Assignment: You are to prepare a report on a Latin American country and its engagement with China discussed in Wise’s book. As China has emerged as a world power, it is extending its influence in all corners of the world including Latin America. The visible signs of this influence are China’s level of trade and investment in the region as well as its most recent project called the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and even more recently the so-called Digital Silk Road and the Health Silk Road. Using the framework used by Carol Wise in Chapter 1 and in other chapters of “Dragonomics”, prepare a report on one of these countries (Wise discussed 6 countries) to inform the reader about its current economic relationship with China and the implications for the United States. You can also make a recommendation as to what the United States, which has been the predominant influence for the past 100 years, should do about this new presence in Latin America.
Deadline: Due May 7th. If you would like some feedback prior to your final submission, you can send me a draft by April 23rd at the latest.
Length: About 10-12 pages maximum should be sufficient to complete your report. If you feel you need more space or are having difficulty finding enough information, get in touch with me. The format should be Times New Roman or Arial font, 12-font size, doubled spaced with 1-inch margins. The main source should be “Dragonomics” by Carol Wise but you are free to add another main source.
Structure of the Latin America-China Economic Relations Report:
Background Information: (1-2 pg.) Your country report should include a brief and basic background information of its economic relationship with China so far. You should try to obtain current data in particular from the last 5 years whenever possible. If you are using some indicators of development such as economic growth, trade and investment, pick and choose what indicators best describe the relationship. Tables and figures must have a purpose in your narrative; otherwise, they should not be there.
The economic engagement of your country with China (9-10 pg.) Describe your country’s trade, investment, loans, BRI participation, Digital Silk Road participation, or any other type of significant economic and political engagement. What is (are) the major form(s) the economic relationship takes? What are the benefits for both parties? Any pitfalls/challenges? Why did they engage in this relationship? How is it working for the receiving country? You can take a micro approach and select an important industry or service sector (coffee, oil, banking, etc.) mostly impacted to show how a relation with China is affecting this country. Is it increasing the country’s exports? Is it improving its infrastructure to increase commerce and competitiveness? In general, who will benefit and who will lose by this type of economic engagement?
In general, I will look for the following:
The first paragraph should include a summary of what the paper is going to be about. Use subheadings throughout the paper to guide the reader about the basic structure of your paper.
Support or provide documentation for your claims. Provide the sources of figures/tables/facts and support your assertions. If someone else said it originally, then credit that individual. Failure to credit others for their ideas, information, or data constitutes plagiarism and is subject to disciplinary action. If you are making your own personal claims, use data or other references to support your claims.
A conclusion or summary. Don’t simply stop writing after you have reached your x page goal. A research paper should not have a cliffhanger ending. Give your reader a sense of closure and conclude your thoughts/ideas. Put your argument in perspective by giving some sort of summary which recaps the major issues and key points that led to you to come to your conclusion.
Final Paper: Your final paper should include: one, a cover page with a title, the author of the report; two, the main text, and three a page at the end with the Reference List (minimum of 10 sources besides Wise’s book). Only the main text count for the page count.
