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Senior: 11 & 12: Unit 3: International Economics

The Task

Please note that Trade data is available on Highlands / All Summative Assessment / S IA2 Research Assignment - Economic Report.

Please also note that you need a balanced variety of sources for your assignment, so be sure to include information obtained from websites, database articles, Economics text books, as well as any suitable Library books.

1. ECONOMIC THEORY

Aims
To help you understand the basics of the economics relevant to the problem or issue.

To help you find and understand the relevant economic theory, content and terminology related to the problem or issue.

1.1 Class Textbook (hard copy)
Consult your own textbook: Doug Cave and others, Economics for the Real World Unit 4, 4th ed.

  • See Contents page for relevant chapters
  • See Index at back of text
  • See Glossary of Economic Terms

1.2 Other Economics Textbooks and Booklets (hard copy)
Tim Dixon and John O'Mahony, Australia in the Global Economy, 2018

  • See Contents page for relevant chapters
  • See Index at back of text
  • See Library catalogue for Library copies

1.3 Economics Dictionaries (hard copy and digital)
      Use a variety of dictionaries for KEY terms and concepts.

  • John Becroft, Australian Economics Dictionary, 2017
  • Oxford Dictionary of Economics, 2017
  • ebook The Routledge Dictionary of Economics (use your student number as BOTH username AND password).

1.4 Economics Newsletters
See Plain English Economics Newsletters on Highlands -  2018 and 2019

See also AES Student Bulletin for 2018 and 2019 series (introductory and advanced)

Reserve Bank Bulletin

1.5 Key Economic Organisations

KEY ORGANISATIONS

Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Organisation for International Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Australian Trade Commission (AUSTRADE) International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Science (ABARES)

Reserve Bank of Australia 

  • Statistics (Chart Pack)
  • Publications (Economic Bulletins)
  • Media Releases
 Productivity Commission (PC)
World Trade Organisation (WTO) Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB)
World Economic Forum

QUT C.R.A.A.P. Test for Evaluating Websites

Check the quality of your websites using these criteria (adapted from QUT Library):

Currency: Timeliness of the information

  • When was the information published, posted or last updated?
  • Is the information current for your topic and field of study? How recent does it have to be? Can older sources work just as well?
Relevance: Importance of the information for your needs
  • Is the information appropriate for a senior secondary course?
  • Is this an adequately in-depth examination or a quick summary of the topic?
  • Who's the intended audience? Is it the general public, a student, a researcher or industry?
  • Is the level of information too basic or too advanced for your needs?

Authority: Source of the information

  • Is the author/authoring body (individual person, or institution, or organisation) established and reputable?
  • Are their qualifications, credentials, expertise, experience, educational background and previous work (if any) relevant and do they add credibility to the source?
  • Has the piece been published by a well-known and respected publisher or organisation?
  • Do references to other sources support the writing ie is a Bibliography or Reference List provided?

Accuracy: Reliability and correctness of the information

  • Where does the information come from, and is it supported by evidence?
  • Does it have a Reference List or Bibliography so you can easily find and verify the sources used?
  • Are there any spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?

Purpose: Reason the information exists

  • What is the purpose of the information? Why was it written?
  • Does the point of view appear objective, unbiased and impartial?
  • Is the viewpoint of the author's affiliation/ sponsors reflected in the message or content?
  • Does the author acknowledge alternative versions of the issues or facts?

2. APPLICATION OF ECONOMIC THEORY TO THE REAL WORLD

Aims:
To help you source more up-to-date economic information and real world examples

To help you provide historical and/or up-to-date quantitative (statistical) evidence and qualitative evidence as support for your economic arguments.

2.1 Media, Newspapers, TV Programs and News Clips (mainly electronic)
Look for newspaper and journal articles from The Australian, The Courier-Mail and the Sydney Morning Herald in the recommended databases like Australia New Zealand Reference Centre.

The Australian (in ANZ Reference Centre database and also a direct link in Databases area of Library pages)

Sydney Morning Herald (in ANZ Reference Centre database and also a direct link in Databases area of Library pages)

ABC Landline (TV Rural affairs program)

ABC News Online (and in Clickview video catalogue)

ABC 7.30 Report (TV show also in Clickview video catalogue)

Four Corners (TV show also in Clickview video catalogue)

2.2 Statistical Sources (mostly web-based)

Reserve Bank of Australia (Chart Pack)

Trading Economics

ABARES (Australian Bureau of Agricultural, Resource Economics and Science)

The World Factbook

SEE ALSO the Library Databases.

 2.3  Government Departments, Statutory Authorities, Regulatory Agencies and Public Corporations (web-based)
Australian Government entry point

Austrade
Try this link: Austrade Export Markets and Countries 

ABARES (Australian Bureau of Agricultural Resource Economics and Science).

RBA (Reserve Bank of Australia Chart Pack)

Department of Employment

PC (Productivity Commission)

SEE ALSO the Library Databases.

2.4 International Organisations / Forums (web-based)
WTO (World Trade Organisation)

World Bank

IMF (International Monetary Fund)

World Economic Forum

AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS (ABS)

RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Advanced Web Searching Tips

1. Use 'Ctrl F' (Control + Find) to search for particular terms easily in a long document, whether from a website or a database article.

2.  Use a Boolean command - put double inverted commas around phrases to limit and improve your results eg "energy drinks problems".

3. Use filetype:pdf to search in Google for only pdf articles - "plastic pollution" filetype:pdf - will force Google to return results on plastic pollution which are only pdf articles (PDFs are great sources sometimes deeply buried in Google results and remain unseen).

4. Use a Google domain command eg site:edu OR site:gov to limit results to a CERTAIN DOMAIN such as education or government eg biodiesel site:edu

5.  To check the authority of a website when it is not clear who the author / authority is, go to the end of the URL in the Google search box, cut back to the first forward slash (/) and hit 'Enter'. This will take you to the Home Page of the website, and you can see the full name of the source.

6. Use a Google command to limit results to the MOST RECENT: After you get your results, choose the Google Menu Bar, and choose 'Tools'. Then on the far left, at the drop-down menu next to 'Any Time', you can choose 'Within the last year' (or less, if you prefer), but generally, you can choose 'Custom Range' at the bottom, as often the last 3 years would be sufficient for a recent search.

ONESearch

The ENTIRE collection of resources provided by the BBC Library can be searched on ONE single, powerful search platform, which retrieves print books, eBooks, database articles and websites. Click HERE for assistance.

USEFUL DATABASES AND NEWSPAPERS

 

 Australia and New Zealand Reference Centre

 Informit

 Australian Financial Review

AVAILABLE FROM HOME DURING COVID-19 PERIOD 2020, BUT NORMALLY ONLY ACCESSIBLE FROM SCHOOL. Digital edition of the newspaper is an interactive and searchable replica of the current and archived issues (6 months) of the print edition.
Login: bbclibrary@bbc.qld.edu.au
Password: Toowong1

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ISSUES A-Z

Look up the Informit database as well.

​​​​​​​Retrieved from Informit database.

AUSFTA
DFAT: AUSFTA (Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement) 

 

RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership)

 

TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership)

 

Possible Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement Post-Brexit

Investopedia: Definition of Economic Bottleneck

An Assessment of Australia's Future Infrastructure Needs 2019 - Executive Summary

An Assessment of Australia's Future Infrastructure Needs 2019. This is a huge 642-page report.

General Waste
Department of the Environment and Energy: National Waste Policy Action Plan 2019

Department of the Environment and Energy: Waste Exports

Assemble Papers: Global Garbage - Where Does Our Recycling Go?

The Guardian: One Year On - Where Is Australia's Recycling Going Now?

Inside Waste.com: The State of Waste in Australia - A 2019 Review

The Guardian: Indonesia Sends Rubbish Back and Says Its Too Contaminated to Recycle

 

Hazardous Waste
Department of the Environment and Energy: Hazardous Waste in Australia 2019

World Health Organisation: Electronic Waste

Victorian Government: What is E-Waste?

Cleanup Australia: E-Waste

Mismanaging Australia's Nuclear Waste - Retrieved from Informit database.

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE (DFAT)

DFAT - you can access these tabs:

  • Trade and Investment (main access for information)
  • Countries and Regions
  • International Relations​

Try these links: 
DFAT Fact Sheets for Countries and Regions

DFAT Trade and Investment

DFAT Countries, Economies and Regions

THIS IS AN ESSENTIAL SITE TO VISIT!

AUSTRADE

PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION: TRADE & ASSISTANCE REVIEW