LENGTH: 1,600 words, excluding works cited page REQUIRED READING...

LENGTH: 1,600 words, excluding works cited page

REQUIRED READINGS
Tim Wu, The Curse of Bigness (excerpt)
Peter Thiel, “Competition is for Losers”

PURPOSE
This assignment asks you to make an argument about the potential of economics to enrich our understanding of or approach to an urgent social problem. You will need to make concepts from within the field of economics comprehensible and interesting to a general educated audience, while at the same time advancing a provocative, original proposition.

CONCEIT
Imagine you are a well-regarded economic thinker to whom the public looks for insights—someone knowledgeable and good at turning the spotlight on issues that you know matter. The New York Times has invited you to contribute an opinion piece on an issue that should be a focus of popular (though not necessarily US-centric) discourse. In this piece, you will act as an agenda setter, analyzing the issue and demonstrating to the public the value of applying economic knowledge to this matter.

WRITING TASK
Identify a pressing problem that interests you. Choose an issue that will also be of interest to the lay public, even if the general audience is not fully aware of the stakes. Favor contentious issues about which even experts disagree. For example, consider the divergent conclusions Columbia Law Professor Tim Wu and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel reach in their analyses of monopolies. In The Curse of Bigness, Wu draws on 20th century economic history to argue that monopolies pose a threat to democracy because they dangerously concentrate corporate power. On the other hand, Thiel contends that “competition is for losers,” and a monopoly simply indicates that a company is so good at what it does that no other firm can offer a viable substitute. Although both speakers bring credentials, conviction, and evidence to the table, they offer opposing views.
 
PROMPT
In a carefully researched, effectively deployed argument, respond to the following prompt:

How should economic knowledge (evidence, tools, theories) be applied to this pressing problem?

In formulating your response, note that your goal in WP1 is to educate the public about the benefit of applying economic insights to the problem you’ve chosen to discuss, while also situating yourself in the discourse and contributing your own analysis.

Please avoid viewing WP1 as a mere “college essay” (you know, the kind produced under duress that you can’t wait to forget having written). Rather, you should aim to compose a lasting writing sample of the highest caliber that showcases not only your argumentative, organizational, and stylistic skills, but also your investment in the topic chosen for the benefit of future readers, collaborators, employers, and/or graduate school admissions committees.

TIPS & SUGGESTIONS
- The thesis should matter to you. It should also matter to the general public. Give readers a firm sense of why your issue is worth caring about, and why your argument is worth reading.
- Pursue a thesis that is both provocative and tenable, a stance that will elicit dissent and heated debate, without being extreme or outlandish.
- If readers need context about your issue to understand your argument, provide it. However, avoid (at all costs!) an “information dump” of basic facts that educated readers will already know.
- If you incorporate scholarly sources, be sure to translate expert language into terms that are appropriate for an educated general audience. As you research, immerse yourself in the conversation among specialists. As you draft, pivot out and speak to the public.
- Although you are addressing a New York Times audience, you are not required to focus on an urgent problem in the United States. NYT has a broad, global readership and covers world news as well as US news.
- Offer a clear thesis and concrete support. Handle counterarguments appropriately.
- Don’t shy away from expressing your own opinions with enthusiasm and confidence. Take chances in your writing and have fun.