ECON 20332: Midterm Assignment

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Development Economics: Understanding Poverty
ECON 20332: Midterm Assignment
Semester Two, 2024/25

Read this document thoroughly.
Submission deadline: 27th March 2025, 2:00 PM

Overview:

This assignment is designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice, equipping you with the necessary skills to apply the theoretical concepts and analytical tools that we have explored in this course to a real-world context.

Question:

Choose any one Least Developed Country (LDC) and write a 1000-word report analysing its economic growth, poverty, inequality, and key development factors. Your report should provide an account of the LDC’s growth and development trajectory and identify the major developmental challenges by examining any two key factors contributing to the LDC’s underdevelopment.

Details:

The following outline includes all the essential components required in the report. While you are encouraged to follow this structure, you are free to use any other logical format as long as it covers all necessary elements for this report.
1. Give a brief background and introduction of the chosen LDC
2. Main body of the report should include:
➢ Economic Growth
• Analyse trends in income, per capita income, etc.
• Use graphs, tables to support your analysis.
➢ Inequality and Poverty
• Examine income inequality (using Lorenz curves, Gini coefficient, etc.) and poverty rates.
• Provide tables, graphs and discuss the trends and patterns.
➢ Key Factors of Development
• Discuss the broad patterns of development using relevant indices.• Choose any two key factors of (under)development and analyse them using a range of different indicators.
• Use graphs and tables to present statistics.
3. Conclusion
➢ Summarise key findings, suggest possible policies that might stimulate development, and conclude.
• You are encouraged to include a title for your report.
• You must include a reference list at the end of the report.
• Ensure the word count is mentioned in the submission document.

Instructions:

1. Choice of country

The United Nations currently classifies 44 countries as Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Click on the link to read more and choose any one LDC for your analysis.

Least developed countries | UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Note: Ensure that sufficient data and information is available for your chosen LDC. The selection of the LDC itself will not impact your grades. However, you will be penalised if your chosen country is not an LDC.

2. Selecting key factors of development

Your report should focus on any two factors that contributes to the underdevelopment of your chosen LDC. You will not be able to cover all developmental challenges of your chosen LDC in this report, nor do I expect you to. When selecting factors, consider the issues most relevant to your LDC. Below are some factors you could explore - population, labour force, human capital, health, education, structural change, agriculture, migration, industrialization, financial markets, capital and technology, international trade, foreign direct investment, foreign aid. You are free to examine any other factor not included in this list.
Note: Ensure that you include a range of different indicators to analyse each factor.

3. Data sources

Below are a few data sources that you could use for this report:
  • The World Bank’s World Development Indicators (World Development Indicators | DataBank) provides time series data on various economic and development indicators.
  • The spreadsheet provided in Globalinc is useful for analysing income inequality trends and plotting Lorenz curves (refer Tutorial 2 for more guidance).
  • Our World in Data (Data Catalog - Our World in Data) is a fantastic source that provides data charts, tables on a range of indicators.• Gapminder (Resources | Gapminder) produces some excellent descriptive statistics and graphics on development indicators and trends.
  • UNFPA https://www.unfpa.org/data for data on key development indicators.
  • The World Bank’s newly launched Human Capital Data Portal (Home | Human Capital Data | World Bank) provides data on key factors including education, health, social protection, and labour.
Note: This list is not exhaustive. You are free to use any other credible data source for your analysis. Ensure that your analysis includes a reasonably long time series of data where appropriate.

4. Data analysis

You are free to use any software/program such as Excel, Python, R, SPSS, etc for data analysis. You are expected to create and present your own charts and tables to support your analysis. This includes independently creating at least two graphs or tables using relevant data. Additionally, you are permitted to include screenshots of tables and figures from reputable sources such as Our World in Data and Gap minder, provided they are properly referenced and meaningfully integrated into the analysis. However, relying solely on external visuals without independent data analysis will not meet the assignment's standards. The marking rubric will reflect this distinction, awarding higher marks to students who actively engage with data.

5. Citations and references in Harvard style

Your report should be based on what we discussed in the lectures, tutorials, and good quality references. I do not expect you to come up with new arguments; rather, the focus is on how you critically apply existing ones in the context of your chosen LDC. Use only credible sources, such as journal articles, reports from international organizations, and academic books in your research. Avoid using Wikipedia or any other non-scholarly sources. All sources must be properly cited and referenced using the Harvard style (Harvard style list - Referencing guide at the University of Manchester - Subject guides at University of Manchester). Failure to properly reference material from other sources will, at a minimum, constitute poor academic practice—resulting in a lower grade—or, in more serious cases, academic misconduct (plagiarism).

Note: Incorrect or inconsistent referencing styles will be penalized.

6. Word limit

Reports that exceed 1000 words will be penalised. The 1000-word limit is a maximum, not a target—concise and well-structured reports are highly valued. Adding unnecessary content to reach the word count may negatively impact your grade. This word count excludes tables, graphs, titles, and references. Only the main text of the report will be included in the word count.

Note: You must include the word count in your report.

7. Originality and use of AI

While you are encouraged to use AI tools like ChatGPT for research, it is essential to critically evaluate and refine any output it generates. AI tools often lack the depth and specifics required for this assignment. Simply copying and pasting from such tools will not meet this assignment’s academic standards. You should instead apply your own creativity, analytical skills, and critical thinking to develop a well-structured and insightful report.

8. Format and submission guidelines

Use size 12 Times New Roman font. Ensure all tables and graphs are clear, properly formatted, and neatly presented.

Submit a single, well-formatted pdf document. Save your assignment as StudentIDmidterm.pdf. For example, if your student ID is 123456, the file name should be 123456midterm.pdf. Do not include your name anywhere in the report. Ensure that your student ID number is clearly visible in the first page of your submission.

Submit your file via the Turnitin submission link available under the ‘Assessment’ tab on Blackboard.

The submission window is open from 14:00 GMT on 20th March until 14:00 GMT on 27th March.

Standard university penalties will apply for late submissions. DASS extra time will apply for this exam. If you encounter technical issues that prevent you from uploading a file as part of the submission process, please contact [email protected]. Include the full title and code of your Blackboard course, along with the file. Ensure this is done well in advance of the deadline.

Assessment rubric

This assessment contributes 35% to your final grade. Your report will be marked out of 100 and evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Depth of analysis (40%)

Your report should demonstrate a solid account of the LDC’s economic growth, poverty, inequality, and key development aspects and provide a critical analysis of the underlying challenges to development. The two chosen factors affecting development must be relevant to the chosen LDC. Your report should integrate empirical evidence into the broader discussion rather than just listing statistics. To achieve high marks, your report should analyse plausible mechanisms driving the observed trends, explain the interactions between different indicators/variables, and demonstrate how these relationships contribute to the developmental challenges in the chosen LDC. Your analysis must be well-supported by relevant and good quality readings. Reports that effectively integrate credible sources, engage critically with existing literature, and apply appropriate theoretical frameworks will be awarded higher marks.

2. Use of data and clarity of presentation (30%)

Use credible data sources and present statistics effectively using tables, graphs, and charts. At least two graphs or tables must be independently created, demonstrating your ability to analyse and interpret key development indicators. Additional screenshots from reputable sources may be included but must be properly referenced.

3. Structure, coherence, and narrative integration (30%)
The report should follow a logical structure with a clear introduction, main body, and conclusion. You should build a well-integrated narrative, ensuring that different sections of the report are coherently connected rather than treated as separate, unrelated discussions. Use clear and concise language appropriate for academic writing. Avoid grammatical and typographical errors. Incorrect or inconsistent referencing styles will be penalized, so ensure accuracy and consistency in all citations and the reference list.

Good luck!

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