Economic conditions and the economic crisis offer a variety of interesting research paper topics for your economics or business class.
Find out more about economic conditions here. (Credit: Forbes.com)
Consult economic news articles for information on the pros and cons of globalization, effects of economic condition on employees, and small business outlook.
The Economics of Globalization
A good economics paper could discuss the pros and cons of economic globalization, which is the integration of local, regional, national and international economies throughout the world and across borders, for the purpose of buying and selling goods, services and capital. Every year our world is becoming more and more globalized, mixing culture and technological advancement. The good from this is that information can travel fast around the planet, and technology brings new innovations to all parts of the world. From an economic standpoint, is it helpful or harmful for nations to share their economic prosperity with everyone? Can economic ideals be transferred to cultures that are so historically different?
A problem with economic globalization is that when one powerful economic engine turns sluggish, the rest of the world may follow suit. Economic success is also based on factors such as energy supply, geopolitics and supply and demand. A domino effect occurs when one economic player buys less, forcing another to produce or supply less, which in turn causes lay-offs and high unemployment. Such effects could last for years, or decades.
A columnist for the Economist in “Globalisation’s retreat?” posted June 25, 2015, explained this domino effect on countries’ ability to participate in a globalized economy: “Some countries may have followed a strategy of being part of the supply chain; if China is cutting them out, that will have an impact on their growth. Secondly, sluggish export markets increase the temptation to devalue currencies to grab market share; many view the fall in the yen in that light.”
Effects of economic conditions on teenage employees
Current economic news articles also offer interesting research paper topics, such as the ways economic conditions affect various groups of workers, including the elderly, women, and minorities. For one example, the recent economic crisis hit teenage workers hard. Teenagers are often the first to be laid off because they are not heads of households. Unemployment for teenagers is twice the rate for the general population. In addition, their lack of employment may lead to risky or illegal behavior. Poor economic conditions may have lasting effects on teenage employees.
Sabrina Wulff Pabilonia reported in “Teenagers’ Behaviors and Time Use Respond to Changing Economic Conditions,” in Monthly Labor Review, June 2015, that “Changes in economic conditions may affect 1) the demand for teenage workers, 2) teenagers’ future employment expectations, 3) the likelihood of financial and emotional stressors resulting from the job losses experienced by the parents of teenagers or the parents of their classmates, and 4) parental supervision of teenagers because of changes in parents’ work hours.”
Small business outlook
A term paper topic could be to write about economic trends of small businesses. An economic downturn could have many effects on small businesses, such as their ability to purchase goods at a reasonable price, compete with competitors, attract good workers and pay their bills. The National Federation of Independent Businesses’ Research Foundation collects economic trend data from small businesses. “The percent of owners citing the difficulty of finding qualified workers as their Most Important Business Problem increased and is now third on the list behind taxes and regulations. This is the highest reading since 2007 and suggests that employers will continue to face wage pressure in order to attract and keep good employees,” said Bill Dunkelberg, NFIB Chief Economist in the September 2015 report “Small Business Optimism Continues to Be Low,” online at NFIB.com.
For more information, check out Questia’s library on Economic Conditions.
What are some other good research paper topics on Economic Conditions?