Reference no: EM132155438

Assignment - Economics of Education

Objectives - The objectives of the assignment are as follows:

1) Clearly understand the questions and spend time thinking about how you will answer the questions. What type of information or data will you need and what is the nature of the answer you will give? What will your answer include? In what format will your answer be written? How many graphs or tables will you include?

2) Locate and analyze specific and relevant information, research, and economic data to answer your question(s).

3) Write a brief summary of your findings based on your research.

4) Write a summary of the steps you took in your research. Be as specific as possible in describing the actions you took. For example, if you looked for articles online, indicate which search engine you used as well as the search terms.

Instructions -

Part 1: The Questions

This research brief is based on the book listed below. The citation follows the Chicago Manual of Style format for a reference list.

Bok, Derek. The Struggle to Reform Our Colleges. 2017. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

The author cites the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as (BLS) "the most authoritative estimates available" of the percent of new jobs that will require at least some college education." Answer the following questions.

1. What type of data and information does the BLS use to develop its estimates of the educational requirements of jobs in the future? Can you explain the basic logic of how the BLS develops these estimates? How far into the future does the BLS project and predict such educational requirements of the U.S. economy and why?

2. Now look for data on the future needs of the U.S. economy and the "shortage" of college graduates (data other than the BLS data). Using the data you found, create a data table that summarizes key findings about the future educational needs of the U.S. labor force. Be sure to cite your data source(s) at the bottom of the table. You must create an original data table for this part. You may use more than one data source for this part if you wish, that is, if you need more than one data source to assess the "shortage" of college graduates.

3. Now produce a graph using some or all of your data and explain the relevance of the graph. What does the graph show? In other words, what specific questions does it answer? What conclusions can you draw from the graph? For this part, write down a question and an answer or questions and answers. The answers are to be based solely on the research you did for this assignment and not on your personal opinion. You must create an original graph for this part.

4. Based on your research, write an answer to the question: Will the U.S. economy need more college graduates in the future? If so, why? Any specific types of college graduates?

5. Search the literature and online to find one report, government document, or article (not necessarily a scholarly article) to find that discusses (and provides estimates of the future needs of the U.S. economy, specifically the percent of jobs in the future that will require some college or a college degree. How do the estimates provided in this second source differ from the BLS estimates? On what basis of evidence does the article or report you selected conclude that there the U.S. economy (workforce) will need more college graduates in the future or that there is in fact a shortage of college graduates?

For this part, the databases you can access through the UTD Library's homepage will be helpful.

If you do not know how to access and use these databases such as JSTOR, EconLit, PAIS, and Economics Powersearch, please consult the excellent research librarians at McDermott Library on campus.

6. Defend your approach and argument as the stronger of the two cases (the case made in the report, article, or government document you found). This means explain why the case you built is the stronger case.

7. Write down the steps you took for this Research Brief.

Suggested length: 4-5 pages not counting tables and graphs.

Part 2: Finding the Information and Data

Locate the information and data you need to answer the research questions. If you are not sure if your data are appropriate, you may ask Dr. McElroy questions (sending email is acceptable).

Write down each of the steps you took to find the data (web searches, library work, phone calls, consulting website that you are already familiar. Include your research steps in your write-up.

Links to data sources are posted on eLearning in the Research Brief 1 folder to help you get started. These are suggestions from Dr. McElroy, so do not limit yourself to these sources given that there are many more sources from which to choose.

NOTES:

Sources such as nonprofit organizations, trade associations are acceptable in addition to government sources. Popular press magazine articles may be useful for identifying these entities, but do not use the articles themselves as data sources.

Include each of your data sources in your list of references.

Unpublished data from government, nonprofit, or private sector sources are acceptable, but remember to cite them as well. Ask Dr. McElroy if you are not sure how to cite unpublished sources.

Part 3: Answering the Question and Summarizing Your Findings (the "Write-up)

Include the following in your research brief.

1) Explanation of the steps you took in your research

2) Description of your sources and data

3) Your findings

4) Next steps in the research or research agenda (this part should be your original ideas) This part can be two or three sentences.

Please attach any relevant data tables as such as ones you downloaded from the Internet. Also submit a copy of your completed data table as part of this assignment.

Part 4: References

List the references you used, including data sources and any other sources you consulted. Attach any relevant printouts from online data sources. Include both scholarly (such as American Economic Review) and popular press items (U.S. News & World Report) and news sources.