Economics Problems

PART I

1) Assume you are hired by the The United Nations Children's Fund as a development economist. Your assignment is to travel to Sudan (a resource-rich, agricultural, and poverty-stricken country) to write a report about the extent of poverty and propose policies that can help reduce poverty. Your assignment is two fold: (a) to analyze the economic and social reasons why some people of this rich country are poor; and (b) to develop a set of policy measures that could help reduce poverty and improve income distribution.

2) Assume the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has hired you as a development economist. Your assignment is to travel to Jamaica, where people living in rural areas rush to migrate to the capital city of Kingston. Write a report on causes of rural-urban migration and propose policies that can help reduce such a massive movement of population. Your assignment is twofold: (a) to analyze the economic and social reasons why rural people of this country are leaving their hometowns and villages; and (b) to develop a set of policy measures that could help reduce rural-urban migration.

Important Instructions FOR two questions:

Write a detailed essay of about 500 words to answer each question based on textbook reading. Write the beginning and ending page numbers of the textbook at the outset of your answer.

PART II

1. Present the Todaro's model of rural-urban migration. What are the expected benefits and costs of migration? What are the economic and non-economic factors that influence the migration decision? What is the determinant of the migration decision? What policies would you recommend to reduce rural-urban migration?

2. What does the Lorenz Curve illustrate? What does the Gini Index measure? How do you illustrate improved income distribution using the Lorenz Curve? How does improved income distribution affect the Gini Index? Give examples of countries that were able to improve income distribution.

3. Describe the Kuznets' Inverted-U hypothesis of income distribution. Use the empirical evidence (both cross-country and time-series) to examine the validity of this hypothesis. Argue why the historical development experience of the MDCs do not apply to the development challenges facing today's LDCs.

4. To what extend the Third World women contribute to economic development? How can improvement in the economic and social status of women contribute to economic development? Use your country-study assignment as a case study for the role of women in economic development.

Important Instructions

For each question, write a detailed essay of about 300 words to answer each question based on textbook reading. Write the beginning and ending page numbers of the textbook at the outset of your answer.