Research Papers
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Senior Research Paper
Each student will be required to complete a 4-6 page fully documented research paper which examines some aspect of a global, national, state, or local issue and how economics plays an important role in that issue. The research paper is required to be supported by utilizing at least four sources, at least one of which needs to be a non-internet source. Any internet source must be from a legitimate database. The format of the research paper should be in the MLA writing style and the paper should contain internal citations as well as a works cited page. The assignment will be broken into three parts.
The first portion will be a formal one page topic proposal, highlighting the purpose and scope of the topic to be investigated (such as causes and possible solutions of the topic), which will be due by the end of October (for the Fall semester) or by the end of February (for the Spring semester).
The second portion of the assignment will be an annotated bibliography of the sources to be used in the paper and will be due at the end of November, after Thanksgiving break (for the Fall semester) or by the end of March (for the Spring semester).
The final portion of the assignment will be the completed paper and will be due before the end of the second quarter, the end of January (for the Fall semester) or by the end of May (for the Spring semester).
Possible Topic Ideas include: (Please get your teacher's approval for topics not included on this list before undertaking too much research on a different topic)
REITS (Real Estate Investment Trusts): What are they, why are they good/bad investments, how they impact the real estate market and the local/national/international economy(ies)
Anti-Trust Laws and their Economic Impact
NAFTA (The North American Free Trade Agreement) and its Economic Impact on the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the World
OPEC and its Economic Impact
The Economic Aspects of the European Union
The Council of Economic Advisers
Farm Subsidies and their Economic Impact
Federal Trade Commission
Flat Taxes, Progressive Taxes, and Regressive Taxes: Arguments for and Against
Value Added Taxes: Arguments for and Against
Right to Work Laws and their Economic Impact
Internet Commerce: Its Economic Impact on Brick-and-Mortar Stores, Local Economies, Sales Tax Collection, and the National and World Economies
Minimum Wage Laws and their Economic Impact
World Bank
International Monetary Fund
Free Trade and the World Trade Organization: Pros and Cons
The History of Collective Bargaining (The Taft-Hartley Act and the Landrum-Griffin Act)
The AFL-CIO
The Economic Costs and Benefits of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
Dow Jones Industrial Average: Its Usefulness and its Limitations
The National Labor Relations Board
Stock Exchanges (NYSE, Amer. Stock Exchg., Nasdaq, Over-the-counter)
The Federal Government Budget
The Federal Debt
Medicare and Medicaid
Social Security
Unemployment Insurance
Seasonal Unemployment
Supply-Side Economics
Keynesian Economics
The Federal Reserve System
The Money Supply and Monetary Policy
The Consumer Price Index (and the Producer Price Index)
The IRS
Inflation: Causes and Solutions
Unemployment: Causes and Solutions
Commodities Trading
Currency Default Swaps
Patent Law and/or Trademark Law
Consumer Protection
Energy Independence
Nuclear Power
Tort Reform
Universal Healthcare
Hydrofracking and its Economic Impact
School Choice (Charter Schools and/or Vouchers) and its Economic Impact