ECO202 – Microeconomics
Unit 7 Assignment: Inequality
Due: Sunday by 11:59 pm at the end of Unit 7.
Is inequality in the U.S. rising or falling?
As we have seen, our economic well-being depends on many
factors: income, wealth, pre-or post-tax earnings, family size and whether or
not earnings postponed to the future.
Consequently, it isn’t surprising that politicians can find
data to support nearly any position about whether Americans are getting poorer
or richer. In this week’s assignment, you will investigate the use of data by
two economists who reach entirely opposite conclusions.
Steven Pearlstein, conservative business columnist for the
Washington Post, argues that the middle class continues to do well.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/29/AR2007052902001.html
On the other hand, Jared Berstein, writing in the liberal The
American Prospect magazine maintains that living standards have slipped for the
middle class.
http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_econindicators_income20040826
Or: http://prospect.org/article/squeeze-0
Respond to the following key questions:
1. What are
the strongest arguments presented by each side?
2. What are
the weakest arguments presented by each side?
3. What
additional data would you like to have in order to determine who is correct?
Your final product will be a paper that:
• Addresses
each of the four questions above in total.
• Is APA
fortatted.
• The body
is to be 2 pages minimum.
The requirements for your assignment are:
1. Answer
each question fully
2. Define the
overall subject of each question.
3. Cite at least
three (3) resources from this week’s materials.
Students: Be sure to read the criteria and review the grading
rubric on the next page, by which your paper/project will be evaluated, before
you write, and again after you write.
Evaluation Rubric for Unit 7 Assignment
CRITERIA Deficient Proficient Exemplary Points
Earned
Overview
of the 0-13
Points 14-27
Points 28-40 Points
Topic Does not provide an Overview is Overview is clearly
adequate
overview presented,
though presented
including
or
is missing. may not
be clear or all
criteria outlined
complete. above.
Complete 0-11
Points 12-23
Points 24-35 Points
Answers Questions All questions All questions
unanswered
and/or answered with
1-2 answered with
depth
poorly
answered. sentence
inputs. and
clarity.
References to
0-5 Points 6-10
Points 11-15 Points
Course Materials Less
than 3 3 references, 4 or more references
references,
no minimal and assimilations
assimilation
to the assimilation to the show depth and
questions. questions. clarity.
APA Format 0-1
Point 2-3
Points 4-5
Points
Format
has errors APA
format and APA
format and
that
impede reference
page has reference
page is
professional few errors that do clear, professional,
presentation;
and/or not impede and error free.
APA
not followed, professional
reference
page presentation.
missing.
Writing Quality 0-1
Point 2-3 Points 4-5 Points
More
than 7 writing More than 4 writing No writing errors.
errors,
to include errors, to include
spelling
and spelling and
punctuation. punctuation.
Total 100
