A Critical Assessment of the Agricultural Subsidies of the United States of America (US) and the European Union (EU)

A Critical Assessment of the Agricultural Subsidies of the United States of America (US) and the European Union (EU) Introduction Subsidies are deployed as a means of boosting production, by giving financial grants from one party to another in order to increase production beyond the market equilibrium. From an economist’s perspective, funding has been adopted in different contexts to give varying implications and significance.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on A Critical Assessment of the Agricultural Subsidies of the United States of America (US) and the European Union (EU) specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines subsidies as â€Å"measures that keep prices for consumers below market levels, or measures that keep prices for producers above market levels† (OECD 2006, p.3). Many economists argue that the term subsidy can be applied to mean all forms of payments made directly by a government to various producers. In light of these explanations, this paper considers subsides as including direct means of regulating the equilibrium between consumption and supply of products and services in the market, among them being cash grants coupled with provisions of interest-free loans from the government. Low-interests loans, tax wavering write-offs of depreciation charged on assets, rent rebates and insurance are also considered among the alternative forms of subsidy. The main purpose of this paper is to conduct a comparative analysis of the similarities and differences between the US and the EU agricultural subsidies. The basis for this research is founded in existing literature that relate to economic theories on taxes and subsidies. In addition, to expand on the discussion involving the similarities and differences in agriculture subsidies within the US and EU, as well as their implications on economy, a literature review of economics of subsidies and taxes will be considered first.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Le t's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The paper further presents the differences between the US and the EU agricultural policies, concerning the legislation on agricultural subsidies and the critical reception towards these policies. This section is followed by a discussion on the similarities between the US and the EU’s agricultural policies in the context of benefits to farmers and influences on income. Lastly, the effects of agricultural subsidies on famers, from the dimension of family budgets and taxes are given substantial attention. Economic Theory on Subsidies and Taxes To understand the economic theory on subsidies and taxes, one needs to be aware of the function of subsidy and tax accords within the area of global trade pact. One will get to understand why the government upholds such accords as well as identifying the most preferred way of handling the subsidies within the global trading schemes. Therefore, studies pertaining to the economic impact of subsidies have provoked mixed reactions from economists. For instance, Krishna and Panagariya (2009) argue that, â€Å"subsidies are a form of protectionism or trade barrier by making domestic goods and services artificially competitive against imports† (OECD, 2006, p.236). Such protectionism impairs the ability of consumers to consider and select imported goods and services, in their pursuit of alternative goods that are produced outside a nation’s boundaries through unethical or illegal channels (Anderson 2005, p.165). In the economic sense, subsidies are unethical because they distort the market and impose higher economic costs. In addition to this case, there are different types of subsides that have been outlined. Amegashie identifies employment subsidies, production subsidies and export subsidies as three that are granted by governmental or non-governmental organisations (Amegashie 2006, p.8). Export subsidies take the form of financial support that is offered by a government to exported products and services, in an effort to improve a nation’s balance of payments (Amegashie 2006, p.8). From an agricultural product context, exporting subsidies is significant in nations whose GDP is mainly derived this particular source. However, the impact of export subsidies varies.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on A Critical Assessment of the Agricultural Subsidies of the United States of America (US) and the European Union (EU) specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance, the Court of Auditors (2003) argues that, as evidenced by the case of the EU, export subsidies may result inartificially low prices of subsidised products. Furthermore, fluctuations in milk production costs may also occur, as shown in the graph below. Fig 1: Milk products production cost fluctuations in the EU in comparison to other parts of the world Source: Weers and Hemme (2012, p.13) Production subsidies have a key role to play when it comes to product yields. Production subsidies â€Å"encourage suppliers to increase the output of particular products by partially offsetting the production costs or losses† (Krishna Panagariya, 2009, p.237). Thus, the chief aim is to create a means of expansion for the production of certain products at much lower prices than the market forces would make possible (Mankiw, 1997). In doing so, governments also offer their support to consumers of the produced products. In an agricultural context, production subsides may also be provided by offering technical support and financial assistance to help create new agricultural firms and processing plants, possibly on a regional basis. Moreover, employment subsides and incentives, such as social security benefits, are sometimes offered by governments to boost employment levels in certain regions and for certain industries (Szymanski Valletti, 2005). They may also con duct research into new areas of development that would lead to more absorption of unemployed persons.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although subsidies may be seen as a plausible way of regulating and controlling the markets, they attract controversies over their overall impacts on the performance of a nation’s economy. Subsidies influence competitive equilibrium, and from the fundamental principles of supply/demand relationships, particularly in cases where the demand for a given product goes beyond the supply, prices normally fall. Consequently, reduction of goods supplied to levels below the equilibrium quantity results in price hikes (Covey et al., 2007, P.41). Supposing that the bazaar for any product operates flawlessly â€Å"at the competitive equilibrium, the overall effect of subsidies is to increase the supply of goods and services to levels above the equilibrium quantity† (Kym Will 2011, P.1303). This move leads to an increase of costs beyond corresponding gains of the subsidy. That is, the amount of increase is proportionate to the size of the injected subsidy and hence a â€Å"market failure or inefficiency† (Jerome et al. 2006, p.16). For this reason, some economists claim that subsidies are undesirable in a competitive market. This claim is particularly significant in cases where foreign competition is desired. In support of this assertion, Westcott and Young (2004) argue that, instead of lowering the prices of goods and services, subsides make goods produced within a nation, cheaper in comparison to those produced in the foreign nations; hence incredibly reducing foreign competition. In the context of agricultural goods, giving subsidies(especially in the developing nations) implies that such nations are barred from engaging in the international trade in a more competitive manner, since they receive substantially lower prices on products traded on the global market. In economic theory, offering subsidies in the form of tax wavering is considered as an attempt of protectionism (Wyatt Ashok, 2010, p.1927). In such scenarios, market distortion occurs, acc ompanied by social welfare reductions. On the grounds of economic logic, World Bank policies advocate the total removal of subsidies offered by the developing nations, even though it has no mandate to enforce this removal (Westcott Young, 2004, p.11). The impact includes a reduction in revenue generated by producers operating in foreign nations, which can cause tension between the European Union and the United States, and the nations in the developing world that are known to be offering economic stimuli in the form of subsidies. The developing nations protect their local industries against the influx of foreign products. Such foreign products cost less in the developing nations’ markets due to the economies of scale in the production processes and techniques for production used in the developed world’s industries. In summary, subsidies can provide a short-term solution to an industry. However, on a long-term basis, they end up being unethical, often evolving into nega tive effects (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2007, p. 26) Comparison of the US and the EU Agricultural Policies The subject of subsidies and tax reduction for agricultural products is approached from different directions, yet in similar ways for both the EU and the US. Subsidising the agricultural sector is done with the ultimate objective of boosting aggregate demand or investment in the agricultural sector (Becker 2002). In accordance to the theory of economics of subsidies, such an attempt causes the cost of production for agricultural products to be lowered for both the US and the EU. Consequently, making products become cheaper than importing them. In both the US and the EU, it is appreciated that the removal of subsidies has the impact of dampening economic activities in the agricultural sector. This blow is dependent to certain issues associated with the agricultural sector budget balance. Appreciating the role of subsidies and taxes in shaping the agr icultural sector in the US and the EU warrants consideration of the differences and similarities between their different approaches to agricultural subsidies. Differences between the US and the EU agricultural Policies Legislation on Agricultural Subsidies The US and the EU have put policies in place that encourage their farmers to produce certain agricultural products at much lower costs, in comparison to the global costs of such products (Alston 2008). Although there have been less legislative efforts to encourage the production of various products in the EU, the governing bodies have implemented policies that ensure farmers receive subsidies for producing certain commodities such as dairy products (Alston 2008). In similar fashion, the US has created a process to facilitate subsidy offers for farmers that produce various products, mainly cotton, through legislation such as the 2010 Farm Bill (Babcock 2007. Subsidising US cotton results in low global market prices of the crop, whe rein levels of making cotton produced elsewhere is unsustainable in the market. Hence, many nations are opposed to the legislation provided in the Farm Bill 2002. For instance, Brazil challenged the US subsidies for cotton farmers at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), stating that this distorted the cotton market at an international level. They further argued that it encouraged an increase in income to large-scale farmers at the advantage of the small-scale and poor farmers in the developing world. This case lasted from 2002 to 2008, when it was concluded with Brazil being the victor. In support of this argument, Riedl (2008, p.316) believes that policies encouraging subsidising of the agricultural products in both the EU and the US products have an opposite impact. However, despite the opposition to the continued indirect funding of the EU and the US farmers through subsidies, Summer (2013) proposes that it is imperative to stop offering direct incentives for production, because s uch a strategy for boosting production makes farmers in the US and the EU compete unfairly with others across the globe. Critical Reception of Agricultural Policies From the above arguments, subsidies on agricultural products, especially by major global giant producers like the EU and the US, are not received in good faith within the international arena. In relation to this, LaBorde (2013) postulates, â€Å"a series of weather-related shocks in 2012- including severe droughts in Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the United States- contributed to global food prices remaining high for a fifth consecutive year† (LaBorde 2013, Para.5). Although the EU and the US do provide subsidies to different agricultural products, they have refused to heed to these calls. Rather, they have opted to increase subsidies on agricultural sectors domestically. Such strategies have long-term implications on the worldwide food systems, coupled with impairing food securities in the developing nations (Babcock, 2007: Alston, 2008). Similarities between the US and the EU Agricultural Policies Benefits to Farmers According to Westcott and Young (2004), one of the major similarities between subsidies of the agricultural sectors in both the US and the EU is that subsidising has resulted in lowering the costs of production. In fact, â€Å"in 2005, the US government gave farmers agricultural subsidies amounting to$14 billion and in the European Union, dairy farmers received subsidies amounting to $47 billion† (Westcott Young 2004). This equates to more than the sum earned by every person (on average) in the developing nations. This explicitly implies that the US and the EU farmers were able to produce their products much cheaper than those outside of their countries because of government subsidies. Consequently, based on research by Drabenstott (2008), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service’s (2007), foreign traders found it difficult to introd uce their products into these two markets, since the price of the subsidised farm products were lower than those they could sell their products at, even for them to break even. Although such subsidies resulted in stimulation of, and therefore, over-production of subsidised agricultural sector products, farmers in the US and EU benefited in that they were able to place their surplus products in the market in higher quantities. This case meant that the consumption of the products also increased. Influences on Income In 2002, cotton farmers in America earned much of their revenues from the country’s administration through subsidies brought into force under provisions of the Farm Bill (Morgan, Gaul, Cohen 2009). These subsides also stimulated overproduction of cotton in 2002. Much of this excess production was sold to the global markets at much lower prices well below the break-even points of cotton farmers in the developing world. Similarly, in the EU, in 2004,  £3.30 was spe nt in the exportation of sugar worth £1(Oxfam International 2004, p.39). Although, the subsidies had a positive impact on the incomes earned by EU farmers, global market distortions occurred. Subsidies for agricultural products in the US and the EU have an overall impact of protecting revenue losses that are likely to be encountered by EU and the US farmers. However, in the US for instance, farm subsidies favour large-scale farmers over small-scale ones, with non-farm families’ incomes being negatively impacted (see Fig 2). This situation is inappropriate, especially considering that most of the farm families are located in rural areas where the cost of living is lower. Fig 2: Differences between incomes for large farms and small farms in the US Source: (Becker 2002) Effects of Agricultural Subsidies on Famers Family Budgets Farm policies that are realised through subsidies are meant to provide relief on farmers’ household budgets. Unfortunately, they produce opposi te effects, as Becker (2002) states they, â€Å"harm family farmers by excluding them from most subsidies, encouraging the merging of family farms, and raising land values to levels that prevent young people from entering farming† (p.17). This suggests that agricultural subsidies fail to provide relief to the struggling farmers, especially those who are new to farming, because overproduction results in low prices of agricultural products. In turn, the net effect on the capacity to fund family budgets is minimal. Tax Farm subsidies have the overall impact of increasing the cost of living through increased taxes. As the economy for both the US and the EU continues to boom, congress also increases the subsidies offered to farms. Wyatt and Ashok (2010) support this assertion by claiming, â€Å"After averaging less than $14 billion per year during the 1990s, annual farm subsidies have topped $25 billion in the current decade since the passage of the 2002 farm bill, the most expen sive farm bill in American history† (Wyatt Ashok 2010, p.1931). This argument implies that all spending by the federal governments has to be funded by taxes levied from citizens. In the US, Morgan, Gaul, and Cohen (2009) put the costs of farm subsidies at $216 per household in the form of yearly taxes, with an additional extra charging of $104 per household as escalated food prices. Conclusion The central purpose for enacting farm subsidy policies is centred on the need for alleviating poverty among rural farmers, and provision of food security by encouraging over production. Noting this purpose, the paper argues that scrutiny of the impact towards agricultural subsidies from an economic perspective, fails to contend with this aim. This is because such policies result to disadvantaging small-scale farmers outside the EU and the US, since the subsidies result in over production. The repercussion is to lower the prices of products in the global market, with the result that farm ers’ operations in other nations without the subsidies never break even. Within the US and the EU, subsidies create an imbalance of income between families that own farms and those that do not. Agricultural subsidies make families that own farms to earn higher incomes compared to those that do not own farms, yet families owning farms live in the rural areas where the cost of living is low. Hence, overall, farm subsidies have negative impacts on a nation’s economy, even though farmers (especially large-scale farmers) benefit incredibly from higher incomes. The underlying issue however, is that this is achieved at the expense of the smaller farmers operating in the same global market, who do not enjoy farm subsidies. References Alston, J 2008, Lessons from Agricultural Policy Reform in Other Countries: The 2007 Farm Bill and Beyond, American Enterprise Institute, New York. Amegashie, A 2006, ‘The Economics of Subsidies’, Crossroads, vol. 6 no.2, pp. 7-15. An derson, J 2005, ‘Tariff Index Theory’, Review of International Economics, vol. 3 no. 2, pp. 156-173. Babcock, B 2007, Money for Nothing: Acreage and Price Impacts of U.S. Commodity Policy for Corn, Soybeans, Wheat, Cotton, and Rice in American Enterprise Institute, The 2007 Farm Bill and Beyond, AEI Press, Washington, D.C. Becker, E 2002, ‘Land Rich in Subsidies and Poor in Much Else’, The New York Times, January 22, pp.17-18. Chapman, D, Foskett, K, Clarke, M 2006, ‘How Savvy Growers Can Double, or Triple, Subsidy Dollars’, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, vol. 2 no.1, pp. 121-127. Court of Auditors 2003, Special Report no 9/2003 concerning the system for setting the rates of subsidy on exports of agricultural products (export refunds), together with the Commission’s replies, Court of Auditors, London. Covey, T et al. 2007, Agriculture Income and Finance Outlook, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, New York. Dra benstott, M 2008, ‘Do Farm Payments Promote Rural Economic Growth? Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Centre for the Study of Rural America’, The Main Street Economist, vol. 8 no. 1, pp. 57-61. Jerome, M, Stam, D, Milkove, L, George, B 2006, Indicators of Financial Stress in Agriculture Reported by Agri ­cultural Banks, 1982-99 AIS-74, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. Krishna, P Panagariya, A 2009, ‘A Unification of Second Best Results in International Trade’, Journal of International Economics, vol. 52 no. 2, pp. 235-257. Kym, A Will, M 2011, ‘Agricultural Trade Reform and the Doha Development Agenda’, The World Economy, vol. 28 no. 9, pp. 1301–1327. LaBorde, D 2013, The hidden cost of US and EU farm subsidies, ifpri.org/blog/hidden-costs-us-and-eu-farm-subsidies Mankiw, N 1997, Principles of economics, Harcourt Brace, Fort Worth. Morgan, D, Gaul, G, Cohen, S 2009, ‘Farm Program Pays $1.3 Billion to People Who Dont Farm’, The Washington Post, vol. 5 no. 2, pp. 99-103. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2006, Agricultural Policies in OECD Countries: At a Glance, OECD Publishing, Paris. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development 2007, Subsidy Reform and Sustainable Development, OECD, Paris. Oxfam International 2004, ‘A Sweeter Future? The potential for EU sugar reform to contribute to poverty reduction in southern Africa’, Oxfam Briefing Paper No. 70. November 2004, pp. 39-40. Riedl, B 2008, ‘How Farm Subsidies Harm Taxpayers, Consumers, and Farmers, European’, Journal of Economics, vol. 3 no. 2, pp. 315-321. Summer, D 2013, Effects of Farm Subsidies for the Rich on Poor Farmers, North Western University, California. Szymanski, S Valletti, T 2005, ‘Incentive Effects of Second Prises’, European Journal of Political Economy, vol. 2 no. 1, pp. 467-481. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, 2007, Food Expenditures by Families and Individuals as a Share of Disposable Personal Income data, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Weers, A Hemme, T 2012, Global Review-The Supply of Milk and Dairy Products, Wilhelmitorwall, IFCN Dairy Network. Westcott, P Young, E 2004, U.S. Farm Program Benefits: Links to Planting Decisions and Agricultural Markets, U.S. Department of Agriculture, New York. Wyatt , T Ashok, M 2010, ‘Farm Household Income and Transfer Efficiency: An Evaluation of United States Farm Program Payments’, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, vol. 91 no. 5, pp. 1926–1937.

Rational for the lesson I design by using technology in teaching Assignment - 1

Rational for the lesson I design by using technology in teaching English( power point and Hot potato software) - Assignment Example 276). CALL uses a wide range of technological tools to assist language teachers and learners to achieve an effective learning process (Leakey 2011, p. 56). Technology in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) refers to CALL–based teaching methods (Levy and Stockwell 2006, p. 15). There are many technological tools that can be employed as CALL enhancements for TEFL including: computer programs like PowerPoint and Hot Potatoes, online interactive systems like Skype, internet social networks like Twitter and Face book, web blogs and wikis among others (Levy and Stockwell 2006, p. 23; Nadia 2013, p. 3). Although these technological tools are regarded with skepticism by some analysts, they play an important role in improving the overall TEFL process both to the teacher and to the students (Leakey 2011, p. 96). The following essay details a critical analysis on the use of CALL tools for TEFL with specific reference to the tools I used. I chose the Microsoft software, PowerPoint to design materials for my TEFL lesson and Hot Potatoes for student exercises and activities. This lesson was designed for intermediate level students in Saudi Arabia. The class is composed of young children between the ages of 12 years and 16 years (International Bureau of Education 2011, p. 21). These kids have just completed their primary or elementary school level. The class is composed of both girls and boys who have learned Arabic as their first language (International Bureau of Education 2011, p. 22). The class has 25 pupils. The students need CALL resources such as laptops and computers to use for the presentation and subsequent tasks. The internet is also needed for this lesson mainly for the Hot Potatoes testing program. The first strength is that, I am a highly trained professional in the fields of TEFL and in CALL implementation. This ensures that I will execute my responsibilities effectively to impart English skills in the students. I am also armed with suitable

The Effects of Entrepreneurial Orientation on Firm Performance Essay

The Effects of Entrepreneurial Orientation on Firm Performance - Essay Example In order to tie these people up together, there is a need to focus on the fact that any action needs to be affective first in order to be effective. This is where entrepreneurial orientation comes in. It has been described as a process that integrates personal and organisational goals so as to form a common value base. This act in itself will help in garnering better performance standards through better allocation and optimum utilisation of resources. This paper seeks to reveal the effects of this entrepreneurial orientation on firm performance through a study based on two premises that have to do with entrepreneurial control as well as competitive advantage so as to discuss the internal and external factors that affect firm performance when entrepreneurial orientation is exercised. The organisation, in the modern day context, has become a body that is made up of its human resource and the quality that this resource base imbibes into the operational sphere of the organisation. The modern day organisation depends to a great extent on the contribution and quality of its human capital. The human capital may be defined as that element of the organisation’s operational sphere that is a living, breathing part of the activities that put the innate resources and factors of production into application. This application results in profits arising out of the activities of the human capital and the efficiency with which this resource carries out its tasks. This in turn, has a bearing on the achievement of the organisation’s goals in the sense that the organisation is structured according to the quality of the HR within it. Also, it shows the principles that are followed by the management in manning the organisation. The entrepreneurial orientation takes place on the basis of the strategic business plan. This plan for any organisation depends on its resource

Slave History Essay Example for Free

Slave History Essay Summary I American Slavery, American Freedom written by Edmund S. Morgan captures the history of Virginia while keeping focusing on the social and political elements that uplifted the way of slavery. With the focus on Virginia, the book also probes the central paradox of American history: how a people could have developed the dedication to human liberty and dignity exhibited by the leaders of the American Revolution and at the same time have developed and maintained a system of labor that denied human liberty and dignity every hour of the day (pg. 4-5). The key to the paradox is presented in Virginia, the nations largest slave state and primary source of the ideology and leadership. Also the source of conditions which made slavery and freedom possible was discovered through the state of Virginia by the political and social history being discovered. According to Morgans preface, enslavement took more hold on the nations freedom than one may conclude. Indeed the freedom of free, the growth of freedom experienced in the American Revolution, depended more than we like to admit on the enslavement of more the 20 percent of us at that time. According to the book, The rise of liberty and equality in America had been accompanied by the rise of slavery (pg.4)†. Throughout book one of American Slavery, American Freedom the author discusses the start of the poor relationship between the American Indians and the Virginia colonist, and the increase of tobacco as an important crop grown by the slaves of Virginia. It was Virginia slave who grew most of tobacco that helped buy American independence (pg.5-6). The hostility began at the ill-fated Roanoke colony among the England colonist and Indians. Unlike the founders of Roanoke, Virginia refuse to depend on the Indians for subsistence and when the king placed the Virginians in charge, they could not capture the thought of the Indians being a part of the colony as well as slaves, and therefore suffered a labor shortage. The poor character from the immigrants resulting in unwillingness to work contributed to Virginias failure to provide and care for itself. Therefore, Virginia decided to give the land away to planters in hope to promote a better style of productivity and working in the new world becomes the new motive. However, similar to Morgan’s American Slavery, American Freedom, Sowande Mustakeem article also tells of slavery in a New  World. â€Å"She must go overboard, and shall go overboard†¦Ã¢â‚¬  by Sowande Mustakeem takes its reader through the journey of the middle passage while discussing the conditions of the environment, the relationship between the slaves and crewmen, as well as disease. The article begins by stating its purpose of the story telling of human life and lost contributing to, and bringing together several fields of knowledge (Mustakeem 302). In the article the author uses a black woman, anonymously, as a key point towards the slave ship experience. The black woman is diseased with the small pox, which held an exception place throughout the early modern Atlantic World at sea and even more on land creating on intensively fearful climate and also lacked the answer of treatment (Mustakeem 303-304). Due to her terrible illness the black woman was forced to be isolated from the rest of the ship. Already traumatized by the physical and emotional separation from her homeland the black woman was placed on the main top of the ship’s vessel where she then remained for two days alone. Her illness became worst and fear began to emerge. There were several ways today the black woman’s small pox diseases could have been cured; however, because of the lack of medical resources during the time being, there was little the captain and his crew men could do. It was either to keep the black woman aboard and endanger the captain’s crew and cargo or get rid of the woman and cease the spread of small pox. The risk of the woman’s health quickly became the centerpiece of the men’s conversation, and a decision had to be made. Wanting to save the cargo and crew, Captain D’Wolf came to the conclusion that there weren’t any alternatives and that the black woman was to be thrown overboard, whether dead or alive, into the sea. Some believe that many slave owners, traders, and anyone who participated in slave trading dehumanized slaves, although D’Wolf crew men seemed to have a heart towards the black woman, thus realizing she too was human and had feelings just like him. â€Å"Not everyone however, was completely convinced by D’Wolf’s argument. According to John Cranston, none of the sailors tried to overturn D’Wolf’s decision, but several indicated â€Å"that they would not have any Thing to do with it (Mustakeem 306-307).†Ã¢â‚¬  Strapped to a chair, while silenced and sightless by clothe the woman was lowered into the waters of the sea by the crewmen, forced to be a member of the unknown just like her disease. When it comes to American Slavery, American Freedom Preface and Book I in relation to †She  must go overboard, and shall go overboard†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the two demonstrated that there is more than just slaves, slave owners, and slave traders. There is the origin of the slave trade, the founding father s, the state of Virginia, the strategies, methods, conditions and circumstance, and much more. There was also the connection of the unknown that frightened many. For instance, the Indians, Spaniards, tobacco, and unwillingness to work presented in Morgan’s reading. As well as the small pox disease presented in Mustakeem’s reading. No one knew or quite understood what change and difference could do so many were closed minded. Another connection I noticed between the two is that everyone was trying to support and provide for their selves the best way they knew how in the New world, much similar to today’s society. Although we do not know if anyone had a family to provide and make a way for, but if so that could have been a motive towards their involvement in slavery. I know if I had a family and it was between to have to struggle or make a standard living from slave trading, I would have shifted towards slavery myself, although I would have a heart just like D’Wolf’s sailors, but that just a thought. What I believe is a key comparison between the two readings is the unknown. The unknown is pretty scary. Questions linger and confused feelings com about. However, the unknown we must not be frightened by but instead intrigued because within the unknown the truth lies and may be known.

Brave New World - Happiness :: essays research papers

With reference to the text, discuss Mustafa Mond’s statement: â€Å" The secret to happiness is liking what you have to do.† Mustafa Mond is presented to us as one of the Ten World Controllers in Brave New World, of that Utopian, communal and stabilized world, set six hundred years into future. This new world that contradicts the world we live in today, eliminated the Freedoms that we depend on: the freedom of choice, the freedom of thought, religion and being. They have chosen to condition their individuals in baby factories in order to ensure identity, community and stability. The fundamental tenet behind the conditioning is utilitarianism, which describes a society that seeks to create maximum happiness. Those who are happy are thought to be efficient and beneficial to society. Mond’s statement: â€Å"The secret to happiness is liking what you have to do,† applies to his ‘conditioned’ world, with abolished Freedoms, but it does not apply to the world we live in today. Huxley shows how "identity" is established in the Conditioning Centre through the selection of the embryos into each of five groups. All the individuals in Brave New World have their identity predestined by someone else. This promotes stability by creating a group of workers whose preferences are moulded by the state. I cannot concur with this idea of ‘puppet creation’ where people can be depicted as puppets and the state can be said to be their puppet master who has a right to choose their character roles. In our society, this goes against the freedom of being and becoming someone you wish to be. Mr Foster addresses the students about Epsilons and mentions, â€Å"We condition them to thrive on heat,† (p. 31). This can explain why they are predestined to like warm temperatures and why they emigrate to tropics to become miners and steel workers and in that way benefit the society. I should mention that I do not agree with their idea that one should be conditioned to be happy with what they are doing or to perform the task correctly. In today’s society, one may notice that there are people who grew up near coalmines and without anyone forcing them to work, they still feel like they should dedicate themselves to a miner’s duty. They might have been born into a miner’s family and upon their own will, might decide to follow their family’s footsteps.

What is Scapegoating?

Scapegoat has been going on for centuries, people blaming others for their misfortunes even though the ones that are being punished ad nothing to with it at all. The best known example of scapegoat are the Nazi's, who blamed the Jewish people for Germany's economic problems and along with many other difficulties that hit Germany post-World War l. The Nazi's accused the Jews of being part of a hypothetical conspiracy against Germany and in which cause the death Of over 6 million innocent people.There have been ;o theories that explain scapegoat which are, frustration-aggression-displacement and ideological theories of scapegoat. The frustration-aggression-displacement theory is based on the frustration hero of aggression, meaning frustration causes aggression but if that aggression can't be emitted to the main sources then that person's aggression will be displaced toward an easier target.An example, a woman is becoming frustrated because she is being yelled at by her manager, but wil l not act aggressively with the fear of losing her job the women will leave work to go home and where she will displace that aggression toward the Innocent target which in case will be her child. The child is innocent third party and becomes the replacement for her manger. The frustration-aggression- displacement theory was the first theory of scapegoat but even with 60 years of research it still lacks substantial support for it to be true.There was a study done by Carl Havilland and Robert Sear, about the relation of the economic conditions in the 1 ass's and the hate crime of lynching African Americans people. The researchers wanted to prove that white people were using the African Americans as scapegoat when the economic conditions declined but Donald and colleagues later found with modern statistical tools that the link couldn't truly exist. Thus this theory cannot explain why some outgrows are chosen to be scapegoats and others aren't. The ideological theory is the one that wil l explain why outgrows are chosen to be the scapegoats.The ideological will provide a scapegoat that explains the dilemmas, the people will use this ideology to satisfy the need to understand the reasons for their shortage. The ingrown will make themselves feel better by picking out a common outgrip to compare with and know where to direct the blame. The scapegoats have little power since the ingrown knows he outgrip won't resist, they already disliked the group, may also be chosen because Of their noticeable features or have well-known stereotypes which makes them standout and can be seen as a threat to society.The example of a current scapegoat can be the illegal immigrates, since they have no papers that makes them a citizen people will use them for cheap labor but will also blame them for united states economic troubles and say that their the reason that we are becoming over populated. Describe the relative deprivation theory of prejudice. How is relative deprivation a source of dissatisfaction and resentment and how can this lead to prejudice? Also, how can feelings of relative gratification lead to prejudice?The main meaning of relative deprivation theory is people comparing their lives or possessions to others and beginning to feel deprived relative of things they used before or seen other with and believe the people don't deserve those resources. There are two types of relative deprivation theory. The personal relative deprivation means a person is feeling deprived of as an individual and the group relative deprivation is the person is feeling that their group is being deprived of benefits or of experiences. The group relative deprivation is the type that is connected to prejudice.People become dissatisfied with their lifestyle and envious Of those with a more appealing way of living, making them believing they are the ones who truly deserve it and will start to resent that particular group for obtaining that lifestyle. A study was conducted by Reeve V anessa and Thomas Pettier that had data of white people that felt group deprived. The result showed that 54% aid they were group relative deprivation expressed negative arrogance's towards African American compared to the 42% that were low in group relative deprivation and showed no connection to prejudice.The opposite of relative deprivation is relative gratification, which is when a people is feeling they are getting better than what they really deserve. The study done by Grammar and Edwards proved that relative gratification can lead to prejudice by asking people if they think in the future their economic situations can either worsen (relative deprivation), or become better (relative gratification), r will it stay the same. They found that both economic futures that changed were also willing to endorse political violence.The same Study was constructed by Gumming and Dammars but they added ethic prejudice to be the dependent variable and found that both groups that experienced rel ative gratification and relative deprivation were more prejudice than the controlled group. The feelings of relative gratification can lead to prejudice by people comparing themselves to the outgrip and having negative beliefs of how the outgrip became more successful.

Feeling Overwhelmed by Research Organize Your Notes

When working on a large project, students can sometimes become overwhelmed by all the information they gather in their research. This can happen when a student is working on a  research paper with many segments or when several students are working on a large project together. In group research, each student can come up with a stack of notes, and when the work is all combined, the paperwork creates a confusing mountain of notes! If you struggle with this problem you may find relief in this coding technique. Overview This organization method involves three main steps: Sorting research into piles, forming sub-topicsAssigning a letter to each segment or â€Å"pile†Numbering and coding the pieces in each pile This may sound like a time-consuming process, but you will soon find that organizing your research is  time well spent! Organizing Your Research First of all, don’t ever hesitate to use your bedroom floor as an important first tool when it comes to getting organized. Many books begin their lives as bedroom floor-piles of paperwork which eventually become chapters. If you are starting with a mountain of papers or index cards, your first goal is to divide your work into preliminary piles that represent segments or chapters (for smaller projects these would be paragraphs). Don’t worry—you can always add or take away chapters or segments as needed. It won’t be long before you realize that some of your papers (or note cards) contain information that could fit into one, two, or three different places. That’s normal, and you’ll be pleased to know that there is a good way to deal with the problem. You will assign a number to each piece of research. Note: Make absolutely certain that each piece of research contains full citation information. Without reference information, each piece of research is worthless. How to Code Your Research To illustrate the method that uses numbered research papers, we’ll use a research assignment entitled â€Å"Bugs in My Garden.† Under this topic you might decide to start out with the following subtopics which will become your piles: A) Plants and Bugs IntroductionB) Fear of BugsC) Beneficial BugsD) Destructive BugsE) Bug Summary Make a sticky note or note card for each pile, labeled A, B, C, D, and E and start sorting your papers accordingly. Once your piles are complete, start labeling each piece of research with a letter and a number. For example, the papers in your â€Å"introduction† pile will be labeled with A-1, A-2, A-3, and so on. As you sort through your notes, you might find it hard to determine which pile is best for each piece of research. For example, you may have a note card that concerns wasps. This information could go under â€Å"fear† but it also fits under â€Å"beneficial bugs,† as wasps eat leaf-eating caterpillars! If you have a hard time assigning a pile, try to put the research into the topic that will come earliest in the writing process. In our example, the wasp piece would go under â€Å"fear.† Put your piles into separate folders labeled A, B, C, D, and E. Staple the appropriate note card to the outside of its matching folder. Start Writing Logically, you would start  writing your paper using the research in your A (intro) pile. Each time you work with a piece of research, take a moment to consider if it would fit into a later segment. If so, place that paper in the next folder and make a note of it on the index card of that folder. For example, when you are finished writing about wasps in segment B, place your wasp research in folder C. Make a note of this on the folder C note card to help maintain organization. As you write your paper you should insert the letter/number code each time you use or refer to a piece of research—instead of putting citations in as you write. Then once you’ve completed your paper you can go back and replace codes with citations. Note: Some researchers prefer to go ahead and create full citations as they write. This can eliminate a step, but it can become confusing if you are working with footnotes or endnotes and you attempt to re-arrange and edit. Still Feeling Overwhelmed? You might experience some anxiety when you read back over your paper and realize that you need to restructure your paragraphs and move information from one segment to another. This is not a problem when it comes to the labels and categories that you’ve assigned to your research. The important thing is making sure that each piece of research and each quote is coded. With proper coding, you can always find a piece of information when you need it—even if you’ve moved it around several times.