China's role in the global economy is growing ever-stronger: Buying U.S. debt and selling cheap exports are just a few of the ways it flexes its muscles. Possible research paper topics discussing China include the economic effects of unpegging the yuan from the dollar, the consequences of China cashing in its US reserves and the effects China's labor laws have on the price of exports. Or, document how China's communist laws mixed with capitalist regulations influence its role in the global economy. Explore the U.S.'s role in China's emergence by discussing trade policies and whether the U.S. is helped or hindered by such policies.
The Great Depression of the 1920s compelled the U.S. government to introduce stringent regulations on the stock market, notably the Glass-Steagal act later repealed under the Clinton Administration. Though prominent economists like Milton Friedman believe the government should stay out of markets, others advocate greater transparency in financial transactions. Write a research paper outlining the history of regulations and de-regulation in the U.S. stock market and express your stance on this intervention.
Or, write a detailed paper on how regulations affect the formation of bubbles, like the tech or housing bubbles. Another topic is whether or not institutions are "too big to fail" and if they should receive government bailouts like AIG and others did in 2008.
William M. Pride, Robert James Hughes and Jack R. Kapoor explain in the textbook, "Business" that an oligopoly is a market with few sellers. They cite the automobile, cereal, farm and airline industries as examples of oligopolies. In the research paper, explain what effects an oligopoly has on setting prices, staying in business and maintaining a profit. Draw from basic game theory and use Nash's equilibrium when explaining price setting.
"Going green" by using recycled materials and using fuel-efficient machinery is costly to companies, especially smaller businesses that don't have the capital to upgrade their equipment. Discuss what obligations companies should have, if any, to improve the environment. Explain what effects such legislation has on businesses and discuss how the price of goods and services are impacted by such mandates. Cite specific legislation like President Barack Obama's climate bill.
Or, highlight the green endeavors of large companies and explain how these decisions will impact their bottom lines. Newsweek provides a 2009 list of 500 large companies, ranking Hewlett-Packard and Dell at the top.