Reference no: EM13818832

1. Discuss the Fiscal Policies of Presidents G.W. Bush Jr. and B. Obama. First, introduce the historical context of the Bail Outs, then present/describe their similarities and differences. Finally, draw your conclusions of their effectiveness or lack thereof: this is the paragraph in which students will explore their own criticisms of those policies and their relevance to their own life.
2. Discuss the bail-outs put forth in an attempt to end the Great Recession of 2008. Present their advantages and disadvantages in the short and long-term. How relevant have they been in your own life?
3. What is the Quantitative Easing of Money? What is its purpose? What are its limitations. What are some historical instances when you saw the relevance of this theory in your life?
4. Define monetary policy. Explain the 3 monetary policy tools and the economic context in which each tool ought to be used. Demonstrate how each monetary tool is to be used under high unemployment cases versus when inflation is the biggest threat in the economy. Explain the psychology behind using each of the 3 monetary tools when it is known that the economy is in recession versus when the economy is not thought to be in a recession.
5. Explain the demand-side policies implemented through the 2 fiscal tools and the 3 monetary instruments. Explain the circumstances by which the demand-side policies are effective. Explain the demand-side policies limitations and the consequences of using them incorrectly (their relevance in your economic/financial life). Use historical examples of when supply-side policies were put into effect.
6. Explain the supply-side policies implemented through the 2 fiscal tools and the 3 monetary instruments. Explain the circumstances by which the supply-side policies are effective. Explain the supply-side policies limitations and the consequences of using them incorrectly (their relevance in your economic/financial life). Use historical examples of when supply-side policies were put into effect.
7. Explain the phenomenon of globalization. Explain its benefits and its drawbacks. Explain how globalization impacts you individually and thus how it is relevant to you.
8. Explain why the Great Recession of 2008 was more than the natural phenomenon of trough in a business cycle. What made the trough of the business cycle turn out to be a Great Recession? Explain what you have learned from the Great Recession of 2008 and how relevant such an information is to you.
9. Discuss the following statement: "More than 70% of the US economy is service-oriented while the US manufacturing has shrunk 60% since just 1970. Today only 1 in 10 Americans works in a manufacturing job. The US does not make, we take." In your discussion, describe the relevance of the content of such a statement into your life. (Quote from Fitz-Gerald, Keith. The Rise of Financial Terrorism: How to protect your wealth and prosper despite it all. 2011)
10. Suppose that the aggregate demand continuously increases (shifts to the right graphically, which is a reasonable assumption since our world population, to include that of the US, continuously increases) while technological advances allow mass production causing the long-run aggregate supply to increase (shifts out) even FASTER. Analyze the different possible consequences and scenarios on prices and unemployment in the long-run. Explore the relevance of these scenarios unto your personal life.
11. When the economy is at full-employment (all plants are working 3 shifts of 8 hours a day for 365 days in a year), it can only grow further through technological advances and accumulation of capital. Thinking about the "creative destruction" process of capitalism, explain how education is a requirement for technological advances to lead us to growth without raising the natural rate of unemployment in the long-run. Keep in mind that the labor market is hybrid in the sense that it is comprised of skilled and unskilled workers who are affected differently by the incorporation of the technological advances unto the work place. Explore the relevance of such a scenario in your personal life and in your job search.
12. Since the 1980s, globalization has taken the world by storm: analyze how globalization affects the idea that education might be a requirement for technological advances to lead us to growth without raising the natural rate of unemployment in the long-run. In your opinion, does globalization improved the job prospects of the US educated workforce or does it threaten them?