For this assignment, you will read a report or article on informal/precarious labor in your research country. MY RESEARCH COUNTRY IS THAILAND (Find the report/article under your country’s name in Modules). You will then write a paper (approximately 500 words) describing and analyzing the report or article. Your paper should:
(a) Define informal or precarious labor (i.e. what makes these workers different from formal labor or from the traditional working class?). Describe in what sense the workers in the report are informal or precarious laborers.
(b) Describe the negative social consequences of informal and/or precarious labor according to the report.
(c) Describe the action proposal presented in your report for how the negative consequences associated with informal labor may be resolved.
(d) Critically analyze the action proposal. You can do this by agreeing with the proposal (and by presenting evidence from a case discussed in the class readings or a case with which you are familiar about why this proposal is a good way to address the negative social consequences associated with informal labor) or by disagreeing with the proposal (and similarly by presenting evidence from a case discussed in the class readings or a case with which you are familiar about why this proposal is likely inadequate; or why another means of addressing informal labor issues would be is better). Please note, the critical analysis constitutes 40% of your grade for this assignment, so be sure to accord it sufficient attention.
General points about effective writing
A. Don’t bury your thesis. Tell me right away what your paper is about. Start off with a clear statement of your topic.
B. Write with clarity and concision
1. Avoid wordiness. Don’t tell me a bunch of necessary stuff.
2. If you use any technical terms or jargon, explain them. (Especially pertinent advice for this assignment, as you’ll be graded on the extent to which you explain and apply the course concepts).
3. Make the structure of your paper easy to follow. Don’t jump around randomly. Help the reader see how you are moving from point to point. What ties this paragraph to the one before it? How is the point you are making now related to what you said above?
