Economics Homework

ECS 3003 – Comparative Economic Systems

Chapters 6_8_9 Homework

Please note these questions are worth two homework assignments.

Due Wednesday, November 4

Questions Chapter 6 - JAPAN

1. Q. In what sense can Japan be viewed as a New Traditional Economy? How might this also not be the case?

2. Q. How do the “three sacred treasures” of labor reinforce each other? What trends in the Japanese economy may be leading to their disappearance?

3. Q. Distinguish between horizontal and vertical keiretsus. How do they both help and hinder the Japanese economy?

4. Q. Distinguish the J-mode of management from the H-mode. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

5. Q. Why has industrial policy become less effective in Japan recently?

6. Q. Why did Japan fail to surpass the United States in technological leadership? Can it become a world leader again?

7. Q. Will real acceptance by Japan of free trade lead to a loss of Japanese economic identity and a convergence with the U.S. model?

8. Q. What has been the role of the demographic decline in the slowdown of the Japanese economy? Can this be changed?

9. Q. What has been the role of the decline of land prices in the slowdown of Japanese economic growth?

10. Q. Will imitating the United States be the best approach for Japan to revive economic growth? Why or why not?

ECS 3003 – Comparative Economic Systems

Chapters 6_8_9 Homework

Please note these questions are worth two homework assignments.

Due Wednesday, November 4

Questions Chapter 7 - SWEDEN

1. Q. What are the different types of corporatism, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each? What are the sources of wage drift, and how has it affected Sweden’s future prospects as

a corporatist economy?

2. Q. What are the relationships between the EFO model, the Rehn-Meidner Plan, and wage solidarism? How do they reinforce or undermine each other, and what have been their economic

impacts over time?

3. Q. Many observers argue that Swedish taxes are too high. Evaluate this argument.

4. Q. Is the equity-efficiency trade-off relevant for Sweden?

5. Q. It has been argued that Swedish macroeconomic policy is ultra-Keynesian. Evaluate this argument.

6. Q. What are the implications of Sweden’s having joined the European Union for the future of the Swedish model? Evaluate the arguments for and against Sweden joining the euro zone.

7. Q. Evaluate the applicability of the various parts of the Swedish model to other economies in the world, such as those in Eastern and Western Europe, Japan, and the United States.

8. Q. Compare and contrast the Swedish and American approaches to welfare and other income redistribution programs and policies.

ECS 3003 – Comparative Economic Systems

Chapters 6_8_9 Homework

Please note these questions are worth two homework assignments.

Due Wednesday, November 4

Questions Chapter 8 - GERMANY

1. Q. What is the source of the “German Problem” in Europe, and how does it affect prospects for European unification?

2. Q. Compare and contrast Hitler’s command economy with that of the former East Germany.

3. Q. Compare and contrast the 1948 West German reform policies with those applied in 1990 in eastern Germany during unification with the FRG.

4. Q. What elements of the German economic system resemble those of Japan’s economic system?

5. Q. Compare and contrast German labor market policies with those of Sweden.

6. Q. How does the German economic system compare with that of the United States?

7. Q. Compare the social safety nets of the former East and West Germanies.

8. Q. How successfully has the former East Germany been integrated into unified Germany?

9. Q. Why did the unification of Germany cost more than expected, and what are the implications of this fact?

10. Q. What were the sources of the German economic rebound after 2005?