Engineering Economics and Decision Analysis Term Paper

The paper should be roughly 2,000-3,000 words in length.

Select one of the following prompts to write your essay:

Prompt #1

•    Topic: Is Capitalism Dead?
When global financial markets collapsed in 2008, many governments around the world responded by increasing spending in the name of “stimulating” their economies. With the world seemingly embracing Keynesian economic thought and a greater role for governments, many politicians, activists, and media commentators declared that “capitalism is dead.”
Two years after governments bailed out failing banks, auto manufacturers and other companies, they are moving to impose new restrictions and regulations on much of the world’s financial sector.
But is capitalism truly dead? Can we ignore the past success and prosperity brought about by policies of low taxation and minimal government? Does failure need to exist for the market to work? Is there a new or old economic system that is better than capitalism, or will capitalism emerge stronger than ever as economies recover from the recession?

Your essay should use historical perspective, empirical evidence, and economic analysis to examine these or other questions regarding the future of capitalism.

Prompt #2

Topic: Examine whether authoritarian capitalism is a viable alternative to its Western liberal version, to promote long term economic growth and development.

Paper Organization, General Guidelines

These guidelines might be helpful to you in preparing your term paper.

•    Introduction
Describe the general perspective. Toward the end, specifically state the objectives of the paper.

•    Background
Provide broad definitions and discussions of the topic and incorporate views of others (literature review) into the discussion to support, refute or demonstrate your position on the topic. Provide proper documentation on sources of information.

•    Main Thrust of the Paper
1.    Issues, Controversies, Problems
Present your perspective on the issues, controversies, problems, etc., as they relate to the theme and arguments supporting your position. Compare and contrast with what has been, or is currently being done as it relates to your specific topic.

2.    Solutions and Recommendations
Discuss solutions and recommendations in dealing with the issues, controversies, or problems presented in the preceding section.

•    Future Trends
Discuss future and emerging trends. Provide insight about the future from the perspective of your topic. Viability of a paradigm, model, implementation issues of proposed programs, etc. may be included in this section. If appropriate, suggest future research opportunities within the domain of the topic.

•    Conclusion
Provide discussion of the overall coverage of the paper and concluding remarks.

•    References
Your references should be fully documented and organized. When you use the source in the text, author’s name and year of publication should appear (Example: Travers, 1995). Try to have at least five references