ECON 3535 Economics Question

Academic papers in economics are built around a research question. For instance, mine
is “How does regulation distort the incentives of natural gas plant owners to retire old
plants?” The goal of this assignment is for you to learn how to use published academic
research in economics to begin to answer an interesting question. A good literature review
will not necessarily give a definitive answer to your research question, but it will explain to
what extent there is consensus, and perhaps where there is disagreement or more analysis
needed.
Instructions:
1. Pick a research question related to natural resource economics . It does not have to
be something we have covered in class. It should be broad enough to have several
related papers, but not so broad that there are a hundred. a) Too broad: “How does
economic growth affect the environment?” b) Too narrow: “How does the US shift
towards an information-based economy affect environmental outcomes of its trade
partners?” c) Just right: “How well does the Environmental Kuznets curve describe
reality?”
2. Show me your proposed research question early. This is not for a grade, but it is for
your benefit. Submit this through the canvas assignment called “Literature Review:
research question proposal”.

DETAILED ASSIGNMENT