Formulate a question you could answer with data

The of an empirical research proposal: you and two co-authors
have to develop a research question about economic growth and, or inequality and
write a short essay about it.
Think of the paper as the following: You have to formulate a question that you
could answer with data if you had more time. At this point, you dont need to
answer this question, though, and answering it would take a much longer time
(maybe you can try answering it after the course!).
What question can you ask? Any empirical question related to economic growth
and/or inequality. The question must be empirical: it should not be a theoretical
paper. Your question must be specific, though, and your paper should not be a
journalistic article.
You can (tables, graphs) and other basic statistical
methods like linear regression to motivate your question. It would be best to write
well (spelling, grammar, punctuation, structure). Check with the U Manitoba
Academic Learning Center for resources for students. It is also crucial to follow the
format detailed below.
2. How to write paper
The paper should be between 3 and 5 pages long, with reasonable spacing between
lines (1.5 works fine) and a reasonably large font size (). The
35-page limit does not include references supporting figures, or tables. You can
consist of your prominent two figures within the 3-5 pages, but more figures than
that should be included in the Appendix. Your essay should include at least two
figures (graphs or tables).
You should start by motivating your project and then introducing your question.
Why is your question important? What led you to think about this? What is your
hypothesis or prior belief at this point? How are you planning to answer this
question? What kind of data should you use?
Keep your motivation to the point. Please do not exaggerate and overstate your
contribution to the literature. Do not make strong policy claims based on tentative
and preliminary research.
Since you will not have a conclusion in terms of answers, you should finish your
paper by discussing what tools you need to learn to tackle the question (statistics,
econometrics, computer science, etc.). It would be best if you discussed directions
for future research.
Include a separate references section at the end of the paper. Every work cited in
the text must appear in the references; every work listed in the references must
be cited in the text. The references should be in alphabetical order. There are many
for citations and references. The only fundamental
requirement is that you include enough information. You have to describe where
and how you downloaded the graphs/tables/data you are using.
3.
Ideas and Creativity
You should watch the documentary Inequality for All. Use one of the introductory
paragraphs of your essay to explain whether the issue you are studying was
addressed in the documentary or not. Use another paragraph to clarify if the course
textbook discusses your topic or not.
Try to research something that genuinely interests you. My recommendation is
that you start thinking of potential questions as soon as possible and keep a log
where you can write them down and keep track of them. Otherwise, you will tend
to forget them. You can then select what you think is the most exciting idea.