Ass 1-4: Critical Reading and Research Communication Task

This assessment is the final part of your ongoing assessment in this course. The purpose is to help you develop critical reading, writing, and oral communication skills in the context of macroeconomic modeling and related issues.

What to do

You must select a paper specified in the listing of papers.

• First in, best dressed: Whoever or whichever team is first to pick a paper from the folder Unallocated Papers for Assignment 1.4 will get to work on it. To stake your claim, be the first to post your choice on the WATTLE Discussion Forum.

You may form a group of no more than FOUR persons.

• As soon as you have determined the group, reply to the post on the Discussion Forum.

Format

• Replicable Jupyter Notebooks and/or PDF readable copies ONLY.

• PDF facsimiles of Jupyter Notebooks and/or any other required PDF work to be submitted through WATTLE and Turnitin (for plagiarism checking).

• Where instructed, use professionally written and typeset documents in LaTeX.

• If indicated and permitted, you may work in a group of no more than 4 students.

Restrictions on written report length

• Maximum 1 page:

  • Quick summary of (i) Issue/Question raised in the paper; (ii) Key Features of the Model; and (iii) Results of the paper.

• Maximum 4 pages:

  • Describe and explain key aspects of the model, equilibrium concept, characterizations and/or solutions. You must also demonstrate an understanding of these elements (e.g. by explaining the ideas of proofs to main results, and/or, how quantitative/numerical results were obtained).

• Maximum 2 pages:

  • Summarize and explain economic results in more detail.

• Maximum 1 page:

  • Your comments about the paper: modeling assumptions, correctness, suggestions for alternatives or extensions.

• No page limit:

  • References cited in your report.

Grading rubric

• 60% max:

  • Critical analysis and precise explanation of the substance of a chosen paper.

  • Mindless, mechanical, and verbatim reproduction of mathematics or formal proofs that are already in the paper is discouraged.

  • Your task is to elucidate and expound on the main setup, the mechanisms at work, and how they produce key insights. Where possible use plain English in your exposition. If mathematics is required, be sure to define notation and context, and you must still explain what the expressions mean.

  • You are to also provide a critical assessment of the author's method(s) and their insights in general.

  • Useful tips for demonstrating critical reading and comprehension: Imagine trying to do a "tear down" of the whole paper. What are the key questions? What makes them interesting for the authors? Does the theory/empirical method serve a greater purpose? Can you replicate or at least map out the steps, essential "tricks" or methods that "make the paper tick"? What happens to main insights if a key assumption is removed? How does the approach relate to and/or depart from our understanding of a basic, neoclassical, or Walrasian-equilibrium template of the macroeconomy? Now explain how these things work to your nonna who has a bachelor's degree from l'École Polytechnique in 1956. (You'll have to be more profound and incisive in your writing than just summarizing punchlines on a popular-readership blog.)

• 20% max:

  • Oral presentation and quality of slides - clarity and organization of thought.

  • Include final slides with your written report in your submission for assessment.

  • Ability to manage time and emphasize pertinent content.

• 20% max:

  • Organization and clear writing.

  • Care and attention to detail.

  • Thought for the reader and live audience in your presentation structure and style.