ECONOMICS 201 - PROJECT

For your paper, you may select any decade from 1860 to the 21st century. In 4 - 5 pages you will first state the reasons why you selected that period of history and then characterize the decade by the business cycles that occurred during the respective decade as well as factors of causation. You should include, for example, any major shocks to the economy - i.e., Demand or Supply, Exogenous or Endogenous - that may have caused the economy to react the way it did. A description of the economic, political and financial environment should also be included. Within the paper you should select any one major trend or occurrence that changed the course of the U.S. economy and, perhaps, even the future of the United States as a whole. For example, in the 1930s there was the Great Depression and several pieces of legislation that shaped not only the U.S. banking industry, but also the future employment and cost structure of America. In the 1940s, there was World War II, the Bretton Woods Agreement, the Employment Act of 1946 and other new developments. In the 1960s, both JFK and MLK were assassinated, the Great Society Program was passed, the Viet Nam War occurred, etc. After explaining why this event was significant, describe how the future course of the economy may have been different if it had not occurred - or in case of a war, for example, how things may have been if we had lost (or won). Be creative! To summarize: 1. Select a decade and describe it in economic terms. Include a statement explaining the reasons why you selected that period of economic history. (If you want to split a decade for example, 1995-2005, that is fine.)

-22. List the major influences and industries of the decade and describe the economic, financial, and political climate, including any business cycles that may have occurred, from a cause and effect standpoint. 3. Explain one major influence on the decade and the course of the economy over time. Answer how the U.S. economy would have been different if this factor had not occurred. This section should range from to 1 pages in length. 4. The written portion of the paper should be 4 5 pages, typed and doublespaced. Do Not have more than 1 double-space between paragraphs. 5. The paper should cite / utilize at least 4 (four) economic statistics for the ten year period such as growth rates for GDP, employment, inflation, personal income, unemployment rates, and industry data. (Example: GDP increased by 10% for the decade. Unemployment averaged 3% for the decade.) 6. An Appendix at the end of the paper will contain a chart and table of U.S. GDP in both current and constant ("chained") dollars for the 10-year period. (See sources such as the U.S. Dept. of Commerce at: www.bea.gov or government publications such as The Survey of Current Business, Economic Indicators, Federal Reserve Bulletin, etc). **Please note that ALL charts and/or statistical tables should be located in the Appendix. 7. A Bibliography should be included at the end of the paper. While e-sources are acceptable, the resource list should include at least one (1) hardcover text. ** A good place to start for information is Google, www.ask.com or your UMFlint Library. Please use caution with data obtained from www.wikipedia.com since it may not be reliable.

The paper is DUE ON WEDNESDAY, April 11, 2012. No Late Papers Accepted. * Please note that any plagiarized paper will receive a grade of zero.

This assignment is worth 20% of your grade.