SGS 350: Country Report Project

SGS 350: Country Report Project

SGS 350: Country Report Project Guidelines

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Individual projects: Paper (at least 13 pages) and policy memo (at least 4 pages) Group projects: Paper (at least 13 pages) and class presentation

All papers are due no later than 11:59pm on Wednesday, December 7. Late papers will not be accepted, and you are strongly encouraged to turn in your papers in advance of the final deadline.

Paper

Your paper (whether group or individual) needs to be at least 13 pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins. This length requirement excludes the bibliography section and any graphics or tables. It is also a minimum – longer papers are entirely acceptable. The reports should summarize and explain the main economic, political, and international dimensions of economic development for the chosen country, and highlight key challenges and opportunities for the future. You are welcome to organize your paper as you wish, but grading will be based on the following key elements:

• Current Situation: What is the country’s current situation in terms of economic development, human development, poverty, political inclusion, key industrial sectors, and globalization?

• Summary of history since ~1950: How have key events since independence or 1950 (whichever comes later) shaped the country’s current economic and political situation?

• Role of politics and/or conflict

• Role of geography
• Role of historical legacies (colonial or otherwise)
• Role of globalization and international actors (includes foreign aid if relevant)
• Key challenges and opportunities for the future
• Overall clarity/organization/style: The paper should be clearly written, well-organized, and have a professional and consistent style. Group papers in particular need to be edited for consistency and cohesion across sections that were written by different individuals.

• Use of data: Does the paper include relevant economic and political statistics, and make use (appropriately cited) charts or data visualizations?

• References: Is all information correctly cited from an appropriate source? Do the references meet the guidelines below?

References

Papers need to reference at least twelve non-course reading sources (more than twelve is fine). Of these, at least three need to be from each of three categories:

1. Academic (including academic journal articles and university-press published books.

2. Journalism (from reputable sources, not obscure websites – check with me if questions)

3. Policy (published by international organizations, governments, think tanks, or NGOs – just be aware of the potential agenda of the source organization).

Please note that while Wikipedia is useful in building a preliminary understanding of the country and relevant issues, it is not appropriate as a reference in the final paper.

Policy Memo (Individual Projects Only)

Present and critically evaluate a specific policy that has been proposed or considered for your country, or propose your own. This could be a change in government economic policy, a specific project to be implemented or institution to be created, or even a policy intervention by external actors. You will likely encounter several possibilities as you conduct research for the main country report paper. I recommend discussing your idea for the focus of the memo with me ahead of time. Policy memos need to be at least 4 pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins.

Key questions to focus on:

What is the goal of the policy? How does it aim to accomplish this goal? What actions would need to be taken, and who would need to take those actions, for it to be successful? What evidence – either from scientific studies or from examples in other countries – exists to support this policy? What challenges do you anticipate? Do you think this policy is a good idea or a bad idea, and why? Policy memos need to include at least three relevant citations that are not already cited in the country report.

Presentation (Group Projects Only)

Presentations will be assessed on the extent to which they are creative, polished, and informative. Teach us what we need to know about your country!

Length requirements to be determined based on schedule and number of group members, but roughly 13-15 minutes for 4-person groups and roughly 15-17 minutes for 5-6 person groups.

No references needed in presentations

Self-Evaluation and Peer-Evaluation for Group Projects

Group projects can sometimes involve tensions between group members. Conducting yourself professionally, contributing equally, and productively managing any disagreements that arise are all essential professional skills that will serve you well not just in your classes but in the workplace as well. At the end of the term, each student who chooses the group project option will conduct both a self-evaluation and a peer evaluation of their group members, all of which will contribute to the final project grades.