. INSTRUCTIONS
In lieu of a final exam, each student will write an essay of approximately 2,500 – 3,000 words (maximum 3,000) to answer ONE of the four questions below. Use footnotes and give the full bibliographic citations for all of the facts and information you use in your essay. Unsupported opinions will lose points. Figures, charts, and their captions are not included in word count. Bibliographic entries also are not included in the word count.
- a sophisticated analysis that shows your ability to use outside sources, as well as the material and readings, etc., introduced in this class.
- the point of the final essay is to show how well you can apply the frameworks, approaches, and information introduced in this course to a new topic that is nonetheless related.
- ESSAY TOPICS (Choose ONLY ONE of the following four):
- Discuss how the progress of information technology, including (for example) cloud computing, social media, and artificial intelligence, has affected the balance of economic systems (in the context of bigger society trends) since 1994 (the launch of Netscape). Be sure to address the ways in which information technology has had impact on social attitudes and movements, as well as on economic growth and on social and environmental conditions.
- Select a country and lay out a proposal (as if you work for a think-tank advising the government) of how to model and measure the impacts of climate change on the dynamic balance of that nation’s economy-in-context. Then propose one countermeasure (policy, regulation, standard, or practice) and describe how it will (partially) mitigate that impact. Be sure to tell what it will do, its impact, and what will still need to be done even if it is successful. You do not have to specify formal algorithms or numeric values; just tell the factors that will go into the model and their relative impact, and how you will measure the effects of climate change and your countermeasure on the particular economy, society, environment, and interrelationships between those domains.
- Discuss how increases in the gap between rich and poor have impacted the balance of a particular economic system (i.e. a country) in the context of its society and the environment there over the last 25 or 30 years. Then state three possible measure the government of that country might take to reduce the Gini Coefficient (gap between rich and poor) there, and arguments for and against each one. Ultimately, argue why or why not that government should try to reduce the gap between rich and poor, or whether it’s better for everyone for the government not to intervene in the economy in this way.
- Discuss the impact on the political dynamics of a particular country of recent trends toward imbalance in its economic system. For example, how has dissonance between economic growth and social inclusiveness affected the dynamics of democracy in Country X? What will be the most likely scenario if the imbalance(s) in the system are not addressed? In what ways is the country’s economic success leading toward greater political polarization between groups in the electorate or toward populist tendencies among politicians? What are likely outcomes of this trend? Be sure to provide evidence for your claims.