Environment economic
Before beginning on your assignment please SUBMIT A PROPOSAL to your instructor to
ensure that the content is applicable to this course. A topic and a BRIEF outline of your plan
will suffice. Outline DEADLINE NOVEMBER 9th 2015. The assignment will not be
received without a proposal!!!
There are two basic fundamental principles behind the assignment. The first is to be
able to conduct research in Environmental or Resource economics. The task of finding
information will familiarize you with the various sources of information that are available. The
key to a successful research project is to be able to formulate a “Research Question”. The
Research Question is what you are attempting to prove or disprove. Modern research
should be falsifiable. This means that you should be able to disprove certain theories or
statements. It is often difficult to be able to actually prove a hypothesis. Generally you
state that you can not prove that it is wrong. (Review hypothesis testing from intro
econometrics ).
The second principle is your ability to understand the relevant theory that pertains to
your research. The text book should be your first starting point. From there you should
move to supplemental sources such as academic journals, trade magazines etc. The
greater your understanding of the relevant issues the more effective your research will be.
If you have any questions about the assignment or the goals of the assignment please
talk to your instructor as soon as possible.
The finished paper should include the following:
The purpose of the paper (research question)
The relevant theories
Your research methodology
Your research conclusions and analysis
Appendix with data and any statistical work
Bibliography
The paper should be no less than 2500 words (not counting data and
bibliography). Grammar, punctuation and writing style will
count towards 20% of the final paper grade!! ! !! !