For either topic discussed below, you are expected to rely on class readings and materials, as well as substantial additional research.  Again, I do not want you to just repeat my lectures back to me as if this were an exam.  You will then need to pick a former socialist economy to demonstrate the relevance of your theoretical argument.

In this paper, you may rely on some of the material from your first paper, but you may not include it word-for-word.  If you use it, you should cite your earlier paper as if somebody else wrote it.  After the introduction, you should cover the theoretical topic in greater depth than you did in your first paper, and include significant outside research material on the topic.

Choose a former classical socialist country that has begun the transition to market capitalism.  It should be a country with a functioning economic system, and it should have made considerable progress in its transition so that a before/after comparison is possible.  Use this country as a case study to demonstrate the relevance of some of the economic theories covered in class and the readings.  I would prefer you to find a country other than Russia or China, and East Germany is not appropriate.  Successor countries to the breakup of the Soviet Union or Yugoslavia may be chosen, assuming they currently have a functioning economy.  Desperately poor or dysfunctional economies should be avoided because they will demonstrate very little about the theoretical material.

You should cover the country of your choice using significant outside research, providing some background (but not too much), explaining the changes it went through and demonstrating how this either supports or contradicts the theoretical material.  Do not go back more than fifty years, except perhaps briefly if you need to provide the background.

This paper requires significant outside research.  Try to avoid relying on the textbook or the class lecture notes; instead, use these materials to help guide you to the original sources.  For example, don't cite me on what Adam Smith said, go read it yourself and cite Smith.  A few citations of the text or notes is not a problem for material that you can't find in the original, but I want to see you rely primarily on outside, original sources.

Topic 1:

Without simply repeating the material in your first paper, review some the economic theories covered in class related to the effects of international trade and finance, and how this fits in to the argument Friedman makes about globalization in The Lexus and the Olive Tree.  Choose a former classical socialist country that has begun the transition to market capitalism.  Review the policies and history related to its transition, and then explain how its transition was affected by, and in turn affected, its interactions with the global economy.  Explain whether this country's experiences, both before and after transition, were consistent with the theories of international trade, finance, and globalization.

  Topic 2:

Without simply repeating the material in your first paper, review the arguments in Olson's Power and Prosperity regarding the roles and objectives of the government, as well as some of the economic and social choice theories covered in class.  Compare the roles, objectives, and constraints of a state governed by an autocratic communist party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology, versus those of a democratic government.  Then choose a former classical socialist country that began the transition to market capitalism with a change in government.  Review the policies and history related to its transition, and then explain how its transition was affected by, and in turn affected, the roles, objectives, and constraints of its government.  Explain whether this country's experiences, both before and after transition, were consistent with Olson's argument and other relevant theories explained in your paper.

Paper Due Date:  Friday, December 3, 2004, 5:00 PM, in my office or in my box.  Late papers will lose one full grade per week (prorated).  The paper must be turned in by December 16, two weeks late, at the very latest.  I have to turn in final grades by December 17.

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, both to ensure you are on the right track and to ensure that there are sufficient research materials available for you.  I will return this proposal the next class period with my approval, suggestions, or a note to talk.  Failure to turn in a proposal will result in an additional 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.

Proposal Due Date:  Thursday, November 18.  Late proposals will lower the grade for the paper.

This is a research paper worth twice as much as Paper 1, and should be approximately 14 pages (not including the cover page, references, and tables). Try to write an abstract that actually explains what your paper is about, and put this on the cover page.  You must use a significant amount of outside research in addition to any relevant assigned readings, and all references must both be cited 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.

Because some students play with the formatting to make the paper fit the target size, I now want your paper to use the Times New Roman 12 point font, or something equivalent, with left-justification, double-spacing and one-inch margins all around the text.  The page number should be at the center of the bottom, maybe about half an inch from the bottom.  Use section headings, but do not use page headings.  The first section is your introduction, the last is your conclusion.  A paper should be divided into four to seven main sections, and each section can be further divided into subsections.  If you use headings for subsections, make them look different from your section headings, and be consistent.  Skip a line before a section heading, not after.  Do not immediately follow a section heading with a subsection heading.  Indent the first line of each paragraph, except for the first paragraph of a section, but do not skip lines between paragraphs.

See the assignment for paper #1 for my other expectations on format, style, plagiarism, et cetera.  Read this again, carefully.  I expect you to make every effort to put this paper in the assigned format.

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.

Again, you will need to turn in your manuscript as both a paper hardcopy and as a file on a CD or 3.5" diskette (Word, Wordperfect, or even simple text), which I will return.  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, and if you have more than one file on the disk give your paper a name like "Econ 305 paper 2."

Let me remind you not to use other people's ideas without citing them, and not to use other people's words without quoting them (paraphrasing is still much better than quoting).  A few words, or a phrase here and there, is not a big deal, but using whole sentences written by somebody else is academic dishonesty.  If you are not careful about this, I will give you -- at minimum -- an F on the assignment, and perhaps even an F in the entire course or a hearing with Student Judicial Affairs to consider expulsion from the university.

Return to ECON305 Homepage