Fascinating facts about macroeconomic events or policy

In this course we cover a fair amount of material, and often times we just do not have enough time to dig
enough into many fascinating facts about macroeconomic events or policy, and into alternative explanations.
The goal of the paper is to give you an opportunity to dig deeper into a macroeconomic topic of your choice.
At the same time, the paper is intended as an opportunity to practice your writing skills.
2 Topic
You can choose one of these two:
• “Discuss the macroeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy. If you see
fit, you can support your claims with data and/or macroeconomic reasoning, by making reference to
the models we saw in class (or other models or your choice). Otherwise, feel free to follow your own
inspiration for the paper.”
• A topic of your choice. Be careful in selecting your topic: If you start off with a topic that does not
excite you enough, it will be difficult to write the paper, and likely the final quality of the product will
be low. You can consult me about your topic after class or during office hours.
You can earn credit and write a very nice paper if you choose the recommended topic. But if another
topic that inspires you more, do not hesitate to take that route.
3 Rules and Recommendations
• The syllabus states the fraction of the grade carried by the paper.
1
• Do research. It is a good idea to take the time to get the information you need, think, and only then
make a decision.
• Start with the research as soon as possible, even before choosing the final topic or title of the paper.
You may realize that what you intended to do is not feasible, or not as interesting as you initially
thought.
• Keep it short. Try to be within 1000 to 3000 words.
• Pay attention to language, word-choice, and more generally, style. Aside from content, a good paper
is a paper that is well-written.
• Proof-read and edit your paper. Good writing comes out only after the second, or third revision.
• Academic honesty: You are welcome to discuss your paper with your colleagues. However, it is obvious
that you are not allowed to use portions of text of other authors without proper acknowledgment.
• Deadline: The paper is due November 12, at the beginning of class. If you anticipate that you might
be time constrained due to other commitments, plan ahead.
4 Paper Contest
The three best papers will be rewarded by a prize, and the opportunity to present the paper in class
(optional). (Papers that were not selected to be top-3 will still be able to get full credit.)