Reading Summaries

Last updated August 31, 2019

EC 240 INEQUALITY, POVERTY, & WEALTH

Fall 2019

Tuesday and Thursday

500 Old Mill Annex, 1315 – 1430

Professor Stephanie Seguino

Telephone: 802.656.0187

Office: Old Mill 340

Website: www.uvm.edu/~sseguino

Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12-1pm

Course Description

One of the most contentious and important issues in the U.S. and globally is the growth in income and wealth inequality since the mid 1970s. This has enormous implications for human well-being, social relations, the macroeconomic health of the economy, and ultimately, government policy.

To understand the growth of inequality, we will explore a number of questions: How is inequality defined and measured? What accounts for the striking increase of economic inequality over the past four decades? Do countries with less inequality have higher living standards? Should we care about growing inequality, and if so, why? What might we do to reduce inequality? Our path toward answering these questions touches on many disciplines in addition to economics, including history, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology.

Economic inequality is an inherently and unavoidably contentious topic, with deep connections to political debates. This is a course in economic analysis, not a primer in ideology, and we will strive for a balanced and objective approach to inequality while not shying away from controversy.

Course Goals

The course will introduce ambitious undergraduate students to

· Measurement: the facts about economic inequality, both in the U.S. and around the world, with an emphasis on the details of how inequality is measured.

· Theory: the theoretical and empirical economics literature on the causes and consequences of inequality.

· Policy: the economic policy debate about what can and/or should be done about the growth of inequality, with an emphasis on the United States.

At the end of the course, successful students will have a broad knowledge of the facts about economic inequality, the economic and political causes of growing inequality, and the role of public policy in exacerbating and/or ameliorating inequality.

______________________________________________________________________________________ Required Texts

There are two required texts. Both will be available at the bookstore.

· Stiglitz, J. 2012. The Price of Inequality. Norton. 978-0393345063 ($5.14 used on Amazon).

· Edin, K. & L. Shaefer. 2016. Two Dollars a Day. Mariner Books. 978-0544811959. ($4.87 used on Amazon).

We will collectively discuss the Edin & Shaefer book very early in the semester. Begin reading the entire book as soon as soon as possible.

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Class Meetings, Time Commitment, Attendance, and Etiquette

The class format will be comprised of two parts: 1) lectures by me on the more technical material coupled with in-depth class discussions. Each week, two students will lead discussions on the readings. There will also be small group discussions from time to time, with the group reporting back to the full class. At the end of the semester, students will make brief presentations of their research projects.

I invite participation from all students, and honor diversity and differing points of view. Please see me if you require disability accommodations. I am confident that all of you are capable of doing well in this course. The most important strategies for learning and doing well are 1) to read the assigned readings in advance, spending enough time with them that you have absorbed the author’s arguments and evidence, 2) to formulate your own questions or critiques of the readings, 3) to participate fully in class discussions in an informed way, and 4) to begin work early on your research projects.

Your outside work to prepare for class each week will require 3-5 hours for reading and writing weekly summaries and preparing for class discussions you will be leading. In addition, your research project will require an average of 3 hours per week for most of the semester (the research project will unfold in stages).

In terms of etiquette, you should be on time, have read the assigned material before arriving to class, and participate fully in class discussions. Bring copies of assigned readings to class and your weekly article/chapter summaries to facilitate this. These should also be uploaded to BB BEFORE class begins at 115pm on Tuesdays, starting September 3.

Absences are costly. In a seminar course, a preponderance of learning occurs during our meetings. You are allowed two absences during the semester, which you should save for illness and emergencies that prevent you from attending class. Regardless of the reason for your absences, you will be penalized beginning with your third absence from class. Specifically, your final course grade will be dropped by a half a letter for each absence after two (for instance, a grade of B+ would drop to a B- with three absences). Late arrivals and early departures count as absences.

All materials for this course, beyond the assigned required books, can be found on Blackboard [BB], through the library website (to access academic articles), or through a Google search. Announcements for changes to the syllabus or the schedule outlined below will be posted on BB as well. Make sure your UVM email account is active and that you check it regularly in order to keep up with class announcements.

Late assignments are not accepted; no exceptions. Computers and cell phones are to be turned off during class.

Please feel free to see me during office hours. I value time spent meeting with you in person. Please use email to communicate only to document a medical emergency or a minor issue such as a reading missing on BB. Otherwise, please see me in person.

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Inclusivity Statement

I am committed to providing an atmosphere for learning that respects diversity. It is my intent that students from all backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength, and benefit. While working together to build this community, I ask all members of our class to:

· share their unique experiences, values, and beliefs

· be open to the views of others

· appreciate the opportunity that we have to learn from each other in this community

· value each other’s opinions and communicate in a respectful manner.

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Citation Methods, Paper Formatting, and the Importance of Editing and Proofreading

A goal of this course is for students to learn proper methods for formatting, citations, and editing of their papers. To emphasize the importance of developing these skills, all written assignments (weekly summaries, papers, etc.) be graded on adherence to proper methods and careful editing and proofreading. The citation methodology can be found at:

· Feminist Economics, Style Guidelines. http://www.feministeconomics.org/pages/author-instructions/style-guidelines/. Consult section on how to reference sources and how to cite reference articles, books, etc.

Formatting of tables and figures should follow the style of journal articles in Feminist Economics.

Each typo, grammatical error, error in citation method, or error in bibliographic format will result in a 5-point grade reduction.

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Course Outline and Tentative Schedule

Required readings are identified. Some of the recommended readings (though not all) will be covered in lectures and also represent suggestions for exploration in your papers. Readings should be completed by the date they are listed below.

I. Introduction to Concepts and Measurement

August 27 Introduction

September 3 Measurement of Poverty and Wealth

September 10 Discussion of Edin & Schafer and Pirate Video/Research Paper Topics

September 17 Inequality: Measurement and Trends

II. Emerging Topics in Inequality Research

September 24 Psychological Effects of Inequality

III. Structural Causes and Effects of Recent Trends in Inequality and Poverty

October 1 Technological Change: Capital Intensity, AI, and Robots

October 8 Globalization, Global Commodity Chains, & Changing Job Structures

First Exam: October 15th

October 15 Trade and Inequality

October 22 Financialization and Corporate Strategy

October 29 Macroeconomic Effects of Inequality

IV. What Is To Be Done? Public Policy Solutions

November 5 Guaranteed Work and the Minimum Wage

November 12 Taxation and Public Investment

November 19 Cash Transfer Programs and Guaranteed Basic Incomes

December 3 Reducing Wealth Inequality & The Way Forward

Final Exam December 10th (due at 12 noon, take home).

READING ASSIGNMENTS

I. Introduction to Concepts and Measurement

August 27 Introduction

· Theoretical framework: Individual deficits or structural constraints?

· Inequality of what? Poverty of what?

· Why do we care?

Reading assignment

· Stiglitz, J. Chapter 1. “America’s One Percent Problem.”

· Brosnan, S. “Capuchin Monkeys Reject Unequal Pay.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKhAd0Tyny0

· Reich, R. and D. Satz. 2011. “Ethics and Inequality.” Boston Review. http://bostonreview.net/archives/BR36.6/rob_reich_debra_satz_occupy_movement_future.php

The below will be discussed in class.

· Rosling. H. “The Best Stats You have Ever Seen.” https://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen

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September 3 Measurement of Poverty and Wealth

· What is poverty? How is it measured? Describe US and global trends in poverty rates.

· How is wealth measured and how does it differ from income?

· What are recent trends in wealth inequality?

Reading assignment

· Chaudry, A., et al. 2016. “Poverty in the United States: 50-Year Trends and Safety Net Impact.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/pdf/154286/50YearTrends.pdf

· Alvaredo, F., A. Atkinson, T. Piketty, and E. Saez. 2013. “The Top 1 Percent in International and Historical Perspective.” NBER Working Paper 19075. [BB]

· Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality. “Wealth Inequality.” https://inequality.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/Pathways-SOTU-2016-Wealth-Inequality-3.pdf

Recommended

· Potizane, 2013. “Wealth Inequality in America.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPKKQnijnsM

· Andriotis, A. and S. Shiflett. 2019. “Families Go Deep in Debt to Stay in the Middle Class.” Wall Street Journal (August 1). https://www.wsj.com/articles/families-go-deep-in-debt-to-stay-in-the-middle-class-11564673734?shareToken=st399e62cda2e64ad6acb332563839e96c&reflink=article_email_share

· Read the interview with Gabriel Zucman on distributional national accounts: https://equitablegrowth.org/in-conversation-with-gabriel-zucman/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWTJOaFlURm1ORFUxWkRreCIsInQiOiJma3RYVkwyVklSTlpMdW5RM2VlVmc5blpNcXF3UHNZdmZmcFN0SXAraHJFYkN5VzRYU2o1N2NRdGQ3RXU2MjFDUGtRd2l6czRDOXc2aExreXFZdFRTSUs1WW1hNzNpUTBDekE2NWJpRnJtNm5rU3Bkb2pxanRaSXZvMzVZYW9CZSJ9

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September 10 Discussion of Edin & Schaefer and Somalia Pirate Video/ Research Paper Topics

· Research on inequality has its origins in real world phenomena. The book and the video we will discuss are intended to give you some exposure to these issues in people’s lived experience, and thus to make the issues we explore more tangible.

· The latter part of the week, we will have a roundtable discussion on your research topic ideas. The article by Gareth Cook should be read as preparation for that discussion.

Reading assignment

· Edin, K. & L. Shaefer. 2016. Two Dollars a Day. Mariner Books.

· “How Somalia’s Pirates Make Money.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZh0B8AYxac&feature=youtu.be

· Cook, Gareth. 2019. “The Economist Who Would Fix the American Dream.” Atlantic Monthly, August. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/08/raj-chettys-american-dream/592804/

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September 17 Inequality: Measurement and Trends

· How is inequality measured?

· How much inequality is there?

· Has income inequality increased mainly because the rich have gotten richer?

· Inequality of outcomes vs. inequality of opportunity

Reading assignment

· Read the PowerPoint for this week’s lecture in advance and come prepared to discuss various measures and trends.

· Stiglitz, J. Chapter 2. “Rent Seeking and the Making of an Unequal Society.”

· Cobham, A., L. Schlogl and A. Sumner. 2016. “Inequality and the Tails: The Palma Proposition and Ratio.” Global Policy 7: 25–36. [BB] For resources and data on the Palma ratio, see http://uncounted.org/palma/palma-resources/

· Milanovic, Branko. 2017. “Interview with Branko Milanovic and the Elephant Curve.” https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2019/03/profile-of-branko-milanovic-on-inequality-wellisz.htm?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

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II. Emerging Inequality Research

September 24 Psychological Effects of Inequality

· What role does psychology play in influencing the persistence of inequality?

Reading assignment

· Buttrick, N. and S. Oishi.2017. “The Psychological Consequences of Income Inequality.” Social and Personal Psychology Compass 11(3): 2-12.

· Grewal, D. 2012. “How Wealth Reduces Compassion.” Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-wealth-reduces-compassion/

Recommended

· Yehuda. R. “Epigenetics and inequality.” https://onbeing.org/programs/rachel-yehuda-how-trauma-and-resilience-cross-generations/

· Vedantam, S. 2017. “The Scarcity Trap: Why We Keep Digging When We Are Stuck in a Hole.” https://www.npr.org/2017/03/20/520587241/the-scarcity-trap-why-we-keep-digging-when-were-stuck-in-a-hole (podcast)

· Mariani, M. 2017. “Does Poverty Show Up in Children’s Brains?” The Guardian July 13. https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2017/jul/13/neuroscience-inequality-does-poverty-show-up-in-childrens-brains

September 26 Trends in Economic Mobility

· Chetty, R., et al. 2016. “The Fading American Dream: Trends in Absolute Income Mobility Since 1940.” [BB]

· Chetty, et al. 2016. “Race and Economic Opportunity in the United States.” [BB]

· Opportunty.org. “Opportunity Atlas.” https://www.opportunityatlas.org/

Spend some time looking at the Opportunity Atlas. Look at your own city of birth to identify trends in economic mobility and compare to other cities of interest to you.

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III. Structural Causes and Effects of Recent Trends in Inequality and Poverty

October 1 Technological Change: Capital Intensity, AI, and Robots

· How do changes in technology and the capital intensity of production affect the demand for labor, wages, and the distribution of income?

· Should we be concerned about the potential for artificial intelligence and robotization to further the problem of inequality in coming years?

Reading assignment

· Autor, D. 2015. “Why Are There Still So Many Jobs? The History and Future of Workplace Automation.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 29(3): 3-30.

· Rotman, D. 2013. "How Technology is Destroying Jobs" MIT Technical Review.

Recommended:

· UNCTAD. 2017. “Robots, Industrialization, and Inclusive Growth.” Trade and Development Report 2017, Chapter 3. [BB]

· Suri, A. 2017. “Artificial Intelligence and the Rise of Economic Inequality.” https://towardsdatascience.com/artificial-intelligence-and-the-rise-of-economic-inequality-b9d81be58bec

· Tarnaff, B. 2017. “Robots Won’t Just Take Our Jobs: They’ll Make the Rich Even Richer.” The Guardian March 2.

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October 8 Globalization, Global Commodity Chains and Changing Job Structures

· How has global production changed over the last 30 years?

· To what extent do these changes affect the types of jobs that are available and the wages they pay?

· Can we link these changes to the growth of inequality within and between countries?

Reading assignment

· Seguino, S. 2007. “Is More Mobility Good? Firm Mobility and the Low-Wage Low-Productivity Trap.” Structural Change and Economic Dynamics 18(1): 27-51. [BB]

· Rosin, H. 2012. “Who Wears the Pants in This Economy?” New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/02/magazine/who-wears-the-pants-in-this-economy.html

Recommended

· Jones, T. and A. Awokoya. 2019. "Are Your Tinned Tomatoes Picked by Slave Labor?" The Guardian.

· Kalleberg, Arne. 2011. Good Jobs, Bad Jobs: The Rise of Polarized and Precarious Employment Systems in the United States, 1970s to 2000s. Russell Sage Foundation, New York.

· Brewer, B. "Global Commodity Chains and World Income Inequalities.” Journal of Worlds-Systems Research 17(2): 308-327. [BB]

· Heintz, J. 2006. “Low-wage Manufacturing and Global Commodity Chains: A Model in the Unequal Exchange Tradition.” Cambridge Journal of Economics 30: 507-520. [BB]

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First Exam: October 15th (take home)

October 15 Trade and Inequality

· Can any of the increase in inequality be attributed to liberalization of rules on trade? If so, how?

· Are there gendered effects of trade liberalization that can explain the persistence of gender wage and employment inequality?

Reading assignment

· Blecker, R., J.C. Moreno-Brid, and I. Salat. 2017. “Trumping the NAFTA Renegotiation: An Alternative Policy Framework for Mexican-US Cooperation and Economic Convergence.” Real World Economics Review 82: 94-121. [BB]

· Paprykis, E., A. Verschoor, and A. Covarrubias. 2012. “Gender and Trade Aspects of Labour Markets.” Journal of Development Studies 48(1): 81-98. [BB]

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October 22 Globalization and Financialization

· How has the financial sector of the economy changed in the last several decades? What is the role of deregulation and inequality in those changes?

· Do financialization and liberalized capital flows affect the distribution of income and wealth and if so, through what channels?

Reading assignment

· Stiglitz, J. Chapter 9: “A Macroeconomic Policy and A Central Bank By and For the 1 Percent.” (Focus in particular on the section on deregulation and financialization. No summary needed since this will be covered in your book review).

· Lazonick, W. and M. O’Sullivan. “Maximizing Shareholder Value: A New Ideology for Corporate Governance.” Economy and Society 29(1): 13-35. [BB]

· Stockhammner, E. 2017. “Determinants of the Wage Share: A Panel Analysis of Advanced and Developing Economies.” British Journal of Industrial Relations 55(1): 3-33. [BB]

Recommended

· Palley, T. 2007. “Financialization: What It Is and Why It Matters.” Levy Economics Institute Working Paper 525. [BB]

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October 29 Macroeconomic Effects of Inequality

· Does inequality affect the rate of economic growth and economic development?

· Does inequality produce negative externalities?

· If so, by what pathways is inequality transmitted to macroeconomic variables?

Reading assignment

· Ostry. J., A Berg, and C. Tsangarides. 2014. “Redistribution, Inequality, and Growth.” IMF Staff Discussion Note 14/02. https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/sdn/2014/sdn1402.pdf

· Wilkinson, R. 2012. “How Inequality Harms Societies.” [TED Talk] http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson.html

Recommended

· Bandara, A. 2012. “Economic Cost of Gender Gaps in Effective Labor: Africa’s Missing Growth Reserve.” Feminist Economics 21(2): 162-186. [BB]

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IV. What Is To Be Done? Public Policy Solutions

November 5 Guaranteed Work and the Minimum Wage

· What is the impact of higher minimum wages on poverty?

· Do higher minimum wages hurt the people they are supposed to help?

· How do living wages differ from the minimum wage?

· What will be the impact of the proposed $15/hour minimum wage in SeaTac, Washington and $12/hour in Vermont?

Reading assignment

· Schmitt, John. 2013. "Why Does the Minimum Wage Have No Discernible Effect on Employment?"

· Paul, M. W. Darity, D. Hamilton, and K. Zaw. 2017. “A Path to Ending Poverty by Way of Ending Unemployment: A Federal Job Guarantee.” [BB]

· Vox. 2019. “What the US Gets Wrong About the Minimum Wage?” (5 minute video). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M3vTvm2cfM&feature=youtu.be

Recommended Reading

· Gerner, J. 2006. "What is a Living Wage?" New York Times, January 15.

· Living Wage Calculator, http://livingwage.mit.edu/states/50/locations

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November 12 Taxation and Public Investment

· Can inequality be reduced through changes to rates of taxation?

· Can higher taxes help to fund public investments that reduce inequality and poverty?

· What is the impact of tax expenditures on children’s education?

· Can economists use statistics to assess the effectiveness of social spending?

Reading assignment

· Stiglitz, J. Chapter 8: “The Battle of the Budget.”

· Heckman, J. 2009. “The Case for Investing in Disadvantaged Young Children.” In Big Ideas for Children: Investing in Our Nation’s Future. First Focus. [BB]

· Baker, D. 2017. "A Tax on Wall Street Trading is the Best Solution to Income Inequality."

· Dow, W. A. Dodoy, C. Howenstin, and M. Reich. 2019. “A way out from rock bottom: Economic policies can reduce deaths of despair.” https://voxeu.org/article/economic-policies-can-reduce-deaths-despair

Recommended

· Kamin, D. 2016. “Taxing capital: Paths to a fairer and broader U.S. tax system.” Washington Center for Equitable Growth Brief. [BB]

· Sainato, M. 2019. "Bosses Pocket Trump Tax Windfall as Workers See Job Promises Vanish." The Guardian.

· Oxfam. 2013. “A Cautionary Tale: The True Cost of Austerity and Inequality in Europe." Oxfam Briefing Paper.

· Antonopoulos, R., K. Kim, T. Masterson, and A. Zacharias. 2010. “Investing in Care: A Strategy for Effective and Equitable Job Creation.” Bard College Levy Economics Institute Working Paper No. 610. [BB]

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November 19 Cash Transfer Programs and Guaranteed Basic Incomes

· With AI and robotization, is there a need for a guaranteed income?

· Do cash transfers help, or do they make people lazy?

Reading Assignment

· Chakrabortty, A. 2017. "A Basic Income for Everyone?" The Guardian.

· Banerjee, A., R. Hanna, G. Kreindler, and B. Olken. “Debunking the Stereotypes of the Lazy Welfare Recipients: Evidence from Cash Transfer Programs Worldwide.” https://economics.mit.edu/files/10861

· Parijs, P. 2000. "A Basic Income for All." Boston Review.

·

Recommended

· Fessler, P. 2019. "Trump Wants to Limit Aid for Low-Income Households. A Look at His Proposals." NPR.

· Pasma, C. 2014. "Basic income programs and pilots - 2014."

· Duncan, G., K. Magnuson, and E. Votrubra-Drzal. 2014. Boosting Family Income to Promote Child Development.” The Future of Children 24(1): 99-120. [BB]

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December 3 Reducing Wealth Inequality & The Way Forward

· How can we reduce wealth inequality without harming innovation and productivity growth?

· What have you learned this semester about the most important causes of the growth of inequality and economic precariousness?

· What we do to ensure that everyone can provide for themselves and their families with dignity and economic security?

Reading Assignment

· Kienert, D. and L. Mattauch. 2019. “Reducing Wealth Inequality Through Wealth Taxes Without Compromising Economic Growth.” ProMarket. https://promarket.org/reducing-wealth-inequality-through-wealth-taxes-without-compromising-economic-growth/

· Stiglitz, J. Chapter 10: “The Way Forward. Another World Is Possible.”

· Irwin, N. 2014. “A Big Safety Net and Strong Job Market Can Coexist. Just Ask Scandinavia.” New York Times.

Recommended

· Farrell, S. “Use Inheritance Tax to Tackle Inequality of Wealth, Says OECD.” https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2018/apr/12/use-inheritance-tax-to-tackle-inequality-of-wealth-says-oecd

Final Exam: December 10 (due at 12 noon; take home)

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INEQUALITY DATABASES (Not all links are working. Google individual sites in that case).

 

World Wealth and Income database

OECD Income Distribution Database (IDD)

WIID – World Income Inequality Database

The Standardized World Income Inequality Database

Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality

Other sources

The Equality of Opportunity Project

Inequality project at the Guardian

Washington Center for Equitable Growth

Center for Budget and Policy Priorities

Economic Policy Institute

Tax Center Policy

Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

Political Economy Research Institute

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GRADING

Course Requirements

· Reading summaries and class participation (20%)

· Discussion leader (5%)

· Two exams (each 25% of course grade)

· Final paper (25%)

1. Reading summaries and class participation. You will submit a summary sheet for each article/chapter that is assigned each week. Summaries are in the appropriate Dropbox by 115pm on their due dates. Reading summary guidelines and a template are posted on BB under Course Materials. These weekly summaries will prepare you to engage in class discussions in a meaningful way. You will receive 2 grades on your reading summaries. The first will be by September 17, as a means to give you feedback on the quality of your summaries. The last will be at the end of the semester. If your summaries show improvement over the course of the semester (and you have completed all summaries), your earlier grade will be disregarded and only the final grade on summaries will count toward your course grade.

All students should be prepared to discuss the readings each week. As part of class participation, two students each week will lead class discussions. Students should be thoroughly familiar with the articles to be discussed, ask each other engaging questions about the material, and offer insightful observations.

Participation is measured by the extent to which you come to class prepared and contribute constructively to the discussion. The question is, within the context of your participation style, were you prepared and engaged? That is, do you show up for each class, each week, ask questions and make observations that demonstrate deep reflection and analysis, engage actively and civilly in small group discussions and other in-class activities?

2. Discussion leader. One or two students will be assigned to lead class discussions on readings each week. Presentations should take about 30 minutes. You should prepare slides for your presentation (these should be sent to me by Monday of the week you are presenting, not later than 9pm).

3. Two essay exams, October 15th and December 10.

4. Final Paper/Project. The final paper will be on a topic of the student’s choosing, subject to instructor approval. Topics may be about measurement, theory on causes of growth of inequality, or policy, but all papers must include a substantial original data analysis. See BB under Course Materials for Research Paper Guidelines. The paper will unfold in stages as follows (with grade weights noted):

· Topic Defined and data sources: Due September 17. A one-page statement of the topic plus a list of at least 3 types of data to be used in the paper will be handed in on this date. The key to defining a research topic is to articulate a clear hypothesis or research question to be tested. For example, your research question may be: Does gender inequality have an impact on economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa? You should also include examples of the data to be used in your paper along with links to the actual datasets you have accessed. If for example, your topic is gender inequality in sub-Saharan Africa, you may say that your data will include educational attainment by gender for the period 1990 to 2010, male and female employment rates, and data on life expectancy, along with growth rates of GDP. Explain why these data are useful in answering your research question. Each student is required to sign up for a meeting with me to discuss their topic, the week of September 17th. I will then ask you to revise your proposals to be uploaded to BB no later than September 26.

· First draft: Due October 29. These should be completed papers, not partial drafts. This is an opportunity for you to get guided feedback from me that can help you improve your paper. Papers shorter than 12 pages will not be accepted or without specific data sources and evidence you have accessed those data sources.

· Final version: December 10, 12 noon. The final paper should be submitted on BB to the appropriate Dropbox.

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Course Grades

Letter grades are assigned on a straight scale:
A is 90-100 percent
B is 80-89 percent
C is 70-79 percent
D is 60-69 percent
F is 59 percent or less

+/- will be assigned at the discretion of the professor.

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STUDENT RESPONSBILITY

I have tried to give you a good idea of what the course involves and the timetable on which we will work through the material. I reserve the right to change readings, times, and other aspects of the syllabus as needed, however. You are responsible for reading your syllabus to keep abreast of the schedule, and staying current on any other changes to the syllabus, which will be announced in class and will also be communicated electronically to each of your UVM email addresses.

_______________________________________________________________________Some sources to get you started on identifying a research topic (I will be adding to this list early on in the semester).

Reich, Robert. Inequality for All, Netflix film.

Collins, Chuck and Josh Hoxie, Billionaire Bonanza. (Online)

Frazier, L. and D. Kaufman. 2019. “What Happens to a Factory Town When the Factory Shuts Down?” New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/05/01/magazine/lordstown-general-motors-plant.html

Murray, Charles. 2012. Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010. New York: Crown Forum.

Weil, David. 2014. “Mending the Fissured Workplace.” In What Works for Workers? Public Policies and Innovative Strategies for Low-Wage Workers, Stephanie Luce, Jennifer Luff, Joseph McCartin, and Ruth Milkman (eds).

8