CAS IR 368/EC 368:  Contemporary East Asian Economics

1st Take-Home Examination

Instructions

1.    Please complete the exam and submit as a Word document or PDF through Blackboard

2.    All written work must be your own. That includes proofreading. By submitting the completed exam to Blackboard, you are formally attesting that it is your own work.

3.    Please quote and cite all written work. You do not need to consult any texts beyond the assigned readings, but you should let me know what sources you used. Also, you should let me know if you are using the Flath textbook that is available through the library rather than Ito & Hoshi.

Part I:  Short Answer
Answer two out of three of the following questions in your bluebook.  (Approximately 300 words per question.)  (10 points per question)

1.    What were the main elements and effects of the Dodge Line?

2.    What were the main elements and justifications for the Structural Impediments Initiative?

3.    What are the implications of the decline in cross-shareholding since the 1990s?

Part II:  Essay
Answer one of the following two questions.  Be sure to answer all of parts of the question; otherwise points will be deducted on the assumption that you do not know how to answer it.  (Approximately 600 words.) (30 points)

1.    Discuss Japans post-war labor market.  What are the implications of enterprise unionism? What are the implications (and limitations) of lifetime employment?  How does seniority-based pay fit into the system?  How can the problem of shirking be dealt with in a system of lifetime employment?  How is the system being challenged today?

2.    Discuss Japans growth pattern from the 1950s through the 1970s. What are the roles of particular factor inputs and TFP?  How did those factors change over time?  What accounts for the decline in growth rates in the 1970s?