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Research and Explore
1. Listed below are some activities that could help increase a country's
GNP per capita growth. Assume that you are an officer in the Ministry
of Planning. Because funds are limited, not all plans can be implemented
at once.
- Rank the following
activities in the order in which you would undertake them. Explain
why you chose this ranking.
- Resurface
and broaden a highway for trucks carrying logs from the countrys
largest forest to its only seaport.
- Provide subsidized
loans to banks so they can make small loans with low interest
rates to 500 small business owners.
- Equip twenty
minibuses to provide health care and family planning services
in rural areas; train and pay salaries of bus workers.
- Train 100
secondary school graduates to teach in understaffed primary schools
and to run adult literacy programs.
- Train and
equip fifty field workers and pay their salaries for a year; each
trainee will teach 100 farmers to use a new planting technique
that will help increase production.
- Are there any
activities you would not undertake? Explain.
- Think of three
additional programs that could help increase GNP per capita. Describe
each program and explain how you would fit them into your ranking.
2. How does your
local government spend its money? Use your local newspaper, government
offices, council members, and other sources to find out what community
infrastructure projects (for example, roads, railways, buildings, telecommunications
systems, energy supply systems, or water and sanitation systems) have
been approved by your local government within the last year. Choose
one project that is interesting to you, and answer the following questions:
- What is the nature
of this project?
- Who will benefit
from this project, everyone or a segment of the population? Explain
your answer.
- How much will
the project cost?
- Who will pay
for the project? Are all of the funds public, or are there also private
investments? If some of the funds are private, who are these investors
and how do they intend to benefit from the project?
- Who will pay
for maintenance?
- Were the environmental
impacts of the project considered? Explain.
- Were there any
people opposed to the project? If so, what were their arguments against
the project? Were these arguments valid? Explain.
- In your opinion,
will this project contribute to sustainable development? Explain.
3. How has technology
affected the workplace? Interview someone in your family or community
who has performed the same work or has worked at the same company for
5 - 10 to find out how technology has or has not altered their work
productivity and environment and job security.
- Find out what
your subject does and how long he or she has been in that position.
Then ask the following questions:
- Has the
amount of technology you use in your job changed since you started
working?
- If no,
are there any parts of your job that you think could benefit
from using more technology? In what way?
- If yes,
how has technology affected the way in which you do your job?
- What kind
of training did you get with the new technology? Was it enough?
Explain.
- How has
technology affected the number of people or the amount of time
required to do your job?
- How has
technology affected the amount of pollution generated in the
production process?
- How has
technology affected relationships among employees?
- How has
technology affected the quality of the product?
- How has
technology affected profits?
- List at least
five additional questions you will ask when you interview your subject.
- Based on your
interview, prepare an oral presentation or write a report discussing
whether technological changes have contributed to sustainable development
in your subjects field of work.
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