Overview and theses

Main points

We mostly spoke about theses. I gave a brief overview of how the thesis works and then cajoled you to describe an idea.

Possible thesis topics

This is what the members of the class said when I put them on the spot. No one is committed to these ideas, but it’s good to start thinking.

• How does the economics curriculum compare with our ideals of liberal education?
• The social and political status of residents of Argentine favelas
• Sustainable development in India
• What laws and moral rules are multinational corporations subject to: those of their “home” country or the local ones where they operate?
• A big journalistic story, e.g. the NSA or voting suppression stories
• Does Hawaii’s voting patterns divert money to the state?
• Comparison of attitudes towards the role of government in the US and European countries, e.g. Spain
• The morality of using economic methods to evaluate sports players
• Measurement of health
• Economic and political rights in China
• What happens to inmates when they get out of prison?
• Financial deregulation and politics

Paperwork

I gave out a document listing past PPE thesis titles. I also described a document that gives the timetable for the thesis. Both are now posted in the Resources section of the Sakai site.