Web-Based Questions


1			NORMATIVE ECONOMICS — REPUBLICANS VERSUS DEMOCRATS Visit both the Republicans' http://www.rnc.org/ and the Democrats' http://www.democrats.org/ Web sites. Identify an economic issue that both parties address, and compare and contrast their views on that issue. Generally speaking, how much of the disagreement is based on normative economics compared to positive economics? Give an example of loaded terminology from each site.




2			MORE LABOR RESOURCES — WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE FOR THE UNITED STATES AND JAPAN? Go to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Web site at http://www.bls.gov/ and select Get Detailed Statistics. Look for Labor Force Statistics from the CPS and click the Most Requested Statistics icon. Find U.S. civilian employment data for the last 10 years. How many more workers were there at the end of the 10-year period than at the beginning? Next, return to the Detailed Statistics page. Use the Most Requested Statistics icon next to Foreign Labor Statistics (it's under Productivity and Technology) to find total employment growth in Japan over the last 10 years. In which of the two countries did "more labor resources" have the greatest impact in shifting the nation's production possibilities curve outward over the 10-year period?