Maec

MACROECONOMICS
GROUP PROJECT (APRIL 2013 SEMESTER)

Instructions

The class is to be divided into 4 groups. The size of each group should be the same or at most vary by 1 member.

Your report should be between 2,000 to 3,000 words in length, typed, single-spaced, with a font size of 12 and a normal margin of 2.5 cm all round.

This group project assignment carries a 10% weightage towards your final grade. You are advised to consult your tutor after you have done some research and crafted a draft of your report to check that you are on the right track.

Both the hard copy (to your tutor’s pigeon hole) and soft copy (in MS Word.doc format to SafeAssign, via MeL) are to be submitted by 2 pm, 23 July 2013 (Tuesday). Both the report and peer appraisal must be submitted together. Please ensure you have indicated the following on the cover-page of your report – chosen topic, tutor’s name, tutorial group and team members.
Ngee Ann Polytechnic regards all forms of academic dishonesty with equal seriousness, including plagiarism. Offenders will be penalized accordingly. Please read the NP Policy on Plagiarism (effective May 2005) at http://www.np.edu.sg/antiplagiarism.
Theme: Government Policies of Singapore

Singapore’s economic policies have been greatly responsible for the nation's rapid economic progress. However Singapore is currently facing some fresh challenges. To address some economic and social issues, there are four policy areas which the government is constantly reviewing and implementing.

Topic 1: Policies to manage inflation

Topic 2: Policies to increase employability and productivity

Topic 3: Policies to narrow the income gap

Topic 4: Policies to increase the population size Choose any one of the four topics and discuss the following: (No two groups are allowed to take the same topic.)

(a) Briefly describe the specifics of the policies that have been implemented in the last five years. Explain the rationale for these government policies.

(b) Analyse the effectiveness of the policies and if there are any unintended consequences.

(c) If you were the policy maker, what new measures would you recommend to increase the effectiveness of the policies?

Information Sources

Listed below are some websites and resources available to help you in completing this assignment. It is important that you carefully cite any and all sources that you use for the topic chosen by your group. You can Google for other specific sources of information.

Please do not cite Wikipedia as one of your sources of information, although you may use it for your preliminary research.

1. Monetary Authority of Singapore
Website: http://www.mas.gov.sg

2. Ministry of Finance
Website: http://www.mof.gov.sg

3. Singapore Statistics
Website: http://www.singstat.gov.sg

4. Ministry of Manpower
Website: http://www.mom.gov.sg

5. Ministry of Trade and Industry
Website: http://www.mti.gov.sg

6. NP Library e-news database (such as Economist Intelligence Unit) and Factiva for suitable newspaper articles related to the topic you have chosen.