This is a timeline of the development of the United Arab Emirates from what was once a desert 51 years ago to now one of the most developed countries in the world. This is important to me as even though I am not from this country, I have lived the majority of my life there and consider it my home. The United Arab Emirates is also becoming incredibly popular around the world for its achievements and many other things.
Has there been an increase in solar-powered homes in the United States?
For my social explorer project, I have decided to look at the change (increase and decrease) of solar-powered housing units in the United States from the year 2016 to 2019. Some of the states with the highest increase in solar-powered housing units have mostly been in the southwest such as Arizona with an increase of 103.9%, California with an increase of 126.3% and Utah had a massive increase of 256.58%. Even though Utah had the highest percentage in terms of change, California had the biggest increase from 35,062 in 2016 to 79,321 in 2019. An increase of 44,259 houses. California may have such a high number of solar-powered due to their high exposure of the sun. Using solar and renewable energy brings not just economic benefits but also a wide array of environmental benefits. Something that is interesting is that some states actually have decreased the number of solar-powered homes they have, such as Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. All of these are located in the mid-north of the U.S which means they may not be as exposed to sunlight as more southern states may be.
Caufield Review
Something I liked about the book is how straightforward it is. I have found that a lot of academic readings and articles, in general, tend to use over-complicated language to discuss very simple things. The book easily lays out fact-checking sites and puts them within categories in and outside of the US and more niche areas of research. This makes eases accessibility and overall is very helpful.
Something that I found very interesting was the concept of reading laterally. Many times when checking for the reliability of a source I may go to the about page and read more about it without really ever thinking that “even if the site is generally trustworthy, it is inclined to paint the most favorable picture of its expertise and credibility possible.” (page 82). What was said is very true but is not something that you say to yourself, especially if you agree and like what the article is discussing. The correct way to check whether a source is reliable or not is to see what other parties that are affiliated with it have said and commented about it which I will definitely be doing from now on. Caufield further demonstrates how to check for reliability through search syntax, he used The Gazette as an example and showed how to find out whether or not it is a reputable newspaper through the search of “baltimoregazette.com-site:baltimoregazette.com”. Which then showed sites that challenged the newspaper’s reputation.
I will make to apply what I have learned from his reading, especially with reading laterally as it is very important to have the correct information, especially in economics as we discuss politics and things related to it often which can be often customized due to political parties. He also explained how to find the sources of photos and see whether or not they are legitimate which I haven’t really ever had to do but could see how it is helpful and important to know.
NBER
I am a junior at Trinity College studying economics. Economics is both a quantitative course and a qualitative course. Meaning that a lot of research is incorporated into my studies, assignments, and projects. For most of my research, I use Google and have recently started to use google scholar. However, an issue with doing so is that a lot of articles may be biased whether from politics or other preferences which can sometimes offer false information. It is also hard to sometimes find exactly what you are looking for as google will provide you with a broad array of different websites. NBER (National Bureau of Economic Research) is a very easy website to use, making research papers, sites, and other information very accessible.
NBER has a very nice homepage. It is easy to navigate and well organized. NBER is a private, nonpartisan organization which means that politics do have much influence on the content being portrayed. You can use it to find many different analyses of major economic issues within a couple of clicks. It is sort of google for economics but simpler. You can easily find what you need through the filters, such as; research, programs, projects, conferences, etc. When clicking on one a list of different subjects within the category shows up from which you can pick from. These range from economics of children to asset pricing to information and research about the Chinese economy.
Another thing I found interesting about NBER is the lectures tab in which there are video lectures of economists who examine current issues involving economic policy and present their newly found research. This stood out to me as I find learning through this is easier than just simply reading it off a random site.
I used this site to conduct research on Covid-19. I clicked on that topic, and it told me how many papers have been written on, it then shows the new findings which have usually been out w within the week with the website of the paper and some information on what it covers. IF one was just to learn about the topic and keep up with current issues, NBER is very helpful. If you are looking for something specific, you can type in the keyword, and then it will list the sites on the keywords you typed it. It will show the title, the beginning of it, and most importantly the date it was published, and the author(s). You can click on the authors’ names, and it will bring you to a page that shows you their qualifications and their work. This is important as you can easily find out whether it is credible and if it is to be trusted.
Overall, I would rate this site a 9/10. It is very easy to find what you need exactly, and easy to navigate through. This also makes it easy to keep up and learn about current issues and you get access to many lectures and credible research papers. You can easily back up the sources and it overall is a great site to use, even if not using it for an assignment or project.
Reflection Research
For one of my economics classes, Macroeconomics and Inequalities, I had to write a paper on the impact Covid-19 on the economy. In this research paper, I decided to focus on how different social classes and people of different genders and races were affected.
I looked at data that was collected by the government through surveys to make sure that the information I received was as accurate as possible. Something interested I stumbled upon is that Asian men, on average, earn more than white males. Apart from that, it was most of what is expected such as discrimination towards most non-white males.
I found all my resources using google. I tried to find either government websites for data on information such as salaries, stimulus checks, and unemployment rates. For other information that is more focused on how COVID-19 has impacted the economy, I used sites such as Institute for New Economic Thinking and other economics journals that are written by trusted economists and officials.
Something I struggled with was misinformation from random news websites. To overcome this I would dig deeper to try to find more reliable sites whose data and information matched with what other sites would say. My sources all gave me information about different things, demographics, how different demographics dealt with the virus financially, and how policymakers and legislators have responded. However, one linked to the next and it was quite easy to have a well-flowing essay. It was also helpful as each source I’d find would support others I used which made my research paper stronger.
This being longer than other essays I have written I have learned the importance of planning out what I am going to write out and how to structure it. This helped me as I was able to organize information found efficiently and it made the writing process a lot easier. This course will help me become more efficient in research, organizing and structuring my papers, and many other things.
Research Interest
I am an Economics major and I wish to work in banking/finance after college. Last semester I took a Macroeconomics course and we spent a lot of time discussing the financial issues that arose due to the pandemic. I found this quite interesting as a lot of what we spoke about was useful, not just for an Economics major but I believe for everyone. From this course, I learned more about inflation, taxes, and interest rates set by the banks. I believe that this is vital for everyone to at least have an idea or an understanding of it as it is and will continue to be part of your day-to-day life. I personally think I have a good understanding of it as I took a macroeconomics class but I want to continue to deepen my knowledge on the matter so I am enrolled in another macroeconomic class this semester.