Hide Assignment Information Instructions Each individual will be responsible for writing an economic report on a country based on an assigned country region. Country regions will be based on the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom. You will want to do a political and economic analysis of your country. There will also be a group discussion component where you will learn from your teammates about countries within your country region. Then you will be responsible for writing your individual report. Group discussions will take place throughout the semester where there will be three components. The first discussion will summarize your country’s economic condition. The second discussion will look at economic growth and productivity. The last discussion will compare inflation and unemployment rates. Together, they will total 15 points. The country report should integrate macroeconomic concepts learned over the semester. In particular, you should address the country’s economic growth, unemployment, inflation and factors that affect productivity. When evaluating your country, provide context by comparing your country’s performance within the region and the world. For this written report, you must use a minimum of three outside sources, not including the textbook. When finding additional sources, you are prohibited from using Wikipedia, About.com, Investopedia.com and other encyclopedia sources. Blogs and any media sources where you cannot verify their credentials are discouraged. Here are sources that would be encouraged: Peterson’s Institute of International Economics World Bank Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom Mainstream media sources (USA Today, NY Times, Washington Post, Fox News, MSNBC, other majornewspapers) The length of the written report must be 4-6 pages and in the APA format. Please note that the cover page, abstract and references page should be excluded from the minimum page count. This means having a cover page, abstract, introduction, body, conclusion, and references page. Cover Page It is important to have the proper heading and header on this first page. Make sure the heading is centered properly along the middle of the page. There should be a header with the page number in the right-hand corner. Abstract The abstract should be written after utilizing a page break after the cover page and it should include two parts. The first part describes the scope of your paper, which should detail how you will be evaluating your country. The last part should summarize your country’s overall economic performance. Make sure it complies with the APA format. Introduction The introduction is essential as it draws in the interest of the reader. Be creative in introducing the topic. Explain why this issue is important. Then close it with an effective thesis statement that demonstrates the purpose of the paper. Body The body of the paper should be multiple paragraphs. When doing an analysis of the country, refer back to the concepts that we learned in the following chapters: Chapter 6 – The Macroeconomic Perspective Chapter 7 – Economic Growth Chapter 8 – Unemployment Chapter 9 – Inflation Chapter 10 – The International Trade and Capital Flows (Optional) Chapter 16 – Exchange Rates and International Capital Flows (Optional) Chapter 17 – Government Budgets and Fiscal Policy This could also entail reviewing a country’s political and economic institutions. Having an understanding of the nation’s political structure can be instructive in determining operating effectiveness of the country. When looking at economic indicators, such as economic growth, unemployment and inflation, there should be a paragraph devoted to each part. You research data from the past few years and see what their trends are. It is very important that you use both internal and external citations. Whenever you are citing a fact or opinion that is not your own, then you should use an internal citation that is formatted in APA format. Primarily, you will want to paraphrase rather than use quotes when citing sources. However if you do use a quote, make sure that you can attribute it to a specific individual and it should not be longer than two lines. Otherwise, you should paraphrase. Any sources that you use within the paper should also have an external citation, which is the References page. Make sure to use the APA format properly. Conclusion Think of the conclusion like the closing argument of a lawyer. You want to draw upon the key points outlined from the body, but then use your own words to describe the country’s overall performance. You will want to highlight whether you think their performance is good or not based on how they compare with similar countries within their region or the world. If they are doing well, identify factors contributing to their prosperity. If they are not doing well, then explain what factors might be inhibiting their success. References Use the APA format in listing all sources referencing in paper. Make sure indentation and format is accurate. Grading Rubric for Written Report: Your country report will be evaluated based on the information below: Work Considered ‘A’ Level (90-100% of possible points) Highly effective in describing the country’s economic and political situation; content was highly organized with great clarity; overall written product was nearly flawless with minimal or no grammatical errors. Work Considered ‘B’ Level (80-89% of possible points) Mostly effective in describing the country’s economic and political situation; content was organized with good clarity; overall written product was good with few grammatical errors. Work Considered ‘C’ Level (70-79% of possible points) Generally effective in describing the country’s economic and political situation; content was moderately organized with decent clarity; overall written product was satisfactory, though grammatical errors were sometimes noticeable. Work Considered ‘D’ Level (60-69% of possible points) Generally ineffective in describing the country’s economic and political situation; content was somewhat unorganized with limited clarity; overall written product was unsatisfactory with grammatical errors noticeable. Work Considered ‘F’ Level (Less than 60% of possible points) Mostly ineffective in describing the country’s economic and political situation; content was very unorganized with minimal clarity; overall written product was highly unsatisfactory with grammatical errors highly noticeable.