European and International Economic Environment, 2021-2022

First Exercise

Some scholars think that geography is the main determinant of economic development,
some others argue instead that it is institutions, while others think it is culture. What do
you think the main driver of economic growth is?

Pick one theory: geography, institutions, or culture. Your goal is to write a one-page
report convincing me that your theory is the right one.

The structure of the report will be the following:

1) Strong points of your theory. Why can you explain economic development with
your theory?
2) Criticize the other two theories. Why can you not explain economic development
with the other theories?

Some suggestions:
 For both point 1 and 2, please provide a) a theoretical reasoning; b) concrete
examples (more than one).
 You are allowed to use any material from class or out of class that you find useful.
Expanding your research to out of class materials will be rewarded.
 Please be concise. You can use bullet points if you want.
 Justify your claims and provide sources in a reference list.
 Do not plagiarize.
 Anything beyond one page (Times New Roman, 12 pt.) will not count for the grade.
The list of references will not count for the page limit.
 Write the names of the group components at the top of the page.