Microeconomics Short Paper

Short Paper # 1 – The Microeconomics of the Minimum Wage

Short Paper # 1 is due at the end of Week # 5 at 9 pm, with a grace period until 11:59 pm).

Papers submitted after 9 pm and up to and including 11:59 pm on the due date are late but

NOT penalized. Any paper submitted after the grace period is late and penalized at the rate

of one letter grade per day late (or any portion thereof). Blackboard is the official

timekeeper. After 3 days, any paper not submitted is graded as zero.

The paper must use at least three disciplinary sources but not necessarily peer-reviewed

sources. Students may use their textbook as a source, but it will NOT count as one of the

three required sources. Wikipedia, other pedias, and videos are not disciplinary sources.

Short Paper # 1 must include at least one graph included in the body of the paper (though

you may use more), a proper cover page, a references page, table of contents and abstract,

have proper APA format throughout the paper (proper margins, proper fonts, page

numbers, proper citations), and must be the equivalent of 4 written pages of text using APA

properly formatted writing. The cover page, references page, any appendices, table of

contents, abstract, and graphs larger than 1/3 of 1 page do not count toward the 4 pages of

written text. The paper will automatically be evaluated for originality by Blackboard

SafeAssign. You will find it helpful to review Prof. Battistas handout Writing in Economics

using APA and Visual Aids: Some Helpful Hints.

Students may find the textbook helpful in applying concepts from their knowledge of

chapter 3 (supply and demand, consumer surplus, producer surplus, deadweight loss, and

price floors), chapter 4 (labor markets), and chapter 5 (elasticity of demand, determinants

of elasticity, price floors)

Short paper # 1 is worth 100 points and assesses Pathways SLOs 1-5, and Gateway LOs A-

D.

The Minimum Wage has existed as a legal entity in the United States for over 80 years.

There is a thorough and passionate debate about the impacts the minimum wage has on

employers, employees, compensation, costs, unemployment, and efficiency, to name just

a few. Noting what has been mentioned above, write a paper in which you explore the

economic benefits and economic costs (the pros and cons) of the minimum wage in the

USA. As always, it is not an option to opt out and say there are no benefits or there are no

costs your job is to explore the issues. At the end of your paper, you may offer your own

opinion of what you think of all this.

Please note:

1. Each short paper needs to have at least one graph embedded into the body of the paper. You may use more than one. Including a graph at the end of the paper or in the appendix is not embedding it into the body of the paper. Graphs that are less than 1/3 of 1 page count as written text; larger do not. Pages with only visuals on them do not count as written text.

2. Each short paper needs to have 4 written pages of text, using 12 points in your font. The cover page, table of contents, abstract, references section, and visual aids that are 1/3 of one page or more do not count as written text.

3. Short Papers are to be double spaced, with 4 pages of written text at a minimum (single spaced papers and/or papers will small print will be penalized 7.5%). Papers may be no longer than 6 pages of written text using 12 points in your font, anything beyond that will be penalized at 10% per page or any portion thereof.

Writing in Economics using APA and Visual Aids: Some Helpful Hints.

I. Good writing must follow the required APA format

1. Requires a cover page, table of contents, an abstract, bibliography, page numbers, headers,

proper margins and proper fonts.

The cover page, table of contents, abstract, and bibliography are all stand-alone pages and do

NOT count as written text.

Page numbers begin with the cover page as page 1 and are listed in the headers of each page

Citations are made internally within the body of the paper. Citations are NOT just for quotations

but are also for data you are using and information, ideas, theories, etc. that are someone

elses, even when you are paraphrasing those ideas.

Do not confuse items. Your Bibliography is different than your citations and your headers are

different than your headings. If you think these are the same thing, then please re-read # 1

above.

Quotations should be used when a quote is powerful and helps to make a central point.

Stringing together quotes is NOT your writing but IS someone elses. Stringing together quotes

provides very little indication of what you know, even though you may be following proper APA

format. Paraphrasing important ideas (i.e., putting them in your own words) makes your

explanation more powerful and is a greater indicator of your knowledge and understanding.

Any visual aids that are included need to follow proper format (see II below).

Proofread your paper. Spell check only catches misspelled words not improper words (from and

form are both spelled correctly, but which did you mean to use?)

5. 6. 7. 8. II.Visual aids that are included in your paper need:

1. 2. 3. To enhance the explanatory power of your paper.

To be properly and accurately constructed, which means:

a. b. Each aid is properly numbered and titled and included in the table of contents.

Each axis is clearly labeled with the variable it is measuring and the units of measurement of

that variable. Each axis is clearly, accurately and properly numbered.

c. The source for your visual aid is listed at the bottom of the visual aid and needs to fully

follow APA bibliographic reference.

d. e. f. If a key or legend is required, it needs to be clearly and accurately labeled.

Any curves need to be clearly and accurately labeled.

You should generally be careful color coding anything in a visual aid, unless you can assure

that all colors will be visible/legible/distinguishable, that any copies made will also be made

in color, etc.

To stand on their own. Imagine someone cut your graph right out of your paper. If it is

properly and accurately constructed, labeled appropriately, and properly cited, your reader

should be able to read your graph (figure out what is going on in it). If they have trouble

reading it, it is most likely poorly constructed.Writing in Economics using APA and Visual Aids: Some Helpful Hints. By Prof Leon Battista IHS P a g e | 2

4. 5. 6. 7. 8. To be legible. Including a visual aid that is unreadable is counterproductive.

To be relevant. Including irrelevant, unnecessary, etc. visual aids is counterproductive.

To be incorporated into the body of your paper and not simply be relegated to an appendix.

Imagine if your authors wrote the textbook that way (they wrote and then referenced graphs,

tables, etc. in the appendix.)

a. This does not mean that appendices are bad things and should not be used. They are quite

useful for listing raw data, calculations, proofs, copies of documents, etc.

To be gracefully introduced. If I include a graph in my paper (i.e., Graph # 2), then I should

gracefully introduce it As you can see in Graph # 2, or, If one refers to Graph # 2, or, You

will notice point ABC in Graph # 2. Including a visual aid without introducing it makes it seem

unimportant and has the reader questioning why you included it.

Visual aids that take up 1/3 or less of a page are generally counted as written text, while those

greater than that do not. Please take note of # 4 above as a reminder.