fail you in the class, and even to ask for your expulsion from the university if the violation is severe enough.

Grading:

Your paper will be graded for grammar, spelling, clarity, logic, and flow as well as accuracy and originality of content.  Have somebody read it over for typographical errors and things that just don't make sense.  Don't turn in a rough draft, turn in a polished document.  I prefer that you write this paper in a professional tone, and avoid being flippant.  Originality matters, but it is an issue of content and how you put together material you have learned, not an issue of creative style.  A good paper will be interesting and original, and will make a logical argument that addresses the assigned topic.  A good paper will be well-organized and well-written, will follow the format requested above, and will also demonstrate that the writer has a good grasp on the material.  A good paper will be analytical, will back up potentially controversial or unusual statements with evidence, and will make a solid case.  Never say a cop-out statement like "I think that...," since your opinions are either irrelevant or implied by the fact that you wrote the paper.

Here is a sample grading sheet:

EC 301- Spring 2002  Paper 1 Grading Sheet Student _________________ Grade   ______ Topic:  What are the theoretically appropriate roles of government in a market (capitalist) economy? Consider and explain the pros and cons of government intervention versus laissez faire. Next, contrast this discussion with the theoretical role of government in a socialist economy based on Marxist-Leninist principles. Be sure to consider the views expressed in Mancur Olson's Power and Prosperity on this topic. Finally, choose one of the countries in Part III of the Schedule of Readings and Lectures, and use it as an example to illustrate your theoretical discussion.  Topic:    Focus on general theory of government's role 4.....3.....2.....1.....0    Role of Government intervention: laissez faire 4.....3.....2.....1.....0    Role of Government intervention: market failure 4.....3.....2.....1.....0    Role of Government intervention: socialism 4.....3.....2.....1.....0    Appropriate use of Olson's theory 4.....3.....2.....1.....0    Appropriate country 4.....3.....2.....1.....0    Appropriate examples from chosen country 4.....3.....2.....1.....0 Content:    Originality 4.....3.....2.....1.....0    Clarity and Logic 4.....3.....2.....1.....0    Organization 4.....3.....2.....1.....0    Accuracy 4.....3.....2.....1.....0    Grammar 4.....3.....2.....1.....0    Spelling 4.....3.....2.....1.....0    Appropriate use of other assigned readings  4.....3.....2.....1.....0    Additional appropriate sources  4.....3.....2.....1.....0 Format:    Length (target = 5-7)  ___    cover page with abstract  y  /  n    figures or tables  ___    page numbers  y  /  n    Section titles  y  /  n    Appropriate font and margins  y  /  n    Appropriate citation style  4.....3.....2.....1.....0    Appropriate reference style  4.....3.....2.....1.....0    Internet source style  4.....3.....2.....1.....0.....N/A

Topic:

Refine and tighten your argument in Paper 1 regarding the role of government.  Then choose a country that has made or is making a transition from a classical socialist economy to a more market-oriented, capitalist economy to explain how the theoretical role of government changed and how this changing role was a crucial factor in determining the success or failure of its transition.  Did the country's political structure and government policies help or hinder the transition process, and to what extent is your answer consistent with the predictions of Mancur Olson in Power and Prosperity?  Be sure to carefully explain the country's strategy for transition, and how this strategy changed over time.  Be sure to consider specific government policies, especially regarding foreign trade and investment, privatization, stabilization, price liberalization, and the creation of market institutions.

The best countries to choose from are the former socialist economies that have really made the transition to a market economy with a more democratic political system, not those countries in which the communist party still has a monopoly on political power while introducing market elements into a still fundamentally socialist economies.  China and Vietnam are borderline cases, and I am willing to make exceptions for good reasons.  Consider most of the former republics of the Soviet Union (e.g., Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Kazakstan, Uzbekistan), for example, and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (e.g., Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania).  Avoid those which have experienced prolonged civil wars, since this may make transition policies and the appropriate role of government especially hard to judge.

This is a research paper worth twice as much as Paper 1, and should be twice the length (i.e., 12-15 pages, not including the cover page, references, and tables). You must use a significant amount of outside research in addition to any relevant assigned readings, and all references must both be cited (Name year: pages) in the text and listed alphabetically in a bibliographic section at the end entitled "References."  Use a variety of sources, including books, journal articles, newspaper articles, and official websites.

Proposal Due Date:  Thursday, April 11, 2002.  Late proposals will lower the grade for the paper.

I want a one page, typed proposal that describes the country you are choosing to write about and why, and tells what you expect to find based on your preliminary readings. You should also give a preliminary bibliography of source material.  I will return this proposal the next class period with approval, suggestions, or a note to talk.  Failure to turn in a proposal will result in an additional late penalty on your paper. If too many people are choosing the same country, I may try to encourage other alternatives due to potential shortages of research material in the library.  I will use the proposal to make sure you are on the right track, but you should still not wait for my approval to begin your research.

Paper Due Date:  Tuesday, April 30, 2002.  Late papers will lose one full grade per week

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