PAPER 2:

Choose one of the following two topics:

1.  The Transition of a Socialist Economy:

Choose a country that has made or is making a transition from a classical socialist economy to a more market-oriented, capitalist economy.   I would prefer that you avoid Russia and China, and East Germany is not appropriate either.  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.

Explain how and why the country chose to undergo this transition, and explain the key factors that determined the success or failure of its transition.  Was the choice imposed on the country by outside events, was it chosen by society, or was it decided by the country's leadership?  Explain the country's strategy for transition, and how this strategy changed over time.  Consider, for example, policies regarding foreign trade and investment, privatization, stabilization, price liberalization, and the creation of market institutions.  Did the country's political structure help or hinder the transition process?  How successful was the transition, and did it have unforeseen consequences?  What economic lessons can be derived from this country's experience?

2.  Market Forces in a Dirigiste, Capitalist Economy

Choose a country with a capitalist economy characterized by significant government intervention, that has reduced or significantly altered the economic role of its government in the past twenty-five years.  I prefer that you avoid the U.S., Germany, France, Sweden, and Japan, but there are many others to pick from.

Was this change in the government's role in the economy a matter of choice, or was it forced upon the country by an economic or political crisis?  What led to this change, and was it caused by outside events, domestic policies, or a combination of both?  How did the government's economic policies change?  What effect has this had on the country's economic performance, and did it have unforeseen consequences?  What economic lessons can be derived from this country's experience?

For either topic, 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 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.

Due Date:  Tuesday, December 13, 2005.  Late papers will lose one full grade per week (prorated).  Papers must be turned in by December 21.

Can I not turn this paper in?

If you have turned in the first paper by Nov. 14, and if you are not absent from class between now and the end of the semester, I am willing to drop this research paper from your course requirements, and adjust the grade weights accordingly.  Think carefully before you do this, however, because most students get better grades on their papers than they do on their exams.  And if you didn't turn in the first paper or I catch you missing class, then not turning the paper in will result in a grade of zero, which plays havoc with your course grade.

I should also tell you that in this course I always play with weights for students who turn everything in and are not excessively absent from class.  I calculate your final grade by cutting the weights for each assignment in half, and then I take the best resulting grade.  In essence, this gives less weight to your lowest grade, so one bad grade does not excessively determine your overall course grade.

Proposal:

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:  Tuesday, November 29.  Late proposals will lower the grade for the paper.

Format:

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.

Again, 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.

Plagiarism:

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.