Question

Think of a public policy question related to economics. (You get to choose)

Then break it down into positive and normative components.

What are a couple of examples of things you would like to have data on if you were asked to research the question you chose?

Response has to be a minimum of 250 words, thank you.

Answer 1

Societal inequality and its prevalence is a major topic in economics. Hence, one public policy question related to that is, "Role of educational institutions in removal/reduction of social inequality"

Positive Component of this question could be presentation of some facts, figures and the current trends of the role played by educational institutes. Examples of such schools or countries can be given where the educational institutions have played a positive role in the reduction of inequality.

Normative component of this question will involve presentation of ideas, opinions, suggestions, value statements, judgements as to how reduction of social inequality can be facilitated by educational institutions.

The following are some couple of examples required if asked to research on the mentioned question:

1.) Trends of inequality in the society over the past couple of years. Measures like Gini coefficient can be used in order to determine inequality. It relates the wealth owned by a particular proportion of the population. It is an inequality indicator which is popularly used in various countries and also by various international organisations. Gini coefficient needs to be calculated for both the educated and the uneducated population. A higher inequality among uneducated population will explain the considered question. In contrast, the educated population will have a lower inequality.

2.)Standard of living of population for both educated and uneducated population. Per capita income can be used as a measure for standard of living. If educated population has a higher standard of living then this will imply that educational institutions help in reduction of inequality by providing a higher standard of living.

3.) In order to measure educational attainment at various levels like primary, secondary and tertiary level, the attendance of students in various educational institutions can be a useful indicator.