Analyze an innovation, organization (e.g. firm, NGO, government agency), or region. Three examples are provided in the attachment. For projects analyzing an innovation, explain what it is, its evolution, utilization, constraints, supply chain, economic impact, and potential. For an innovation: explain what it is, how it evolved, and how it’s used. For projects analyzing an organization or region, explain its unique features, purpose, and history. Critically evaluate its activities. Include our own conclusion or recommendation Include a numerical analysis Be based on at least 8 sources (try to pull some from academic journals, interviews, in-depth critiques, etc. The project will bring at least 4 concepts from class into their analysis. For example: Product characteristics Supply chains (inputs, production of raw materials, processing, distribution) Investment decisions Risk Adoption and diffusion Marketing Technology transfer Bioeconomy Climate change US Agriculture Sustainable development Introduction paragraph: Begin by discussing your topic and what your aims are for the paper itself. Why is it important? How does it relate to the course(Agricultural and Environmental Policy)? The introduction should be a general roadmap for the entire paper – preview your main points and set up the structure that you’ll follow. You may want to write the introduction last, once you’ve decided on the organization of your paper and what you want to say. Body paragraphs: Here, you’ll make the claims you established in your introduction and then use your sources to support them. Remember to cite! Each paragraph should have a purpose – generally, they’ll begin with a main point, a few details and evidence, then a conclusion/transition into the next point you want to make. Make sure to organize these points in a logical flow – you may want to use section and subsection headings to keep your thoughts in order and to refer the reader to how a paragraph fits into your argument. A good outline will make this section much easier! Conclusion paragraph: Restate your main points – did you convince your reader of the accuracy of your analysis? Did you answer your main question(s)? Make sure this part relates directly to your arguments and evidence. Persuasions: There are a variety of rhetorical methods to convince your audience of your ideas. They are classically divided into three forms – ethos, logos, and pathos. As you write, make sure to consider how you are applying these methods and in what quantity. Ethos – appeal to ethics. Convince the audience of an author’s credibility, that they are trustworthy and well-informed. Requires research and an appropriate/professional writing style. Logos – appeal to logic. Convince an audience through facts and reasoning. May involve citations of statistics, illustrative examples, use of economic theory, and deductive reasoning. Pathos – appeal to emotion. This should play a much smaller role in your paper. Suggestions: Do: write as if your audience is someone with Bachelors in economics, and apply an economic framework to your analysis. Don’t: use overly technical jargon, but feel free to use common economic terms without defining them. Do: provide some initial context for the reader, such as unique features or context of your topic. Don’t: confuse context with analysis. It is not sufficient to describe an innovation, organization, or region – you must relate relevant characteristics to class concepts. Do: be as objective as possible; think of yourself as an external analyst exploring all sides of your topic. Don’t: “get on a soapbox” and give personal opinions or promote a particular company or perspective. Do: provide evidence for your claims, consider potential criticisms to the claims you make, and cite your sources. Don’t: simply make a claim or argument and expect your reader to accept it without evidence and citations. Do: incorporate a variety of points of view from multiple different sources. Don’t: overly rely on two or three sources for your main arguments. If you find yourself citing the same source repeatedly for your various arguments, see if you can find other sources making the same claims. Alternatively, consider whether other sources emphasize other topics you could include in your paper. Do: include objective sources such as academic articles and professional publications in your bibliography (and as citations for your claims), though you may also draw on company sources and popular media. Don’t: focus your analysis primarily on one source within your bibliography, or use only blog posts and marketing websites as sources. Do: include headings for each section. Don’t: assume that headings are a substitute for a coherent and logical organization of the content! Do: look for ways to improve your paper as you search for evidence for your arguments. Consider new arguments you had not thought about or class concepts you could apply, and think about how you could incorporate them into your paper. Don’t: focus just on sources that back up the arguments you originally wanted to make, or ignore further context in your sources that could add nuance to your arguments.
