Banker to the Poor

Don't forget to keep reading! Here are some preliminary thoughts on essay topics for you to look at:

Your essay should be minimum of 5 pages, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, normal margins. This doesn't include the title page and list of references used.

1. Describe the differences in women's experiences in Bagladesh compared with Canada.
2. - or between poor women's experiences in Bangladesh compared with Canada.
3. Would you want to take a job as a bank staffer with the Grameen Bank? Are Canadian young adults suited for this type of job?
4. How is Yunus different than many business people, adults, and traditional ways of thinking that you see in Canada today? In your opinion, should Canadian business people be more like him, or less? Would his attitudes work in Canada?
5. What do the recipients of Grameen loans do with the money they borrow? Would you consider them to be more or less entrepreneurial than people in North America today?
6. Is it easier to start a small business today in Bangladesh than in Canada?
7. See p. 149-151. Is credit a human right? Yunus has a new way of looking at people - he sees them as creative entrepreneurs and he sees micro-credit as an empowering, liberating force. This is different than the traditional economic view that sees people as consumers and labourers and results in credit being an enslaving force.
8. See p. 140-142 and p. 161. Why are the poor poor? Is this similar to the way people here view young people? Do they already have skills or do they need more and more training? Is the Ontario Summer Company program similar to Grameen?
9. See p. 176-188. Could micro-credit work in Canada?
10. See p. 201-212. What is actual economic growth? Is profit maximization the way to go? Look at our local businesses here and the value they place on trust and relationships. Are small town businesses in Canada similar to the ones described in this passage? Has Yunus changed the way you think about economics?

Name that communist country

1. Our leader is Kim Jong Il and we sing his praises daily.
2. Our leader is Fidel Castro.
3. We are a small country. Our main trading partner is China, who we depend on greatly.
4. We are not only the biggest country in the world, we make most of your household goods.
5. We are not communist, and we export many agricultural goods such as pineapples and bananas. Our country is poor and many of us work in the agricultural sector, where it is not uncommon to see animals used to carry loads and work the land.

Who was Jane Jacobs? Who are all these other guys?

And what's up with Alfred Marshall's moustache??
Today we heard about 7 different economists from different historical eras.
See if you can match them with these ideas:
1. It is possible to end extreme poverty.
2. Supply and demand theory
3. Groundbreaking policies that made life better for average Americans during the Great Depression.
4. Walkable, livable cities that are made for people, not cars.
5. Large corporations' power should be controlled.
6. Free trade is good for all countries involved.
7. Responsible for policies that led to the breakup of the Soviet Union and the end of communism in Europe.

We look forward to the presentations on Monday by the Grade 11's.

What is a pure market economy? What is a mixed economy?

In a pure market economy, all decisions are made by private individuals and firms. The government's only role is to prevent illegal transfers of resources.
All economies have some elements of a command system (eg. gov't health care, education, business regulations) and a market system.

We will take up worksheet questions 1 and 2 tomorrow.

Here is the link to the Global Museum on Communism.
http://www.globalmuseumoncommunism.org/

Karl Marx, author of The Communist Manifesto