Macroeconomics: Money and Finance

Assignment Question:

Examine the economic growth of three countries for the past five years. Explain how the economic growth in these countries has changed pre- and post-Covid-19. Provide two policy recommendations on how one of the chosen countries could improve their economy given the onset of Covid-19.

Purpose of the Assignment:

The purpose of the assignment is to demonstrate both a theoretical and practical understanding of macroeconomics and it draws upon several topics covered in the unit. Students will need to present the figures on the economic growth in an appropriate manner and provide evidence to support their arguments. Students should consider real life events and the theoretical concepts taught in this unit in their discussions on the policy recommendations.

Assignment Details:

•   The assignment is worth 30 percent of the unit.

•   Due date: Wednesday 6th October at 5pm.

•   Students are required to submit their assignment via LMS.

•   The assignment needs to be typed using a font size of 12 and 1.5 spacing.

•   Turnitin software will be used to detect plagiarism (see below). The assignment should

  be an original piece of research. Students are not permitted to use their research from previous assignments. This is deemed as self-plagiarism by the University (where strict penalties will be applied).

•   The word limit for the assignment is 2,000 words and a word count must be clearly displayed on the cover sheet of the assignment. There is no leeway in the word limit. It is a maximum of 2,000 words.

•   The assignment must be referenced correctly and contain a reference list (See UWA’s guide on referencing: https://guides.library.uwa.edu.au/referencinguwa). The recommended referencing style is the APA style.

•   Figures, headings, data tables, footnotes, references and the reference list can be excluded from the word count.

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 Students should refer to the unit outline regarding penalties for late submission of the assignment and for penalties for going over the word limit. Please note that this unit will apply the ruling of a 1% penalty of the total mark allocated for the assessment for going over the word limit.

Data:

Students should present the data on economic growth figures in an appropriate manner (e.g. diagrams, graphs or a table). Students need to clearly identify the source of the data. Students may which to compare these indicators with other indicators (e.g. unemployment rates, inflation, investment levels etc.) to give an overall picture of how each country economy has fared since the onset of Covid-19. Students may wish to consider monthly, quarterly or annual data, though monthly data will provide a clear picture of changes pre- and post-Covid-19. Students should generate figures and tables themselves rather than cut and paste them directly from the data’s websites.

Potential websites where students could obtain information on economic growth and other indicators from include:

•   National Statistics Offices (e.g. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Statistics Singapore, U.S Bureau of Economic Analysis, United Kingdom’s Office for National Statistics)

•   International Monetary Fund

•   Trading Economics

•   Reserve Bank of Australia

  Where possible, students should use the latest data available to examine the changes in economic growth since the start of the global pandemic (Covid-19). Some large statistical houses may not have the most recent data (for example, the latest data on many of the World Bank’s economic indicators are for 2019, which is prior to the global pandemic). Students are advised to look at the National Statistical Office for the countries of their choice to get the most recent data.

  Plagiarism:

  Turnitin software will be used to detect any plagiarism and the level of originality of the assignment and any form of plagiarism will not be accepted and will be heavily penalised.

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Student Services provides an online plagiarism portal that includes a definition of plagiarism and a link to FAQs:
https://ipoint.uwa.edu.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/329/kw/plagiarism

More information about ‘Turnitin’ can be found at https://www.turnitin.com/.

Suggested Structure:

A proposed structure for the assignment is as follows – the assignment should have headings for each section:

•   Cover page which includes the word count, student’s name and student number and the student’s tutor and tutorial time.

•   Introduction – this should include the purpose of the assignment (i.e. what the assignment sets out to do) and a brief discussion on your chosen countries. You should include some background discussion of the countries.

•   Analysis of economic growth for the past five years, pre- and post-Covid-19, – this should include a presentation of the data and discussion on how economic growth has changed. The discussion also needs to include reasons for the changes in economic growth, drawing on theoretical and real life events.

•   Policy recommendations – this section should contain at least two recommendations on how the economy of the chosen country could be improved. These recommendations should be based on the concepts taught in this unit and should be valid for the country.

•   Conclusion – this should be a brief paragraph summarising what the assignment has covered.

•   Reference list.

  Marking Structure:

  Ten marks of the assignment are allocated to the presentation of the assignment based on:

  •   How well the assignment is written and structured, including whether it is succinct, is

    within the word limit and uses appropriate grammar.

  •   How well the assignment is referenced and that claims are supported with references.

    Twenty marks are allocated to the analysis of the economic growth (and other indicators) for the chosen countries based on:

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•   The discussion and analysis of economic growth for the three countries over the past five years, pre- and post-Covid-19.

•   The presentation of the data and research on the economic growth.

•   Validity of the policy recommendations for the chosen country.

•   Evidence of research and understanding of the concepts.