Economic Geography at Shippensburg University
PROJECT #1: COUNTRY ECONOMIC SITUATION

READ THE ENTIRE ASSIGNMENT CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN!

RATIONALE


The purpose of this first project is for you to develop an understanding of the economic situation of one of the World’s countries, and then for some of you, to report your findings to the class in the form of an oral presentation. (Those of you who do not present this project will be presenting the second project). 

To accomplish your goal, you will work as an international economic consultant to develop a short memo that will include a brief overview of key historical events in your country leading to a discussion of some of the basic social and economic conditions found there.

ASSIGNMENT IN BRIEF


Write a brief (5 page, single-spaced) memo discussing your assigned country's current economic status and describe important events in history that are significant in understanding the country's contemporary situation. 

Support your five page memo with a series of attachments as listed below, but don't stop there.  Be creative and find your own important facts and stories to relay as well. Refer to the Introduction to Memo-Writing for details regarding form and style. Please note that your project must be fully-reference. This means you must cite all of your sources that you use both in the text of you memo and on all attachments. Click on Citing your Sources for more information. FAILURE TO CITE YOUR SOURCES PROPERLY WILL RESULT IN AN AUTOMATIC FAILING GRADE FRO THE PROJECT.

Please note that I have provided you with a large number of potential sources for your work -- but you must reference at least three refereed journal articles in your report (more is better). Refereed journal articles can be found in the library's article data bases by selected "peer-reviewed articles" (or something similar) in your information searches.

In addition, you may find yourself in situation where it is impossible to find exactly what I have asked for. In these circumstances, substitute information that is as similar as possible (i.e. addresses the same basic idea) and just make a footnote to explain what you have done.

DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS


Your project will consist of your memo and five (5) attachments. Be sure to follow the stylistic guidelines I have provided you in the the Introduction to Memo-writing . The major thing you are trying to accomplish in your memo is to provide an overview of your country's economic situation, focusing on a) historical events that shaped the country; b) your country's current overall economic situation; and, c) the spatial organization of your country. Each of these is described below.
THE MEMO (5 single spaced pages [maximum]) :

 

1.    Country History (probably about 1.5 pages)

The extent of the historical study is up to you, but obviously in the amount of space that you have you need to be brief and succinct – but complete.  Since this is a project about economic development, you should try to include those elements of the country’s political and economic history that you think are most relevant to understanding where the country is today.  For example, is your country a former colony? Have particular political changes, eras or leaders been especially influential?  Have there been significant impacts from wars, natural disasters, etc.? 

As you do your research, also pay attention to general political, social, and economic history. Where your country is now is a direct reflection of where it has been in the past. An understanding of context will guarantee you a richer and more productive experience. You will need to do some significant reading before you will be able to write this section effectively. Try sources listed on the course page as well as searches through the library book and journals databases.


2. Spatial Organization: (probably about 1-1.5 pages)


It is important to understand the "shape" of your country if you are to understand its economic situation. This is where your maps on population, natural resources, and transportation will come in (details below), since in this section you will want to analyze the maps that you have created. Therefore, it is probably a good idea to create your maps before you start writing this section.

The maps will allow you to describe both "what" and "where" with respect to natural resources, transportation, population distribution etc. But you will need to go beyond just describing the maps you have created. As mentioned above, you will want to add context by referring to key points in the references that you have collected to analyze the implications of the patterns you find. Saying "there are forests in the east" is ok ...... but adding some detail on how the forest is used and by whom makes things more interesting and useful for the reader.

A very key thing in this section is your transition from the country history. You will need to analyze how and why the history you assessed in the previous section relates to the actual spatial organization on the ground.

3. Basic Social and Economic Conditions (probably about 2 - 2.5 pages)

In this section of your memo, again, you essentially want to use your attachments (detailed below) to drive your discussion.  In short, if you do your “homework” first, that is create your attachments, then this section will be very easy to write because you are really just describing and analyzing your work.   The key here is to walk your reader through your attachments, bringing out the key points and analyzing those points: why are they important?; how do the indicators for your country compare with those of others?; how do the data correspond with the history you have discovered? You MUST refer to each of your attachments in your written memo.

4. Summary (0.25- 0.5 page)

Here you must really think. You have collected lots of data, created maps, studied history, etc., etc. What is the moral of the story you just told? The real key here is to, in a few sentences, summarize the findings of your memo in your own words. What I am looking for here is for you to tell me what it all means: where is your country now?; where is it going?; what are its prospects; what do you suggest the policy makers of your country do?, etc., etc. This will be a hard section to write, but it is crucial.

THE ATTACHMENTS:


1.    The Maps:


Create a series of three separate maps.  Each map should include the major cities and physical features (with labels). Hint: Since each of these maps needs to include the major cities and physical features, it may save you time if you create a "base map" that you can use for each of the three specific maps required .... that way you need not reinvent the wheel each time. Please note: YOU MAY NOT PRINT MAPS DIRECTLY OFF THE INTERNET.... YOU MUST CREATE THEM YOURSELVES. YOU MAY DOWNLOAD AND USE BASE MAPS (i.e., blank outline maps).

(a) Map 1 depicts the major population centers (including some symbolization for the size of population centers if possible), agricultural regions, and industrial areas of your country

(b) Map 2 depicts the natural resources of your country, both mineral and non-mineral

(c) Map 3 depicts the transportation system in your country.

I will leave the design of your maps up to you, but the key, of course, is to design them so that they convey the needed information effectively. Your maps do not need to be cartographic masterpieces, but they do need to be neat, informative, and functional.   Again, while YOU MAY NOT hand in maps printed off the Internet, I do suggest that you access blank outline maps for your country (one link to a source for these is provided below) on-line and then use the resources available to you to create your own final maps, either by hand or by computer.


2.    The Tables and Graphs

(a) Table 1 should display:        

  • the percent of the population living in poverty,
  • the percent of the population with access to safe water,
  • the rate of child malnutrition
  • the average life expectancy at birth;
  • the illiteracy rate (or, conversely, the literacy rate)

Find the most recent data that you can for your country (note -- it is not at all unlikely that the "latest data" for your country will be at least 2 years old and sometimes older). In order to compare this data with that of other countries in the same region, please collect the same information for three other countries on the same continent and display your findings in the table.  If one of the required data pieces is not available for your country, please make a footnote to this effect and substitute in something else you think gets at the same idea.

HINT: Good sources for this information are the World Bank and UN (see sample sources)

(b) Table 2 should display current Gross National Product (GNP) or Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – whichever you can find – by major economic sectors (e.g., agricultural, manufacturing, etc).  Use the most recent data you can find, and use the most detailed breakdown of economic sectors you can find.  Your table should show both the total dollar amount and the percentage of total income accounted for by each sector.  Note, if your country’s data are available only in its local currency, that's o.k. -- you can make the conversion by using the Yahoo! Finance page. Use the drop-down boxes near the top of the page to convert your currency -- you can also figure out historical rates.

(c) Table 3 should include the labor force distribution in your country by economic sector.  Your table should show the actual number of workers per economic sector and the percentage of total workers in each economic sector.

Hint: The CIA World Factbook may provide some very basic information on these issues. However search through other sources to try and find more detailed information (see sample sources and your own).


(d) Graph 1 should show the total national GNI/GDP per capita in adjusted $US for as many years as possible (more is better).  Start with the earliest year you can find and end with the latest. It is up to you to design a graph that is effective. In addition, Many countries have borrowed significant sums of money from the world community and are in serious debt trouble. For at least the most recent year available (or, better yet, create a second time-series graph) indicate the amount of external debt your country has as a percentage of GNI.

Hint: Probably the best source is the World Bank Quick Query tool (see sample sources) as they have made adjustments for exchange rates and inflation for you. Use the GNI per capita Atlas method. Read through the information provided to be sure you know what it means. This source also has the debt information.

3. The Bibliography

For this project, I would expect that you should have about 15 references. REMEMBER: YOU MUST HAVE AT LEAST THREE REFEREED JOURNAL ARTICLES IN YOUR BIBLIOGRAPHY. You may not use only Internet sources for this project, however all web sources must be fully cited. Refer back to the "citing your sources" guide if you have any questions.


PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER


The challenge of the project will be to effectively summarize all of the information that you find and to tell a story about where your country has been, where your country is today, and to the extent you can, where it might be headed. Make sure to use your attachments to your advantage -- that is, be sure to discuss each and every attachment not only individually, but pull the information from all of them collectively to tell your story. Do not forget to bring your maps into the story, both as important elements in and of themselves and to point your audience to particular places or regions that are relevant in your other discussions.

One of the keys to producing a really high quality piece of work is to go beyond just describing your attachments, though it is always important to do that as well. The best memos cite additional references to support the data that has been collected.

Logistically, please make sure that you turn in your project in the following order:

1. Memo (note that you DO NOT add a separate cover page to a memo -- you just use your heading at the top of the first page). Your discussion should revolve around the three key issues discussed above: your country's history, your country's spatial organization, and your country's economic situation.

2. Attachments (each on a separate page with titles and sources.) Each should be titled "Attachment X: 2 or 3 word description".

  • Map1
  • Map2
  • Map 3
  • Table 1
  • Table 2
  • Table 3
  • Graph 1
3. Bibliography

Do not waste money on report covers. A staple will do it.

HOW DO I GET STARTED?


O.K., now you know what to do, how do you get started? In general, many students have found that a good way to operate is the following:

1. Compile and read information on the history of your country, taking careful notes so that you may fully document your sources. When I say history here, you need to decide how far to go back -- but you also want to be sure to cover recent history, since we are trying to understand where your country is today. Reading about your country's history first will not only help you write the history section of your memo, but will also assist you deciding what types of things to look for when writing about the current economic situation and spatial organization of your country -- as well as helping you explain the patterns that you see.

2. Produce the attachments. The attachments are really the "nitty-gritty" of your research, i.e., the details. Much of your memo, after the country history, will be essentially fleshing out what your attachments say.

3. Go the extra mile. Now that you know something about the history and you have your attachments, try to do some additional research to help you explain it. For example, if you found something interesting about the transportation network of your country when compiling your map, go back and try to do some specific research on transportation. This will add a lot of richness to your explanations.

4. Once you have covered everything, make absolutely certain that your final product is seamless. You will obviously be dividing up the labor. However, "A" or "B" level work requires that you have, as a group, read and re-read the project, ensuring that it flows, that it makes sense and that all of the parts work together.

SUMMARY


The objective of your memo is to provide me with the information I need while also conveying the information you, as a regional expert, think is most important. Remember to offer a solid summary at the end of your memo.

Be sure to follow the formatting guidelines for your memo and all the rules regarding citing your sources.

Good luck! I will look forward to reading and hearing about what you have found.

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