Essay Writing for Economics

1. Essay Writing for Economics Dr Michael Paton Teaching Quality Fellow Faculty of Economics & Business consultation hours: Monday & Wednesday 2-5 pm Merewether 388 m.paton@econ.usyd.edu.au

2. Academic Structure • Introduction • first approaches the topic in a general way • limits the scope • defines the topic; and • presents the plan of coverage

3. With the onset of the 1990's recession in Australia came mass unemployment. The Australian government has responded to the problem of 350,000 detached and alienated long term unemployed, and the serious constraint they place on the economy, by announcing a set of policies on unemployment through the publication of a Green Paper and subsequently a White Paper in 1993. This essay will appraise these policies, by outlining their strengths and their deficiencies. In particular, the inadequacies of the notion of reciprocal obligations as proposed by the policy documents will be discussed, in terms of job subsidy schemes, and industry support through investment. Finally, some alternatives for reducing mass unemployment are proposed.

4. Body • expands the plan of the assignment given in the introduction • keeps to the topic • has each main idea expressed in one paragraph, and • backs up ideas with precise details and citations

5. Competition, generally speaking, allows greater pressure on costs...... However, it is debatable whether this situation can actually occur........ Conversely, when a situation arises in which a monopoly exists......... In order to combat these restrictions and stimulate competition, initiatives have been undertaken to introduce deregulation.......... It is evident that there are both advantages and disadvantages to deregulation............ Before a comprehensive analysis of the original proposition can be made, it is necessary to illustrate specific examples… In 1989, a regulatory body, AUSTEL, was established............ Changes in Australia's aviation policy have had mixed success.......... The deregulation of the Australian banking sector........ It is evident in each case outlined........... In defining the term monopoly, Mark S. Massel gives..... With the term 'condition of entry', J. S. Bain gives..... Mark S. Hassel notes that........ J. S. Bain states that.......... The proposition above is implemented.... In Competition and Monopoly, Thomas Wilson discusses..... Wilson states that......... In recent years Australia has seen the deregulation of a number of industries... As a result of deregulation in 1991........ Before the policies of deregulation were implemented........ Essay A Essay B

6. Conclusion • summarises the main ideas of the assignment 2. does one or more of the following: • evaluates the material presented • states your conclusions • forecasts the future and/or • makes recommendations

7. Academic Style • Impersonality • Reduction of the number of human participants • you, I, we, human beings • Formality • Avoidance of slang and colloquial language • Avoidance of contractions • Critical analysis - analysis of the assignment - comparison of ideas from different sources - reliability of data - motives of writer - up-to-date data - logical argument • Incorporation of material from other sources

8. Citation and Author Orientation • Paton (2001) argued that this is an idea. • It has been argued that this is an idea (Paton, 2001). • This is an idea (Paton, 2001). • ‘If there ever was an idea, this is it.’ (Paton, 2001, p. 33)

9. Bibliography or Reference List? • Atkinson, D. (1997). ‘A Critical Approach to Critical Thinking in TESOL’. TESOL Quarterly, 31, 9-37. • Ballard, B. and J. Clanchy (1997), Teaching International Students: a Brief Guide for Lectures and Supervisors, (Melbourne: IDPE Australia). • Elvin, Mark, The Retreat of the Elephants: an Environmental History of China, (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2004) • Loewen, S. and R. Ellis, ‘Second Language Vocabulary and Academic Achievement in Undergraduate University Students’ in E. Manalo & G. Wong-Toi (eds.) (2005) Communication Skills in University Education: The International Dimension (Auckland: Pearson) pp. 260-278.. • Paton, M. (2004) "Dragon Veins, Cultural Chauvinism and the Energy of the Land" in Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on the History of Science in China, Harbin, 2004.

10. Exercise- pick the problems!!! • Original In response to the Green Paper Kenyon feels, "that the policy package contained in it is at long odds to reduce unemployment in Australia to 5% by 2001." (1993, "Restoring Full Employment: Backing An Outsider" The Australian Economic Review p.43) This criticism is based on the assertion that the Green Paper isn't clear on how the economic growth is to be attained and then sustained. ....

11. Rewritten • These strengths in principle are counter-balanced by the inadequacies of the policies to explain how economic growth is to be attained and then sustained. More importantly, high sustainable economic growth, although vital to reverse the climb in unemployment, is not sufficient to reduce structurally induced long term unemployment (Bloggs, 1993: 28). Indeed, the Green Paper is "at long odds to reduce unemployment in Australia to 5% by 2001" (Kenyon, 1993: 43) for many reasons. For example, Borland (1994: 11) argues that domestically, there are inherent structural weaknesses such as...

12. Some Excerpts from Markers’ Comments on Poor Essays • You were asked to write an essay, not present a set of quotations from three authors. • You must put the argument in your own words, and in your own way. • This is a good explanation of perfect competition and natural monopoly, but it does not answer the question of whether deregulation will promote competition or not • It is a very good discussion of barriers to competition (that is, a very good summary of Bain), but not a discussion of whether deregulation will generate a competitive market or something else.