ESSAY RULES

Word limit: 3000

Document your sources fully, properly, and consistently (you are free to use, consistently, any citation style/format commonly used in Economics journals, such as Chicago). I recommend that you learn the use of REFWORKS or any similar reference management software if you wordprocess using Microsoft Word (or any editor of BIBTEX files if you use LateX for wordprocessing)

Make sure you observe the rules of academic integrity!  If you have any doubts about  potentially committing plagiarism, ask!  I will be happy to help and the  library staff will also be very helpful  advising you about how to cite non-conventional sources, such as unpublished papers, newspaper articles, and websites. A good starting point is always to see how other papers published by other economists cite their sources.  

Deadlines: 

Submit your choice of topic by Wed WEEK 8 

By Monday  WEEK 12. You must provide both:

A: A printed copy during class time

B: E-mail an electronic copy in editable format (ideally a word document).

Late submissions of essays will be penalized at a rate of 5% per day. 

       
    Presentations
    You will have to present your work in Week 12 (we will draw lots to decide who presents when).
    This means that you should have your work ready for that date and then just improve it with any comments you receive during your presentation.
    You will be able to use a ppt presentation
    All the presentations (regardless of individual presentation date) must be submitted to the instructor by e-mail before Sunday Week 11
   

Some suggested topics (remember that you can choose your own topic too and of course you can reformulate the titles below!):

NB: these headings are just ideas/suggestions. You will likely want to find a more suitable title for your essay if you choose to develop one of these

How could we include the value of time in recreational demand models?

How could we include the value of human lives in recreational demand models?

What discount rates should be used in Cost Benefit analyses of public projects?

From the point of view of an economist what are the relevant costs and benefits of fully legalizing marihuana?

What would be the main items considered in a CBA of a power line crossing Gros Morne National Park?

What are the main issues behind the normative foundations of cost benefit analysis?

How would CBA address the decision of whether to allow the construction of a skyscraper in downtown St John’s?

Should existence values be included in CBA?

What are the main issues with the contingent valuation method?

Is consumer surplus an appropriate measure of the benefits of a policy?\

Should performers in the adult film industry be forced by law to use condoms while filming porn movies?  What would a CBA analysts suggest?

Should the trade of seal products be banned? What would a CBA analysts suggest?

Should euthanasia be legal? What would a CBA analysts suggest?

      Should the wearing of head scarves be made illegal in Canada? What would a CBA analysts suggest?  

What are the main issues to consider about the desirability of the Muskrat Falls Hydro dam development?

Should the government of Canada ban the ownership of fire arms by any private citizen?

If you had to use CBA to advice on the legal status of abortion, what would be the most difficult issues to consider?

      What role could governments have in the labelling of credence goods?

What is Ethical Benefit Cost Analysis and how does it compare to conventional CBA?

Should the preferences and welfare of criminals be counted for CBA? In which cases?

Should oil extraction using high volume fracturing techniques be allowed/banned in Newfoundland & Labrador?

      Should homoeopathic remedies be banned, treated by the government in some other manner? What does CBA suggest to consider to answer this question?
     
       How may anti-trust regulations actually increase the full social costs of monopolies?  

       Should cinema theaters in St. John's be allowed to sell alcohol?