ECON 602: Individual Project (Spring 2024)
The purpose of this assignment is to make sure that you understand the data and concepts that we are studying in this class. Together, this assignment will account for 30% of your grade.
April 8: In-class individual assignment (5% of grade)
April 15: Individual Project, Part 1 (20% of grade)
May 6: Individual Project, Part 2 (5% of grade)
Instructions for Individual Project, Part 1 (20% of grade)
This part of the assignment is due by email ([email protected]) by 5 pm on April 15, 2024.
General Instructions:
a) This is an individual assignment. You can consult others in your group but you cannot simply copy their answers.
b) As noted above, the in-class individual assignment on April 8 is linked to this individual project, as is the May 6 Individual Project, Part 2. If you simply rely on others to get Part 1 done, you will likely not dowell in these other assignments. Your chances of getting an A or A- depend on doing well in these two assignments.
c) This is an open book assignment. You are free to consult any source but all sources must be acknowledged. If you cut-and-paste material without mentioning the source, you will lose points.
Project
Pick one of the following countries: Bangladesh, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Vietnam. You should turn in a PPT, a Word file and an EXCEL file following the structure given below.
PPT (150 points)
Label all charts clearly. Each axis should be clearly labelled mentioning what it is showing and what the units are (e.g. percent, percentage change, etc.). You will lose a lot of points if you do not show the units or use the wrong units.
For your chosen country:
1) (5 points) Present some facts and pictures about your chosen country on slide 1 of your PPT. (Also, list your name on this slide).
2) (10 points) Show a chart of real income over time. Go as far back in time as you can find data. This should be Slide 2 of the PPT and the data should be in the EXCEL file .
3) (10 points) Show a chart of real income per capita over time. Go as far back in time as you can find data. This should be Slide 3 of the PPT and all the data should be in the EXCEL file.
4) (25 points) How would you describe the trends (or trends) in real income per capita?
Slides 4 and 5. You can use charts and bullet points to describe the trends. Any computations should be given in the EXCEL file. All sources must be listed in the ‘notes’ part of the slide.
5) (25 points) How would you describe the business cycles or economic fluctuations (deviations from trend) in real income per capita?
Slides 6 and 7. You can use charts and bullet points to describe the cycles. Any computations should be given in the EXCEL file. All sources must be listed in the ‘notes’ part of the slide.
6) (25 points) Estimate Okun’s Law and Phillips Curve for your chosen country.
Slides 8 and 9. Data and computations must be in the EXCEL file.
7) (50 points) ‘Wild card’ slides: The content of slides 10- 15 is up to you to decide. You can use the
slides to present any additional analysis about your chosen country that is related to our course material. Each slide can be on a different topic if you wish, but you can also do a more in-depth study of one or two topics.
EXCEL file (40 points)
The EXCEL file should have a ‘read me’ sheet explaining how the file is organized and what it contains. Label all charts clearly. Each axis should be clearly labelled mentioning what it is showing and what the units are (e.g. percent, percentage change, etc.)
WORD file (50 points)
(a) (25 points) In a single page, provide a summary of economic developments in your chosen country (based on your PPT).
(b) (25 points) List all the sources you used in preparing this assignment.