DD309A tma 2016

Arab Open University
DD309A
Tutor Marked Assignment
Cut-off Date: November 29, 2013

This TMA is an essay based on a labour market case. It is marked out of 100 and is worth 20% of the overall assessment component. This TMA requires you to apply course concepts to your own experience and to discuss the economic implications of such an application. Please read the following essay first, then follow the instructions on the following page:

 
The TMA
This TMA requires you to write a structured essay of no more than 1200 words, in which you attempt to answer the following questions.
1. Over time, the gap between the wages of workers with a college degree and the wages of workers without a college degree has been increasing. Shouldn’t this gap have increased the incentive for workers to earn a college degree, thereby increasing the supply of college-educated workers, and reducing the size of the gap?

2. Labour supply in the Arab countries has grown by millions in the past 30 years. How could the price of labour not fall? If there is an increase in labor supply, does the equilibrium wage have to fall?

Guidance notes for TMA:
The above questions should be discussed based on what you learned in Ch. 3 (Saving and working: decisions over time), listed in your course materials DD309 (Doing Economics). You are going to discuss the application of the Human Capital Theory knowing that the process of using resources now to increase skills for the future is known as investing in human capital. The challenge in your essay is to cover its most significant aspects within the specified word count. Your essay should be well organized, with a clear cut layout of an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

In your introduction, you need to provide a definition of the labour supply status in the Arab states in general and outline the main points that you intend to discuss in your essay. Your introduction, as well as other parts of your TMA, must be based on updated data about labour market. (15 points)

In the essay’s body, you need to answer the above two questions and elaborate on the points you mentioned in the introduction. You must first discuss the theoretical background for the human capital theory and elaborate on the factors that cause the labour demand curve to shift. Then, you will need to use published data and information in order to answer the above two questions. In this part of your essay try to consider the economic and social implications of the labour market in the Arab states. You should state whether or not you think there are any socioeconomic implications arising from the gap between the wages of workers with a college degree and the wages of workers without a college degree. This is a level 3 course and you will need to adapt some economic concepts from previous levels, translate your data into diagrams and match the theory with the application you are discussing, show the reader how your essay could help policy makers and economists to take adequate decisions. This part of your essay has the weightiest part of the TMA and carries the highest proportion of marks. (40 points).

Your conclusion should include a summary of what you have discussed in your essay. The assessment of the quality of your essay will be based on how you convince the reader (grader) about your knowledge and understanding of the topic. Attempt to use your own words and avoid using a copy-paste to finish particularly this part of the assignment. (25 points)

20 marks will be allocated equally for presentation, references, word count and E-library. Your TMA should be attached with the PT3 form uploaded in the LMS.

GOOD LUCK …