In this individual essay, you are asked to perform analysis on a recent policy issue in international economics. Imagine working for the head of state of a country of your choice (or other relevant policymakers, e.g., head of the Department of Commerce in China). This policymaker requests to be briefed on a recent issue/policy in international economics. She/he wants to understand the following after reading your analysis:
(1) what the issue or policy is about
(2) the causes of the issue or the rationale of the policy
(3) the potential impact on aggregate economic outcomes or industry outcomes, as well as the implications for businesses
(4) how the government or businesses should react
Your assignment is to analyze the issue/policy in a policy memo, which the policy maker can refer to.
When writing the policy memo, assume that the policymaker is comfortable with straightforward economics. You should incorporate tools you learned in this course as much as possible. You can include tables or figures to make your analysis easier to understand.
The format of the memo:
Six to ten double-spaced pages (excluding references, graphs, and tables)
Times New Roman 12, one-inch margins
no cover page; indicate your and the recipients names and the memo topic at the top of page 1, see the example at the end of the guide
Include references, graphs, and tables at the end of the memo (not counted against page limit)
Reference style: Chicago Manual of Style https://goo.gl/azHfye
The memo should be structured based on the four major questions I mentioned in the overview section above. Each part will be evaluated at a scale of 1-5 (1 is the worst and 5 is the best).
To obtain a good grade for the memo, make sure that:
The memo is written succinctly if you can convey all your messages and analyses within eight pages, dont add redundant information and extend it to the ninth page
All your arguments should be supported by evidence. Evidence can be references, data, other case studies or theoretical analysis
Writing should be clear. Typos and grammar mistakes are minuses. Clear structure within paragraphs and connections between paragraphs are pluses
More guidance on memo writing can be found online. For example, here: https://goo.gl/nVVxJV