Assume the role of a business consultant helping interns understand the finer points of economics. You have been tasked with developing an analysis comprised of two parts. The goal of your analysis is to help the interns focus on real-world application, highlighting corrective actions by the Federal Reserve and a government intervention program during the time of crisis.
Create a report incorporating the following:
Part 1: Federal Reserve
Choose 1 of the following topics related to the Great Recession:
The housing price bubble, collapse, foreclosures, bailout of underwater mortgagesSubprime mortgages and derivatives, bailout of FNMA, Freddie Mac, and AIGThe banking industry crisis, bailout of commercial and investment banks
Write a 500- to 750-word analysis (Part 1 of your report) of 1 of the following corrective actions taken by the Federal Reserve as a result of the crisis:
Quantitative easingPurchase of toxic assets from financial institutionsPaying interest on reserve balances
Address the following in your analysis:
Actions taken by the Federal Reserve to mitigate the crisisHow the corrective action helped to restore stability to the financial systemHow the corrective action should prevent recurrence of a similar crisis
Note: Use of charts and graphs is encouraged, with appropriate citations. Any charts or graphs retrieved from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis FRED website may only be included when the data sources used by FRED are U.S. government sources, such as the Bureau of Economic Analysis or the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Cite at least 2 academically credible sources.
Part 2: Government Intervention Program
Analyze 1 of the following government intervention programs:
Counter cyclical fiscal policies (countering economic disruptions such as the housing bubble and the Great Recession)U.S. agriculture support programsAssistance for low Income families (choose 1):Housing vouchersEarned Income Tax Credit (including Child Tax Credit)Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)Low-income health care (choose 1):Medicaid (including Children’s Health Insurance Program).Affordable Care Act expansionSocial insurance programs (choose 1):Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI)MedicareUnemployment insurance
Now that you have identified a government intervention and the market failure leading up to this intervention you are ready to continue moving forward.
Write a 750- to 1,050-word summary of your analysis (Part 2 of your report) in which you address the following:
Analyze the arguments for government intervention versus those for market-based solutions. Hint: See the information about market failures.Examine who has been helped and who has been hurt by the selected government intervention.Examine externalities and unintended consequences of the intervention.Explain whether the cost of the intervention you selected, as a share of GDP or the number of participants, is increasing, decreasing, or varying with the state of the economy. Your analysis should be based on the cost trend (or number of participants) since 2000 or since its inception if after 2000.Analyze credible economists’ opinions on the success or failure of the intervention in achieving its objectives.Recommend whether the program should be continued as is, discontinued, or modified based on your conclusions. Defend your recommendation.
Note: Use of charts and graphs is encouraged with appropriate citations. Any charts or graphs retrieved from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis FRED website may only be included when the data sources used by FRED are U.S. government sources such as the Bureau of Economic Analysis or the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Cite at least 2 academically credible sources.
Compile Parts 1 and 2 into one report.