Social and Post Keynesian Economic Theory Perspectives on Trade Data for Three Trading Partners (Mexico, Canada, and the United States)

Topic in Context. This essay analyzes export and import data to reach conclusions about Mexico, Canada, and the United States (US) trade interactions from the perspective of Social and Post Keynesian Economic Theories. This topic was chosen because I live in the US and have an interest in the development and welfare of these countries and because insights related to this topic should help me in my investment-related research and analysis.

Analysis: Theoretical Comparisons. From the World Bank’s WITS website, I obtained the data that is shown below in the Table or Diagram section. In the next section “Analysis: Social Economic Theory”, I use the table’s data and other data obtained from the WITS website in analyzing Social Economic Theory’s implications based on the data.

Then in the section “Analysis: Post Keynesian Economic Theory”, I provide analysis from the table and the WITS website related to Post Keynesian Economic Theory and Mexico, Canada, and US international trade.

Analysis: Social Economic Theory. The table shows trade ratios for each country for the years, 2000, 2010, and 2016. The trade ratio is an indication of a country’s willingness for international trade, a Social Theory evaluation. The ratios are interesting in that the willingness of Mexico to trade has increased by approximately 43% ((73% - 51%)/51%) from 2000 to 2016 whereas Canada’s willingness to trade has decreased by about 26% ((52% - 70%)/70%). This is surprising as one would expect Mexico, with a much lower GDP in 2016 then Canada’s ($38,185 million compared to $82,243 million), might be more resistant to international trade due to a weaker negotiating position as a poorer country (according to Social Economic Theory).

Consistent with Social Economic Theory is the lower trade ratio for the US (20% in 2016) compared to Mexico and Canada (73% and 52% in 2016) as countries with large economies, such as the US, do not need to depend as much on international trade.

Analysis: Post Keynesian Economic Theory. In Post Keynesian Economic Theory related to trade emphasis is placed on the importance of being the lowest cost provider by specializing in production where competitive advantage already exists. Such specialization includes low-cost labor (represented by Mexico) and natural resources (represented by Canada). The trade ratios in the table for Mexico and Canada, which are high, are consistent with Post Keynesian Economic Theory that suggests that countries with low-labor wages or good natural resources should pursue international trade.

Other WITS data is also consistent with Post Keynesian Economic Theory. This data shows that for Mexico, top imports includes various part types, e.g. automobile and electrical parts, and top exports finished automobiles and electronic products. This is consistent for a country with low-labor wages, such as Mexico. For Canada, top exports include natural gas and petroleum products, consistent for a country rich in natural resources.

Statistics. Statistics on the World Bank’s WITS website has been used in the analysis. This URL, https://wits.worldbank.org/, links to the website.

The Coursera Writings

Analysis of “To be or not to be - that is the question”, spoken by Hamlet in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, I believe provides some insight into what Francis Bacon might mean by his quote “We must obey the forces we want to command”. In Hamlet’s statement, he suggests that a beginning point in being or not being (a force, event, outcome, goal, objective strategy) that we want to command (be, achieve, reach, succeed at, develop, create) is to ask a question (do analysis, interpret, make an induction, explore, better understand) about the forces that we want to command. Without knowing the correct question to ask (for example, whether to be or not to be), we will not be successful in commanding the right force (to be or not to be).

Professor de Brabendere teaches us in the Coursera course “On Strategy: What Managers Can Learn from Philosophy” that good thinking is not a matter of having sufficient knowledge, but good thinking is creative thinking, and the key word is thinking. And creative thinking is changing the way we look at things, the way we look at the world we live in. Bacon’s quote “We must obey the forces we want to command” supports this de Brabendere teaching. To command (achieve create thinking), we must obey the forces (understand what creative thinking is) that lead to creative thinking (what we want to command).

Professor de Brabendere goes on in his lectures to give us more characteristics of creating thinking. These include having passion about what you are thinking about, never stop thinking, and bring joy to the thinking process. So, in order to achieve creative thinking as Professor de Brabendere suggests, we must obey the forces (characteristics of creative thinking) in order to command creative thinking. In other words Bacon’s quote “We must obey the forces we want to command” applies to what Professor de Brabendere says about achieving creative thinking.

A quote by Albert Einstein “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing” also speaks of obeying (not to stop questioning). In the Einstein quote, we must not stop questioning (or as in the Bacon quote “We must obey the forces”) in order to reach the state of curiosity (or in Bacon’s quote “the forces we want to command”) Like Bacon, and like Hamlet, and like Einstein, we must look at the world anew (obey the forces; ask the question; keeping questioning) to achieve creative thinking (what we want to command; to be; curiosity).

In conclusion, as Professor de Brabendere teaches us, creative thinking involves a new way of looking at things or as Bacon would advise – discover the forces that lead to the command; and as Hamlet would say – recognize the importance of the question on whether to be or not to be; and as Einstein would write - never stop questioning in order to achieve the results of curiosity.

The big questions for this essay are: when and how were chemical elements formed; what roles have these elements played in the formation of planets; and what roles do chemical elements play in human history? In answering these questions, I demonstrate an understanding of the course objectives.

At the beginning of the universe, which physicists and astronomers believe occurred about 13.8 billion years ago with what is called “the big bang theory”, chemical elements did not exist. Among the first particles formed during the big bang were electrons and positrons. From these simpler electron and positron particles, energy forces created the conditions for the creation of more complex particles, hydrogen and helium nuclei.

At about 380,000 years after the “big bang” scientists believe the existing hydrogen and helium nuclei combined with electrons to form the first elements (hydrogen and helium). Sophisticated measurements of electromagnetic waves emanating from these events are used to reach this conclusion. Several scientific disciplines have been involved in these critical measurements.

Another approximately 200 million years would go by before the conditions in the universe would be such that more elements than just hydrogen and helium could be formed (the remaining 92 naturally occurring elements). This is believed to have happen in the existing clouds of hydrogen and helium. As in the formation of hydrogen and helium nuclei at year 380,000, energy conditions would have to change at year 200 million for the remaining 92 naturally occurring elements to form. The change is referred to as “nuclear fusion”, which can overcome the repulsion between the hydrogen and helium particles. Chemists participated in developing the nuclear fusion theory. After year 200 million, clouds of hydrogen and helium (existing in stars) would continue to combine into the other 92 elements.

These 92 elements, as they were starting to form at around year 200 million, existed as gases due the existing energy conditions, which caused very high temperatures. At around year 4.6 billon, energy conditions changed again resulting in the formation of solid elements from their gaseous states. It is from these solid elements that planets, including our own, would be formed after year 4.6 billion. Going from gaseous to solid elements and the formation of the planets represent going to more complexity.

The existence of the 92 elements has been critical to the creation and advancement of life on earth. For example, certain elements are necessary for a system that generates energy from the sun’s energy (photosynthesis). This photosynthesis process resulting in life is another example of the increasing complexity of the universe, the use of new materials (the elements) that have emerged, and a tipping-point change in energy influences. These three processes (increasing complexity, emergence of new matter, and energy change) are key concepts in the “big history” understanding of the universe.

Life processes require molecular structures (i.e., structures able to protect, contain, remember, replicate, etc.). Such structures require elements with necessary properties. Only certain elements (such as carbon) have properties that meet the structure requirements. Here is another example of increasing complexity in the way in which elements are used.

An increasing use of elements for human economic needs can be traced over the period of earth’s history. We see this economic-related increase use of elements broadly in the use of stones (aggregates of certain compounds of elements) (starting 2 to 3 million years ago) to use of metals, such as iron for tools (starting about 5,000 years ago), to use of carbon compounds (as fossil fuel) to power the industrial revolution (starting about 250 years ago). Today, some of the rarest and most complex elements are needed for computer-age technologies.

Humans face several future problems such as climate change, insufficient food and water for earth’s population, and providing equitable lives for everyone. Solutions to these problems can only come from greater, wiser, and more complex uses of the elements. And such uses can only come from a multitude of disciplines working together. Chemists must be at the forefront of this work.

Biobased Products Market

Creating a “demand market” for biobased products could be very useful in achieving more acceptance and use of biobased products. In current “free markets”, fossil fuel-based products usually win out in competition with biobased products because fossil fuel-based products cost much less to produce, and therefore have much lower sales prices. Greater use of biobased products, versus fossil-based products, would benefit society a lot by reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions is needed for society’s benefit, based on the conclusion that such emissions are causing undesirable climate changes. Undesirable climate changes are likely to get worse as carbon dioxide emissions continue to increase.

Cities account for 70% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide emissions are a major contributor to the increasing global average temperature rises and to the changes that are occurring in global climate. Therefore, city procurement programs to reduce carbon dioxide emissions could be of the highest importance in reducing global carbon dioxide emissions. And because of society’s (hoped-for) interest in reductions of carbon dioxide emissions, creating a demand market for biobased products through city governments is warranted

Cities purchase billions of dollars (on a global basis) of materials every year. By purchasing materials that are made from biobased raw materials, versus fossil fuel-based materials, a significant reduction of carbon dioxide emissions can be obtained. Many cities have procurement rules that provide guidance that environmentally-friendly materials should be purchased, when available. But at least two questions exist:

1. Are sufficient efforts being made to ensure that biobased materials are being identified and purchased and

2. How much are carbon dioxide emissions being (could be) reduced from the use of these materials.

I visited the websites of twenty-two of the largest United States cities to determine which ones have procurement programs that are committed to purchasing environmentally friendly materials. I found that nine of the twenty-two (41%) have such commitments. But, unfortunately, none of the nine cities so far provide measured results on the success of such commitments.

Performance measurements are vital in understanding the effectiveness of a city’s procurement program in reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Here are some actions that I believe are needed for cities to be able to implement effective measurement programs:

A standards organization, such as GRI (click here to go to GRI’s website), which has been instrumental in companies measuring and reporting on sustainability efforts, needs to be established for city programs to report on environmental (sustainability) efforts. Cities alone cannot be expected to come up with such standards for measuring and reporting sustainability efforts. Standards need to be established that all cities can respond to so that cities can be evaluated with respect to their peers.
Non-profit associations need to support research and analysis related to correlating biobased materials use with carbon dioxide emission reductions and other positive environmental results. These associations need to initiate programs to influence public policy including the need for city councils to insist that the results of their procurement programs for reducing carbon dioxide emissions be shown on the city’s websites.
Chemical companies interested in better biobased product demand should lobby their legislatures to require city procurement departments to purchase biobased products and to have in-place effective measurement and reporting programs on these purchases and their results in reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

An Identification of Several City Models that Represent Mexico City’s History and Current Status

This paper identifies several city models that Mexico City can be associated with throughout its history. Analysis is presented on how Mexico City’s characteristics at a specific period of time fit the particular model that can be used to describe the city at that time. Mexico City in its history has shown characteristics of the European City Model, the Colonial City Model, the Metropolis City Model, and then within the period of the Metropolis City Model development, has shown characteristics of the Industrial City Model. In the current period, Mexico City continues to show characteristics of the Metropolis City Model, but in addition shows characteristics of the Mega (Global) City Model and the Smart (Technology) City Model.

Evidence of a city has been found to exist as early as 1325 where present-day Mexico City is located. This major city of the Aztec people seems to have had characteristics of the European Model City. Such characteristics included in the European City Model that apparently the Aztec city had are: service as a city-state; separate power segments such as religious, governing; and merchant segments. This “city-state” existed up to around 1520 when Spaniards conquered the area of Mexico, and beyond, and took over control of the Aztec city. The Aztec city population is estimated to have reached 100,000 to 200,000 by 1520 when taken over by the Spaniards. If the Aztec city did have characteristics sufficient to place it in the European Model City category, this would be interesting since such a city development similar to the European City Model on another continent could have interesting implications in urban model development studies. Reference 1 (References are identified at the end of the paper.)

After the Aztec city was conquered by the Spaniards around 1520, the city began to take on the characteristics of the Colonial City Model. These characteristics included: development of separate regions for governance, living, religion, and other activities only for the conquering Spaniards; restrictions on native access not only to city districts, but to the city itself; design, infrastructure, and other features based on the colonizer's home country; and the importance of the city to the colonizers as a pivotal point for controlling trade back to the home country and as the site from which the rest of the colonized area is governed. Reference 1

In 1821, what was now Mexico obtained independence from Spain, and this started a period of influences that would change Mexico City from best being described using the Colonial City Model. However, this change was slow in coming. For one reason, for several years following the 1821 independence, Mexico would be invaded and occupied by various other countries. In the 1840s, America invaded Mexico during the American-Mexican War, and occupied Mexico City briefly. After the Americans left by 1850, grievances that Britain and France had with Mexico lead to British and French invasions of Mexico, including a significant period of French control over Mexico. From the 1840s until late in the 19th Century, Mexico had political and economic instability and consequently little change came to Mexico City that would transferred it from a Colonial City Model to any of the other models that can be used to describe a city. By 1900, Mexico City had an estimated population of 500,000. References 1

By 1900, Mexico was free of foreign interventions, allowing for indigenous development of its country and cities. By 1920, Mexico was moving towards democratic traditions and Mexico City would continue to serve as the country’s capital and would begin taking on characteristics of the Metropolis City Model. These characteristics included: extensive rural migration to the city; expansion of the city’s land area such that “suburban” areas become important to the city’s development; rapid rates of population growth; cultural and university growth; and infrastructure development. These Metropolis City Model developing characteristics have continued to the present. References 1 and 2

Very interesting, Mexico City did not go through an Industrial City Model development period in the 19th or early 20th Centuries, which was a common city model developed during that period. However, Mexico City does seem to have the characteristics of such a model beginning in the 1950s. These characteristics included: manufacturing based on raw materials; segregated sections of the city devoted to manufacturing; a growing working and management class; manufacturing expertise; and manufactured products exported to other areas.. Industrial sectors represented then and now by Mexico City manufacturing include: textiles; chemicals; plastics; electronics; and food and beverages. Manufacturing accounts for one fourth of the Mexico City gross domestic product. This Industrial City Model period within a Metropolis City Model period is interesting, in that it seems to demonstrate that a city can have strong characteristics of more than one city model at the same time. References 3, 10, and 15

Currently, I believe Mexico City has most, if not all, of the characteristics of the Metropolis City Model (characteristics provided above). But now with around 9 million people and a land area of 800 square miles in Mexico City proper and around 21 million people in what is now referred to as the Metropolitan Mexico City Area, with a land area of around 3,500 square miles, Mexico City can also be characterized by using the Mega City (Global City) Model. Metropolitan Mexico City includes adjoining rings round Mexico City proper, which are continuous with Mexico City proper in such a way as for Metropolitan Mexico City to be simply a continuation of the city proper. The Mega City Model includes such characteristics that Mexico City has: a mega population, e. g, greater than 10 million; economic and other influences which reaches far beyond the city borders; the central, controlling node in a network of connecting cities and areas; and large regional markets for services and products. Although Mexico City can be considered as a Mega City Model city, it has not yet reached the first tier of mega cities, e.g. Tokyo, London, and New York, primarily because of the limitations of its influence strength over networking connections. My view is that as Mexico City is likely to increase this major node networking influence over other cities and areas in the Central American region, it will become a first-tier mega city, and in the process, will provide great economic and other benefits to the region, much like Tokyo, London, and New York do as first-tier mega cites. References 4, 6, 8, and 9

Mexico City has embarked upon several improvement projects that I believe moves the city towards being put into the Smart City Model category. Characteristics of this model include: use of information and other technologies in city planning, monitoring, and management; a robust, technically-talented population resource desiring technical innovations for city improvements; a population that embraces and is drawn to these innovations and improvements.

Here are some of the innovations ongoing or planned by Mexico City that suggest a Smart City Model:

1. Traffic Density and Transportation. In references 5 and 7, we read about the severe traffic congestion found in Mexico City. Recognizing this problem, Mexico City officials have embarked on plans and actions to address traffic density and transportation problems. Reference 16 and 19 describe a $150 million city investment to expand and modernize sustainable public transport systems. Included in this is the development of an innovative public bike sharing program and pedestrian-friendly plazas and walkways. Reference 18 describes an international award that Mexico City won for bus, cycling, walking, and public space revitalization programs.

2. Green Buildings. Reference 20 describes the activities going on in Mexico City in constructing more environmentally-friendly (green) buildings.

3. Housing. Reference 11 gives an overview of several problem areas for Mexico City that Harvard University in the United States is collaborating on with Mexico City officials. A major area is solving housing problems. Another program being worked on is smart transportation.

4. Water and Sanitation. Reference 13 describes the groundwater exploitation, flooding, and other serious water and sanitation problems that Mexico City has and the plans and projects that are responding to these problems.

5. Environmental Management. Reference 17 reviews efforts being made in Mexico City to solve environmental-related issues. Such issues include: public spaces; waste handling; land use; mobility; water and sanitation; and air pollution. Reference 21 describes a Mexico City government department, called Laboratory for the City, which focuses on innovations to solve Mexico City’s urban problems.

Although Mexico City cannot yet be compared very well to those cities that are considered first class smart cities, such a Singapore, Hong Kong, and Seattle, plans and projects described above suggest that Mexico City is moving in that direction.

In conclusion, the identification of several city models representing Mexico City throughout its history has:

1. Demonstrated how formulated models can be used to understand forces that play a role in a city’s descriptions;

2. Demonstrated how a city can undergo forces that change the most appropriate model used for describing the city; and

3. Demonstrated the importance of innovations in improving a city.

Is Financialization a Cause for People Not Having Adequate Housing (Their Rights as Humans)?

Definitions found on the Internet state that financialization is an increase in the size and importance of a country’s overall economy. Financialization describes an economic process by which exchange is facilitated through the intermediation of financial instruments.

In a report to the United Nations (UN), entitled “Report of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context”, Leilani Farha, the UN”s Special Rapporteur, states that the human rights of people around the world are being interfered with by global financialization. In this paper, I argue that this suggestion is non-sense, and nothing could be further from the truth.

Let me be clear, I am a strong believer in the rights of people to have adequate and fairly-priced housing – a major component of basic human rights – one of a series of rights, others being health care, education, economic opportunity, and nutrition – that constitute basic human rights. And I also believe that we, as human beings, should seek out and rectify those conditions that prevent basic human rights, such as inadequate housing, but financialization is not one of these conditions.

In the following paragraphs, I will present my case for why Leilani Farha is wrong.

The percentage of Americans that have adequate (improved) housing has greatly increased during the 20th Century, just as the financial service sector has also greatly increased. There is a relationship – a correlation of an increased financial sector with higher levels of increased, improved housing – and the correlation is causative – one causes the other and it is the increased in the financial sector that causes more, better housing. A strong support for this causative, correlated connection is the great recession in the 2007–2009-time frame. This recession led to a dysfunctional financial sector, which almost immediately led to a precipitated loss of housing for millions of people. And, once the recession disappeared, and the financial sector came back, housing was regained by many of those losing their housing during the recession.

Over a longer term – stretching back to the beginnings of the 20th Century – better housing became available for a higher percentage of Americans, just as house financing offered by the financial sector increased in innovation and effectiveness, leading to increased and better loans. Early in the 20th Century, lending was limited, harder to get, harder to keep, and more expensive. These characteristics lessened over the course of the 20th Century due to the financial sector and good, productive loans became more plentiful – no small reason for why adequate housing percentages increased.

For those in America who do not have adequate housing – the marginal – those with mental health issues, the uneducated, those lacking employment, women who are forced into raising children alone and are unable to work, and others – solutions need to be found by governments and private organizations in the nature of support network systems – leading to those marginalized having their basic rights of adequate housing. But to suggest that financialization is somehow related to these problems (are causing them) is without basis of fact. Such an argument distracts from the process of finding the solutions that work – solutions that deal with mental health issues, employment, and the handicapped – by substitution solutions that will not work.

Ms. Farha’s statements that financialization is driven by the rich wanting to get richer, by only the interests of those who want to profit are gross oversimplifications and misstatements of a huge economic sector that has no such predominance of method and purpose. In a free market economy, with one as large as the financial market, excessive and abuse will doubtless exist, and should be sought out for vilification, but to generalize that such excess and abuse represent, in totality, the financial sector is without basis of fact. There is real danger in Ms. Farha’s such characterization of the financial sector, as she does, in that it suggests greater and greater use of unwarranted controls, leading perhaps to a centrally-managed sector. Nothing could be more dangerous for the welfare of those she wants to help. If one wants to see really monumental, wide-spread examples of inadequate housing, go no further than the communist Soviet Union. There one will see an attempt to deliver basic human rights without offering the right, relevant solutions, just as Ms. Farha is doing.

Ms. Farha somehow ties urbanization to the process of interferences with people’s rights to adequate housing. Just the opposite is the case. Urbanization, great growth in urbanization, is because people want to live in urban centers – they are better off there, have richer lives, the economies are better, and more productive in such centers, and important to Ms. Farha’s report, are providing better and more housing , which are more affordable by larger percentages of people – available as result of urbanization. Ms. Farha’s suggestion that financialization has made the situation worst is simply wrong. The situation has gotten better.

A strong financial sector is critical to all elements of the economy – manufacturing, service, housing, etc. Regulating the financial sector in appropriate amounts is the right approach and is underway, but to suggest the financial sector needs to be reign in as the report suggests, is not correct and will have no effect on adequate housing. Money is a resource, and the financial sector provides that resource.

Conclusions. Social and Post Keynesian Economic Theories provide meaningful insights into international trade, as indicated in the analysis in this essay.

Preliminary Analysis on Whether to Invest in a West Virginia Coal Mine

Introduction. This report provides an initial, preliminary strategic analysis on the potential value of investing in a West Virginia coal mine.

An opportunity is available to invest in a coal mine in West Virginia. The mine’s value is less than in past years because of actual and anticipated restrictions on coal-fired power generation in the United States. However, the mine has a chance to sell its coal on contract to a public utility in West Africa. The utility is working through the World Bank for financing to build a number of coal-fired power plants. If they obtain World Bank financing, then a customer for the coal mine is assured, at least for the duration of the contracts. The power plants will employ the best current technology for burning coal, which exceeds all current air quality standards for the region. However, the power plants will not be designed to attempt carbon capture. The area of Africa the plants will serve suffers from extreme energy poverty, with some of the lowest per capita energy consumption in the world.

This initial, preliminary strategic analysis will consist of the following:

A Strengths – Weaknesses – Opportunities – Threats (SWOT) analysis for determining a West Virginia coal mine company internal strengths and weaknesses as well as external opportunities and threats.
A Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix analysis for rating the coal mine company as an investment with respect to its cash flow potential.
A supply-demand analysis of the coal market relevant to the West Virginia coal mining company. This will be done to better understand relevant determinants affecting coal’s market price. This will lead to better forecasting of future prices and how such prices might affect the value of the investment in the coal mine company; and
An analysis of the political market both in the United States and in Africa for coal as an energy source and how that market might affect a decision about investing in the West Virginia coal company.

Then with these analyses, including what the analyses suggests about investing in a West Virginia coal mine, the report will identified what more substantial information and analysis is needed.

Internal strength of coal mine company. The company is in a good location for investing in a coal mining company. West Virginia is one of the top coal-producing states in the United States and therefore has characteristics of an area that successfully supports clusters of companies in an industry. Such characteristics include sharing of information; good personnel supply; infrastructure, such as transportation, supporting the industry; and local regulations favorable to the industry. More needs to be determined about the internal strength of the company.

Internal weaknesses of coal mining company. Little is known of the internal weaknesses of the company; more needs to be determined.

External opportunities for the coal mining company. The most important external opportunity for the coal mining company is its potential opportunity to sell coal on contract to a public utility in West Africa. If this would happen, it would represent a very valuable opportunity.

Although the US demand for coal has been under pressure because of the much higher carbon dioxide emissions from burning coal compared to using natural gas as the energy source, such pressure may be lessening because of the Trump Administration friendliness to coal compared to the Obama Administration. This lessening pressure represents an opportunity for a coal mining company to improve the value it can bring to the investment.

Because coming out of West Virginia is well-developed rails network to east-coast ports, such as Norfolk, a coal company that has substantial sales to West Africa would be well-positioned to use this rail network, which would increase the potential value of investing in the company.

Should the company be successful in coal sales to West Africa, this could open up opportunities for even more sales to Africa, where coal use is expected to greatly rise.

External threats for the coal mining company. A major threat is in the failure of gaining contract sales to the West Africa utility. Another threat is that contracted sales to West Africa ceases unexpectedly and cannot be replaced. A third threat is that the increased use of coal in West Africa is less than the rate increases predicted for Africa.

BCG Matrix Analysis.

If the West Virginia coal mining company was to enter into a suitable, long-term contractual sales deal with a West Africa utility, this would represent for the West Virginia company the best value situation that the BCG Matrix model suggests is possible. Such a situation (known in the BCG Matrix model as the cash cow quadrant) would exist because the West Virginia company has a guaranteed flow of cash over a long period of time, without a need to invest a lot of cash to maintain the flow. This high-cash inflow, low-cash outflow often gives the highest return on investment.

Supply-Demand Analysis

Accordingly to the US Energy Information Administration at its website, natural gas recently exceeded coal for the first time as the most used energy source in the US for generating electricity. Also the use of coal for generating electricity in the US has been steadily declining from 2000 to 2016. Coal is the only energy source that has declined in use during that time. These data argue well that on the supply-demand curve, demand will shift to the left (demand is decreasing) resulting in a lower price for coal (supply remains constant) and probably lower profits for those supplying coal to the market such as a coal mining company.

On the other hand, the International Energy Agency indicates at its website that coal use for generating electricity in Africa is increasing greatly and is expected to be 50% higher by 2035 (compared to the 2011 usage amount). Estimates are that 60% of Africa is currently without electricity. African countries are eager to correct this and are pursuing the use of coal-generating electricity as the best approach to increase available electricity. African leaders believe that pursuing coal-fired power stations is the fastest, cheapest, and most reliable approach to decreasing the 60% of Africa that does not have access to electricity. Coal is cheaper to import than liquid natural gas (how natural gas would have to be imported) and technology used in coal-power plants is easier to understand, obtain, and put into place.

Although Africa has large amounts of coal reserves, few coal mines are in operation (except in South Africa) and it will take years to develop sufficient mining capabilities to be self-sufficient. Therefore Africa will have to rely on coal imports to meet it coal needs for some time. Using the supply-demand curve for guidance, the demand curve will shift to the right, at a higher rate than the supply curve is moving to the right, which likely will increase coal prices. Such increases should help coal importers into Africa, such as a West Virginia coal mining company, be more valuable as an investment.

Political Market Analysis

During the eight years of the Obama Administration, coal use was de-emphasized due to coal’s higher carbon dioxide emissions. With the Trump Administration, this has changed with the Administration being friendly to coal use and the coal industry.

As indicated in 3 above, African countries are very friendly to using coal as a source of energy. Also, although not a lot of coal has been imported into Africa, indications are that Africa countries expect imports to supply the needed coal for some time into the future.

Although African countries and the Trump Administration are friendly to coal use, internationally-supported lending organizations such as the World Bank are less so and have been more aligned with the Obama Administration views on coal use. Therefore, obtaining a World Bank loan may have obstacles. Such obstacles could be mitigated with technology, e.g., carbon dioxide removal technology.

Because per person income in West Africa is low, it will be necessary for West African governments to subsidize electricity power plants cost. This should be researched as to its likelihood.

The above initial, preliminary analysis suggests that investing in a West Virginia coal mine could be valuable (profitable) providing contractual coal sales to West Africa is guaranteed for a sufficient period of time in the future. Without these export sales (limiting sales only within the US), and because of the declining use of coal in the US as an energy source for electricity, an investment in a West Virginia coal mine would likely not provide a sufficient return to justify such an investment.

Needed Strategic Analysis Follow-up

If after reading through this initial, preliminary strategic analysis, interest continues in investing in a West Virginia coal mine, more in-depth, substantial strategic analysis should be done before a final decision is made about the investment.

This analysis should focus on the following:

Analysis of the costs, revenues, returns, financing, and other financial aspects related to the purchase and operation of the company;
More information should be obtained on the company being considered for purchase and, with that information, a more in-depth SWOT analysis should be done;
An analysis of the transportation system planned for use, e.g., availability and costs, leading to a conclusion on whether profits can be made, using the transportation system;
A more in-dept analysis on the likelihood of the West African company obtaining the financing to build the coal-fired power plants; and
Detailed analysis of the risks and mitigation of the risks associated with buying and operating a West Virginia mining company.

An Explanation for a Natural Gas Price Spike and Analysis on Demand, Supply, Equilibrium, and Forecasting

Natural Gas Price Spike Explanation. In the January-February 2014 timeframe in the United States (US), the natural gas (NG) price spiked above $5 per thousand cubic feet (MCF). Both for a long-term period (months) before and after this January-February 2014 US NG price spike, prices trended in a range significantly below $5 per MCF. The reason for this price spike was an extremely cold period across the US caused by a southward shift of the North Polar Vortex. Record-low temperatures were recorded in many parts of the US during this period. More than 200 million people were affected. With this unexpected cold increase, NG demand for heating greatly increased, without a corresponding increase in NG supply, resulting in the price spike.

This cold weather effect on the price of NG prices is an example of one of the most common of determinants affecting NG prices – the weather. In the next section, more discussion focuses on those determinants that affect NG prices.

Market equilibrium is defined as when the quantity demanded in a market is equal to the quantity supplied. The corresponding price at this point is the equilibrium price, or market-clearing price, the quantity is the equilibrium quantity. Demand and supply curves show this price (and quantity) at the point of intersection of the two curves. It is in the initial exchanges between demanders and suppliers that an equilibrium price is reached. When equilibrium is reached, a price stabilizes and becomes the market price.

For example, fracking in shale gas fields (a supply technical determinant) has greatly increased NG supply in the US compared to supply in the rest of the world. This increased supply has resulted in a significant decrease in price compare to other areas in the world. This increase in supply is reflected on the demand-supply curve graph by a shift of the supply curve to the right.

As the US NG price significantly decreased, NG became much less costly than competitive energy sources (a demand determinant) and, as a result, electricity providers moved to the use of NG as an energy source. This greatly increased US NG demand and interactions between demanders and suppliers, affected the price offered by the NG suppliers. The settled prices between the demander (the electricity providers) and suppliers (those holding NG supplies) will initial be in a non-equilibrium state over a short time, but fairly soon with many (large) market participants negotiating prices, the price will stabilize to a market equilibrium (clearing) price. Now with greater demand, the demand curve shifts to the right. The eventual market-determined price (and quantity supplied and demanded) will now be shown on the demand-supply curve graph as the new point of intersection of the two curves. An important suggestion in this analysis is that usually the supply is the predominant determinate of changes in demand-supply equilibrium prices.

In next, final section, the above will be used to forecast US NG prices.

One conclusion I have reached from considering the many price determinants given in the tables above is that several determinants can be present at any one time making confidently predicting an equilibrium price very difficult. This is especially true, it seems to me, over the short term, e.g., over a several-month period. So, my prediction will be limited to how US NG price will change, not over the short-term, but over a long-term, e.g. over the next five years.

I will use four demand determinants (weather; demographics; income; and exports). And I will use two supply determinates (gas drilling-production; pipeline-transportation) and expectations in changes of these determinates in forecasting a future US NG price.

Demand Determinants

Weather. Reliable climate scientists predict global temperatures over the next several years will increase. Because of this, less energy should be needed since less energy is required for cooling than for heating. Raising temperatures suggest a decline in NG demand.
Demographics. Populations are expected to greatly increase globally, but not much in the more developed countries. So a small population increase in the US likely will have little effect on NG demand.
Income. Incomes are increasing significantly globally but not so much in the US. Income changes in the US will likely have little effect on NG demand and price.
Exports. With increasing capabilities of transporting NG by sea and across borders and because of lower US NG prices due to supply, export demand should greatly increase.

Supply Determinants

Increase production, e.g. by increased drilling and discoveries. With fracking technology and shale gas fields now opened up to NG recovery, such fields are now being discovered and exploited globally. However, existing US fields are likely to have been mostly discovered and drilling rates not likely to have great increases. Therefore, a significant increase in US NG supply from this determinant is not likely over the next five years.
Pipeline-transportation advances. Increases in pipeline capacities and capabilities are being made and this likely will result in more NG supply to meet new demand.

My conclusion from the above determinant analysis is that supply will show increase over the next five years, but the increase is limited. And the one demand determinant potentially affecting price significantly and over the long-term is exports. Therefore, I would expect to see some movement of both the supply and demand curves to the right, resulting in limited price increases over the next five years.

Focused versus Diffused Learning. Two types of learning are learning by focusing and learning by diffusion. Focused leaning is the learning we do when we study a subject, e.g. for a test. It is concentrated efforts to read, review, memorize, recall a subject.

Diffuse learning takes place during the periods following the focused period. We focus and then we take a break. We spend periods following the focused period away from the subject. During these unfocused periods, by allowing our brain to not focus, we are, perhaps unexpectedly, continuing to process the subject and in this processing, we are continuing to learn the subject.

Often learning is solving problems or learning how problems are solved. During the focus periods of learning, we may not master the understanding, the solution of the problems. This focusing occurs in one section of our brain. This section is not often the best section for finding breakthroughs, new insights to the problems we are solving.

Discoveries have shown that if we leave the focused learning process and go to a period where our brain is not focused, a different section of the brain cuts in. What goes on in this section is well-described as diffused processing or diffused learning. This diffused processing turns out to be very effective and efficient in generating new insights, new breakthrough ideas about the problems that we were processing unsuccessfully in the focused section of our brain.

My own experiences, over a long period of time, have led me to the above conclusions without previously knowing that my conclusions are well-known by leaning theorists. In my case, prominent non-focused (diffuse) periods that I spend are in running and walking. Often during these excise periods, I have gotten new insights and breakthrough ideas about problems that I am learning about.

Transference – Increase the Capacity to Learn. Learning theorists now describe effective learning as a process of building up a neural network – a collection of neuron synapses networked together. This process if referred to as chunking. In chunking, a subject is learned bit by bit and in this bit-by-bit process, the neural network is built up.

Effective learning is accomplished through effective chunking – repeating the process of bit-by-bit processing of a subject, adding new bits associated with the subject, and continuing with this learning process through repetition and recall. The result is the mastery of a subject. But another result is increasing the brain’s capability to be a better chunker – being better at building successfully new neural networks for new subjects. And. learning becomes more efficient and effective because of better chunking abilities. A long-term learner, who has been successful at chunking many subjects, is often more efficient and effective at chunking and at learning new subjects.

This process of increasing the ability to learn a new subject easier, because successful chunking has repeatedly been done by the brain in the past with other subjects, is referred to as transference.

As a life time learner, I have experienced this transference phenomenal many times over. Earlier in my learning, I spent much time chunking in science subjects that were my college major and my initial professional work. Then later in life I took on learning business-related subjects, such as management accounting, and discovered that earlier learning made it easier for my later learning. I continue to learn, for example, by recently taking many Coursera courses, and I feel my leaning has become more efficient and effective because of my earlier experiences of chunking (building neural networks) and the process of transferring this chunking activity into being better able to learn new subjects.

Good Habits and Learning. An important approach to improving learning is to establish good habits for learning.

By understanding the process of habit formation, bad habits can be broken and replace with good habits. Leaning theorists have concluded that efficient and effective learning does require good habits. Some good habits that learning theorists believe improve learning include: learning bit by bit; keeping lists; committing to certain learning tasks/routines each day; doing small chunks of learning; receiving rewards; taking breaks; overcoming procrastination; doing most difficult learning first; and having a backup plan.

By better understanding the process of habit formation, one should be better able to manage one’s habits. Learning theorists have identified four processes that make up a habit: the cue that triggers the habit; the routine where rewards occur; the reward provided by the routine, which is the energy savings due to the routine (pattern); and the belief where one accepts the habit because of recognizing (believing) in its reward.

For better learning, create cues that will trigger the routine of learning. And avoid the cues that prevent learning; for example, avoid the cues that lead to procrastination. Recognize that important cues can be your location; the time; your feelings; and your reactions. Control your location, time, feelings, and reactions so that you are cued into successful learning.

I have found that such habits as keeping lists; establishing a routine; doing the hard learning first; and taking breaks have worked well for me in being a life-long, successful learning. Location, time, and feelings have been important ways in which I have control cueing.

Thinking About Moral Choices

I believe our freedoms are limited (governed) by how we are raised from birth. Babies will smile when they see smiling faces. Seeing smiling faces is a good and hopefully this is the beginning of a long sequence of good experiences that the infant will have, leading to a brain development (of natural or animal and of godly souls) that gives the eventual adult the freedom to make moral choices. If these sequential experiences of the human are otherwise (nonsmiling faces, physiological process problems, etc., etc.), this could very well (likely will) limit the freedom that the human has to make the right moral choices. This I believe is a major problem in achieving freedom.

I believe this freedom to make moral choices resides in that brain functioning that can be metaphorically referred to as the godly soul. This godly soul competes and resides with the other primary functioning of the brain, which can be referred to as the natural or animal soul. These two parts of human’s brain functioning underlies many religious, theological, and psychological ideas and beliefs. For example, Martin Luther and Emmanuel Kant refer to, and develop ideas about freedoms based on an “inner self” concept as differentiated from presumably an outer self. The Genesis story of Adam and Eve seems to be one of freedom, in that the story indicates that the human must be able to make choices to be free (with a lot of the rest of the Bible dealing with what those choices should be). The Genesis story presumably has Adan and Eve developing a godly soul (one capable of making moral choices), to go along with their natural or animal soul. Jesus’s teachings on the kingdom of God (of Heaven) is, I believe, referring to a state that relates to the freedom to make moral choices and making those choices. In Judaism, in writings such as “The Tanya”, emphasis is placed on the importance of the Godly soul as the human’s ultimate achievement. In psychological literature one can find descriptions that the brain functions in two ways – the intuitive (or natural) reactions to events and the rational (godly?) reactions.

I believe the freedom to make moral choices should be an ultimate goal for human kind and I believe that Luther and Kant would support this. Through one’s freedom to make moral choices one will achieve an ultimate happiness that human life can deliver. An ultimate goal of human society should be to enable this freedom for all. So, based on assumptions above, I conclude that the freedom to make moral choices and how such freedom is understood and appreciated is fundamental to human happiness. And understanding and appreciating moral choice freedoms have occupied many thinkers.

Reaching A Circular Metal-Use Economy

I would not recommend limits on what private companies and citizens can do, for example, on developing innovative products. Free capital market innovations (capitalism) have been the driving force behind most all advances that we, as a global community, benefit from (tremendously).

However, certainly a need exists for overview and analysis of this free market capitalism by democratically-elected governments. And this overview and analysis should include, even more so now that we are entering a period of global growth, population concerns, which rightfully so, are demanding equality in the use of the planet’s resources.

Major objectives of such overview and analysis are governmental regulations and incentives include the following:

Smart city models requiring developments, infrastructures, regulations, etc., that promote a circular economy;
Regulatory codes that effect how people live in communities, so that people can have desired life styles that are consistent with a circular economy;
Governmental incentives for the development of technologies that promote a circular economy; and
Governments that recognize the need for a circular economy and equip themselves with the planning and other resources needed to obtain that circular economy.

An important requirement needed for the continuing welfare and benefit of our global community is the availability of metals. So, governmental regulations and incentives need to include considerations related to metal availability and use, and availability and use that must be looked at from the perspective of a circular economy. To help governments in these considerations, government decisionmakers should take advantage of work done by the United Nations in developing seventeen “Sustainable Development Goals” or SDGs (click here to read details about SDGs).

These goals pertain to much more than metal sustainability, e.g. goals dealing with poverty, hunger, health, education, climate, land use, and human development. But some of the goals are especially relevant to metal use and therefor metal use considerations are needed to reach certain SDG goals. For example, the following SDGs can easily be related to metal availability and use:

SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation. Metal mining can include large amounts of water use, which often is badly polluted by the use.

SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy. Metal use and availability are critical in many aspects of energy use and developing new energy sources.

SDG 9 – Industry Innovation and Infrastructure. Metal use is a foundation in many industrial processes.

SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities. Goals in this SDG are critical to sustainable use of metals, since so much of city development and infrastructure requires huge amounts of metal use.

SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production. Success here is essential to the development of a circular economy, which must include a circular use and availability of metals.

SDG 13 – Climate Action. Metal use is critical in many technologies that hopefully will reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, a major cause of climate change.

So, yes, targets for resource use, such as metal resource use, should be incorporated in the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. And the chemical enterprise should be directly and actively involved in providing input to help develop a circular economy for metals.

My Dear Esteemed Friend,

I am following up with this letter in response to your letter in which you ask about what Socrates claims justice is and why he thinks it is never a good idea to be unjust.

Socrates looks upon justice as a virtue. Justice originates in the soul (intellect) of man as do other virtues such temperance, courage, and wisdom.

Although the virtue justice, as the other virtues such as temperance, courage, and wisdom, are forms of knowledge, they are not the highest form of knowledge. The highest form of knowledge is the knowledge of good. Knowledge of good is foundational to having knowledge of and achieving all virtues, including justice. It is good that is common to all the virtues – knowing good is the thread that ties the virtues together – that relates them to one another.

In Socrates’ mind, an infinite number of acts that reflect justice can occur in the real world, the world we live in. Socrates indicates that one should consider that these acts are reflections of the knowledge of justice in the soul (intellect). Consider these acts as images reflecting the knowledge of justice in the soul. But remember that the foundation in the soul, upon which the knowledge of the virtues exist, is the knowledge of good.

One must have the intellectual ability to know what good is and what the other virtues are in order to recognize those acts of man as being good (such as being just) or as being non-good (such as being unjust). Without this intellect’s knowledge of good, assessments of man’s acts in the real world as good or not good is unreliable.

Non-good (unjust) acts are never a good idea – this is because they reflect an absence in the intellect of a knowledge of good, a knowledge of the virtues, such as justice. Such non-good, non-virtuous, unjust acts reflect an insufficient soul (intellect) and a non-good world.

Your friend in philosophy

Former Soviet Union and China Transition to a Market-based Economy

Countries of the former Soviet Union and China had centrally-planned economies after the emergence of their communist forms of government. This centrally-planned approach to the country’s economic system was in direct contrast for how economies should operate compared to the market-driven economies of countries following free, open-market, and capital-driven economic concepts.

With time, the centrally-planned economies of the Soviet Union and China demonstrated their inabilities to produce benefits that were being produced by the free, open, market-driven economies of capitalist countries. This failure to compete lead to decisions in the Soviet Union and China that changes needed to be made to their centrally-planned economies. These changes needed to transition the economies of these countries to be more like the economies of the market-driven economies.

This paper provides details on such aspects of this transition as:

1. Economic, social, and political conditions when the transitions started;

2. The pacing and sequencing of introduced transition-related reforms and economic and political barriers to executing the reforms;

3. The results of this transitional reform process in terms of economic and social conditions, including a comparison of the current economic systems in China with those in the former Soviet Union countries;

4. Differences in the reforms strategies of China compared to the former Soviet Union countries' strategies; and

5. Forthcoming economic and social challenges of the former Soviet Union countries and China.

The source of the data and information used for this paper is Professor Marek Dabrowski’s lectures presented in the Coursera course entitled “Economics of Transition and Emerging Markets, October 2016.

Economic, Social, and Political Conditions When Transitions Began. The communist countries started with a vision of society without exploitation and a lack of social inequality. Such a vision (system) precluded private (corporate and individual) ownership of assets. Such a system would require state ownership of assets without market-related coordination. This would require a centrally-planned economy.

In Russia, which became as a communist country with a hope for a centrally-planed, successful economy in 1918, several periods of experimentation evolved attempting to “get it right”. With Stalin’s emergence, a Stalin version of a centrally-planned economy came into existence. This version finally put into place the dominant role of a centrally-planned economy, leading to several conditions, which eventually proved to be impossible conditions for economic success. The lack of economic success lead to political restrictions, leading to less economic success, which in turn lead to more political restrictions, creating a viscous downward spiral for the economy.

The effects of this Stalinization of Russia had a pervasive effect on the people, including removing individual incentives. This loss of incentives can be highlighted in the agriculture sector, where the collectivization of agriculture led to the loss of individual ownership of small farms and then to the loss of individual incentives.

The individually-deprived ownership of farming in the Soviet Union would be a major difference with China and how China evolved into its centrally-planned economic concepts. This difference would have a major impact on the outcome of the upcoming transitions of these centrally-planned economies to a market-driven economy (more on this later).

Most of China’s 19th and 20th Century economic history is one of poor performance. A major reason for this was political upheavals for most of the 19th and 20th Centuries. With the takeover of the country by the Chinese Communist Party, under Mao Zedong, in the late 1940s, a new economic model would be introduced – a Soviet Union-style central-planning system. This system included, as did the Soviet system, agricultural collectivization and state takeover of all assets, including industrial production assets. Like the Soviet system, the Chinese version failed to produce satisfactory economic performance as it continued to try to do into the late 1970s.

Pacing and Sequencing of Transition Reforms. Suggestions to reform the centrally-planned economy that evolved from the early 1920s forward were made by various Russian and other economists, who were critical of the centrally-planned approach. But the suggestions were mostly ignored, especially in Russia, and the centrally-planned economic model continued to be the goal.

In other countries, which came under the yoke of Russia and had communist governments imposed on them, such as Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Poland, attempts were made, from the 1970s and the 1980s, at economic reforms. These reforms included introducing more market-driven processes into the economy. But these piece meal reforms were not widespread or changed overall systems to market-driven. However, lessons were learned from these attempts about the economic and political barriers to enacting reforms.

In Russia, after Stalin’s death in the early 1950s, changes began to slowly occur. Greater emphases on consumption and on social protection needs were enacted. Small land plots were beginning to be allowed. But, unfortunately, even with such changes, the economy became even worst then previously. The 1980s was a period of very poor economic performance in the Soviet Union. During the 1980s in the Soviet Union re-considerations of the centrally-planned economy model were beginning to take place, especially as market-driven economies were greatly exceeding the panned economies. And by the end the 1980s, decisions were made for transitioning the central model to more like a market model.

So, in the Soviet Union the beginning of transition as a program can be dated back to the early 1990s. The basic transition agenda for these countries were completed in the 2000s. By this time, from 60 to 80% of GDP in most previously Soviet Union countries were accounted for by the private sector. Although much progress was made in the early 2000s up to the 2007-08 time period, the world-wide great recession of 2007-08 hindered transition progress.

In 1978 in China, under Deng Xiaoping, reforms were put into place, which included de-collectivization of agriculture (replaced by a household responsibility system) and a more flexible state ownership system. Reforms continued through the 1980s and in the 2000s. By the 1st half of the 2000s, China had a unifying exchange rate, more trade liberalization, World Trade Organization membership, a large-scale privatization, and financial sector reforms, indicating movement in the direction of a market-driven economy.

Economic and Political Barriers to Enacting Reforms. The transition period proved to offer many challengers and difficulties. The transitional period for the Soviet Union, beginning in the late 1980s and early 1990s, had several objectives, which included: macroeconomic changes; market liberalization; privatization initiatives; legal reforms; increased social safety nets; and political reforms. Perhaps the first, and most fundamentally needed, of these objectives that occurred was political reforms as the Soviet Union dissolved with countries of the former Soviet Union becoming independent.

However, barriers to achieving these reforms existed. Skills, experiences, and institutions did not yet exist to obtain desired macroeconomic practices and legal reforms; long-term, planned practices for converting a centrally-planned economy into a market-driven economy had not yet been worked out, nor had establishing an effective social network system; plans and processes for privatizing the state-owned assets had to be determined, including reinstituting old, previous private property rights, especially difficult in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan), which were especially void of private property as part of their centrally-planned economic model. Privatization was easier in the formerly communist countries of central and eastern Europe, which did allow some private property holdings during the centrally-planned market days.

Transitional Reform Results in Terms of Economic and Social Conditions. Starting at the beginning of the 1990s, the transition period continued into the 2000s, so that this was a gradual transition versus a fast one.

By the beginning of the 2000s, several macroeconomic practices were in place such as a transition from a net market product standard to a gross domestic product standard. Several sets of statistics show improving personal well-being in the previous Soviet countries. For example,

statistical studies show that many of the countries, especially those of higher income per person, having indicators reflecting a higher degree of democracy in the countries. A greater degree of democracy in a country, in turn, leads to even better economic results, as also shown by data.

By the early 2000s, most of the countries of the previous Soviet Union and China had some degree of a market-driven economy. This could not have been possible without political reforms in these countries, since previous communistic political states demonstrated an inability to have market-driven economies, without political reforms.

Since the early 2000s, reforms have continued, and more results related to improved economic and social conditions have been obtained. Most, if into all, of the formally communist central and eastern European countries have become members of the European Union, a result not possible without these countries meeting high economic and social standards, based on free markets.

Current Economic System Comparisons - Former Soviet Union Countries and China. In recent years, e.g. from 2010 to the present, we find the former communist countries of central and eastern Europe having significantly advanced in their transactions to a market-driven economy. As previously written above, this is evidenced by these countries’ membership in the European Union, which requires meeting high standards associated with a market-driven economy.

Unfortunately, the CIS countries have not yet been so successful in their transition to a market-driven economy. They have been restrained in reaching their goals by a variety of factors, depending on the country. These factors include: insufficient political reforms, insufficient market liberalizations; and insufficient legal reforms.

Several statistics from the World Bank (WB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and other institutions show progresses made by the various countries. These statistics support the conclusions written above on the comparisons between the CIS and the central/eastern European Countries, formerly communist.

China reforms have had very impressive economic results (unlike the CIS countries). These results include:

1. A very high GDP growth rate of about 10% annually (until very recently when the rate has declined to around 7%);

2. The 2nd largest economy (behind the USA);

3. The world’s largest creditor;

4. The world’s largest manufacturer exporter;

5. More than 70% of GDP growth accounted for by the private sector.

Other differences between the Soviet Union and China situations during the transitional period include:

1. The level of economic development and industrialization (USSR had higher industrialization);

2. The social policies and social services provided to the citizens (Soviet Union needed higher social services);

3. The political environment;

4. The per capital levels of income (USSR much higher), which had to be maintained; and

5. Differences in agricultural policies (China more easily adapted private ownership).

Consequences of these differences included:

1. The CIS countries had a more difficult time dealing with its industrial base;

2. China had an easier time to move to a privatization and market-driven economy; and

3. The CIS countries had to reduce safety net expenditures leading to social problems.

Differences in Reform Strategies in the Former Soviet Union Countries and China. The China reforms during their transitional period have resulted in much higher economic success than the reforms instituted by the CIS countries (former Soviet Union Countries). Reasons for this include:

1. Much higher number of Chinese workers, which gave China more flexibility in labor use in the economy;

2. An export-led growth strategy, which was supported by the higher number of workers, which lead to very low worker costs;

3. More foreign direct investment;

4. A stronger focus, with more success, on macroeconomic equilibrium; and

5. A limited social net policy, opening up more resources for other investments for economic improvements.

Forthcoming Economic and Social Challenges – Former Soviet Union Countries and China. At this current point in the transitional program of the former Soviet countries, several challenges and problems remain. (The former communist countries of central and eastern Europe can be considered as having complete such a transitional period.)

These challenges and problems include:

1. Slower and fragile economic growth;

2. High debts;

3. Volatile commodity prices;

4. Inflation pressures;

5. Better governance;

6. Improved business climate; and

7. Unsustainable welfare state.

China also has challenges and troubles, which include:

1. From time to time, elements of a financial crisis,

2. A forth coming demographic and environmental crisis;

3. Limits to its extensive export lead growth;

4. Social and urbanization barriers; and

5. Finding a replacement for the export-led growth.

In conclusion, the transition from a centrally-planned to a market-driven economy in the regions discussed in this paper (the CIS countries, eastern and central European countries, and China) represent a monumentally, globally-important result. This transition has changed the economic environment of more than a billion people. This transition, taking place over many, many years, has improved the welfare of the people in these countries, which contributes much to global welfare. We should be grateful to those who participated in these monumental undertakings, including the many economists who led the ground work that support good decision-making around such transitions.

I define success as having right feelings of peace and contentment about where I am in my life. These feelings are influenced by many factors such as: 1) What have I achieved and expect to achieve; 2) How I relate to the world, communities, my friends, people I meet, my love ones; and 3) The degree of control that I feel I have on the economic and social aspects of my day-to-day living.

Success for me involves a process of becoming. The process of becoming involves such acts as: continuous improvement; attending to those goals that I feel are important; living a life that searches for truths, insight, and understandings; stressing how important I am in determining what it is that I might become; recognizing that what is important is not what happens, has happened to me, but how I react to what has happened; and believing that creation represents where I will find holiness.

As an older person, I feel that I have thought quite a bit about success in my life. And as I have gotten older, I have developed many attitudes and practices that serve me well for meeting my definition of success and what success means to me. Nevertheless, as constant improvement is one of the acts I view as important to the process of success, I should, and I do recognize I can always do more to understand what makes “the right kind of success” and how I can benefit from this understanding. So, I plan to continue to take steps to achieve this understanding and benefit, steps such as taking this course.

I believe the personality traits that I scored highest on using the SAME Personality Assessment provided during the course are traits that reflect who I am and who I will continue to be. These traits are: a competitive introvert; a cautious planner and striver; a revolutionary intellectual; and an even-tempered optimist. I like these traits and believe that I have been served well by having them. I believe that for the success that I define above, it will be best for me to not only continue with these traits but also to take advantage of the recognition that these are traits that I have and to use these traits to the best that I can.

Key statements in my definition of success indicate how important is my relationship with the world, my communities, my friends, people I meet, and my love ones are to the success that I want. Hopefully, I will have a positive impact on all of these groups of people and, if so, such will be extremely important in believing that I have been successful. I believe that I can have a positive impact on each of these groups, some more positive than others, but nevertheless being important to the groups. Ultimately, a final eulogy for me that argues for my success will argue that I made the world a better place by living. If I have, I consider myself to be a success.

As mentioned above, as an older person, I have thought a lot about the presence, or absence, of success in my life. So a course such as this one likely will not change a lot. But taking such a course still has lots of benefits. These include: a revised focus on why thinking about success is important; self-assessments offered during the course that allow one to reflect in new ways on questions related to success; reconsidering various factors related to success; and the good feelings and inspiration that occur while listening to such an inspiring teacher as Professor Shell.

Mexichem is a chemical company with headquarters in Mexico. It has 18,000 employees and in 2016 had $5.4 billion in revenues. Its major products include: polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, and fluorine-based products.

In this essay, I will develop a suggested strategy for Mexichem in dealing with its environmental regulatory requirements. This strategy will be based on an analysis of four factors that are important in influencing a company’s regulatory-compliance strategy: 1. the industrial sector that the company is in; 2. the geographical regions in which the company operate; 3. the impact that environmental interest groups might have on the company; and 4. what the company has been doing in the past and presently with respect to environmental compliance.

Based on the analysis of these four factors, one of four possible strategies will be suggested for Mexichem. The four possible strategies are: 1. just meet the regulatory requirements (the low road); 2. meet the requirements, but also monitor for possible actions needed (wait and see); 3. meet the requirements and monitor for needed changes, but also publicize to stakeholders what is being done (show and tell); and 4. in addition to meet, monitor, and publicize, have a strategy that positions the company as a “green” company, leading its industry in environmental-friendly products (pay for principle).

The following is my analysis of the four factors that are important in influencing Mexichem’s regulatory-compliance strategy:

Mexichem’s industrial sector. Because Mexichem’s industrial sector, the chemical sector, produces chemicals, which can adversely affect the environment, chemical sector regulations are extensive, and penalties high for non-regulatory compliance.

Regions in which Mexichem operates. Mexichem operates in 37 countries (all continents, except Antarctica) with 120 production plants. Mexichem is a global company.

Possible interest groups’ effects on Mexichem. Environmental interest groups have for a long time been very active in monitoring and commenting upon chemical companies’ environmental records. These groups are a major source of information on chemical companies’ environmental performance.

Mexichem’s past and present efforts. Mexichem’s annual report indicates an active program in environmental compliance.

Based on the above, I believe Mexichem’s best strategy for dealing with its environmental regulatory program is strategy number 3, show and tell. Because Mexichem is a major, international chemical company, not only should it meet all regulatory requirements and monitor/measure how it is doing in meeting these requirements, Mexichem should be proactive in publicizing what is doing (the show and tell strategy). The forth strategy (pay for principle) is best suited for those chemical companies that provide products sold directly to the public, e.g., personal care products. Mexichem products are mostly not used in products sold directly to the public so a pay for principle strategy likely would bring little additional marketing and other benefits. It seems to me, based on reading Mexichem’s reports, that Mexichem is in fact using the show and tell strategy.

Comments on Aristotle’s Approach to Understanding Things

Aristotle pursues an understanding of the existence of things. Examples of things that Aristotle is pursuing a better understanding of are those things that exist in man’s life, that surrounds him in his everyday life, that are used by man as he pursues day-to-day living. Things can be art works, objects in one’s house, tools at work, even man himself. In the pursuit of this understanding of things, Aristotle develops an approach that uses the concept “causes” which Aristotle describes is series of four sets of questions about the thing. One will have a better knowledge of a thing, a better understanding of it, if one attempts to have that understanding by going through a series of four steps, each of which addresses a “cause” (a set of questions) associated with the thing.

My understanding from Aristotle’s writings about “causes” and using them to acquire a better knowledge of a thing (Aristotle’s Physics, Book II, Part 3) is that in thinking of causes (a way of pursuing knowledge of a thing) such terms as: why (for example, why does the thing exists); form (for example, what is the structure, the form that the thing takes); origin (for example, where did the thing come from, how was it produced, who produced it); and impact (for example, what is the impact, the actions and consequences that is associated with the thing) could be used. For example, in thinking of a silver bowl and trying to better understand it, think of why, the form/structure, the origin, and the impact (the four causes of the silver bowl). Why does the silver bowl exist? To hold, contain. What is the form of the silver bowl? It is round and made of silver. Where did the silver bowl come from? It was made by the silversmith in the next town. What is the silver bowl’s impact? To serve, provide service and to make life easier for the user. And because it is made of silver it has certain impressions on the user. With these answers, we have a better understanding, more knowledge of the silver bowl.

Aristotle uses different terms (names), from what I am suggesting in the previous paragraph, in referring to his four causes. For the first cause, in which I am using the term why, Aristotle uses formal. With formal, Aristotle is interested in why the thing exists. For the second cause, in which I use the term form, Aristotle uses material. During the “material” cause, Aristotle is interested in what the thing is made of, what is its structure (or form). In the third step (cause), for which Aristotle uses the term maker, I call the step origin. In this step, Aristotle is interested in where is the thing is from. And in the final cause (set of questions), for which he uses the term goal (telos in Greek), Aristotle wants to know what the thing is for, its consequences. Here I use the term impact, which I believe gets to what Aristotle had in mind.

This set of four questions (causes) seem to be a good approach to better understanding, to having more knowledge about things in man’s environment. The approach represents a good system for increasing knowledge.

Aristotle’s writings on the understanding of the existence of things seem to me to relate very much to questions and answers that are of a “scientific” mindset. Greek philosophers were very much interested in explanations for events that would be of interest to “scientists of today”, such as the movement of the earth, the stars, and the planets; and what is the fundamental nature of the materials of the cosmos, with earth water, air, and fire suggested by philosophers of that period as being the basic materials from which all things are made.

These questions and answers of a “scientific” mindset, in my mine, is a very important triggering event in a long process leading to scientific inquiries as we know them today. Although much of what was written by the Greek philosophers is outdated by information and data discovered over the centuries (by using better and more observational tools and by accumulated knowledge and understanding), what Aristotle and other philosophers of that period contributed is monumental to the history of science.

In terms of the scientific method, astronomers differ from a laboratory science like chemistry and biology in the following ways:

Astronomy does not involve settings and situations in a laboratory, where the settings and situations can be set up, turn-off, and control.
Astronomy involves different models and concepts that are trying to be understood and formulated, e.g., how planets, stars, galaxies, etc., behave, why they behave the way they do, and how they interact with one another. Laboratory sciences involve models and concepts related to interactions and processes of very different objects, objects that the investigators have direct access to: atoms, molecules, animals, plants, etc..
Astronomy depends on measuring and obtaining data about processes that do not occur in the laboratory, but in space and therefore the type of data needed and methods of collecting that data differ from data needed by chemists and biologists.
Astronomers are trying to understand events and processes that involve a time frame , periods of time, durations of time that are much different than what laboratory scientists are dealing with. Astronomers often are examining events that have happened millions of years previously, whereas laboratory scientists are usually interested in the present time.

Astronomers are confident of their understanding of objects remote from the earth when the concepts and models of understanding that the astronomers propose are supported by patterns reflected by the data that the astronomers collect. A critical requirement is that the patterns provide consistent and rational insights and conclusions related to the astronomers’ broader models. Astronomers also become confident when mathematical models support the observed phenomena.

Some argue that ancient, impressive structures that incorporate astronomical functions and information (such as Stonehenge, Chichen Itza, and the Great Pyramid) are evidence of “ancient astronauts” or visits by intelligent aliens. The following are reasons why such arguments are unlikely to be correct:

Archaeologists and other scientists have concluded that the incorporated astronomical functions and information of these ancient structures are consistent with present understanding of the lives and situations associated with the humans believed to be connected to these structures;
Scientists have also concluded that these ancient structures were built by humans based on evidence collected by these scientists;
No evidence, artifacts, or information have be found needing an explanation of visits by intelligent aliens; and
Explanations for why intelligent aliens would build such structures, without further contact with earth humans, seem irrational.

Two main indirect methods for finding exoplanets are: the doppler method and the eclipse method (also known as the transit method).

The Doppler method measures change in radiation emitted from a star moving away from the earth compared to the radiation when the same star is moving towards the earth. If an exoplanet is rotating around the star, the exoplanet will cause the star to “wobble” causing the radiation being measured to change, over time, both while the star is moving towards and away from earth.

The eclipse (transit) method shows the existence of an exoplanet when the exoplanet shows an “eclipse” (dark spot) on the star as the exoplanet passes in front of the star (when view from the earth). The exoplanet prevents a small amount of the star’s radiation from reaching the earth.

Exoplanets are difficult to see directly as an image because the light reflected on the exoplanet by its star is extremely faint due to the extremely small size of the exoplanet compared to the star. This low-level of reflected light is hard to pick up by the earth’s measuring technology. Also, the light from the much larger star overwhelms the much smaller amount of light being reflected from the exoplanet.

Similarities between our solar system and the systems of other stars with exoplanets include: 1. other solar systems include “water” earths – exoplanets that contain water; 2. other solar systems are expected to contain rocky exoplanets; and 3. other solar systems are expected to contain exoplanets with habitable zones

Differences between our solar system and systems of other stars with exoplanets include: 1. most exoplanets in the other systems seem to be “gas giants’ planets; 2. orbits of the exoplanets in the other solar systems are eccentric, meaning not firmly established whereas our planets are mature, stable in their orbits; and 3. the habitable zones of other exoplanets are smaller than the habitable zones in our solar system.

What is the source or cause of the Sun’s light, and how do all the elements in the periodic table get produced?

The source of our sun’s light is the radiation energy that is formed when protons and neutrons react to form hydrogen and helium. The reaction is nuclear fusion. The formation of the radiation energy comes from the reaction that forms the new matter (e.g., hydrogen and helium).

New elements are built by a fusion chain reaction. From protons and neutrons in the sun, hydrogen and then helium are produced. At high temperatures heavier elements are produced from the hydrogen and helium by fusion.

What is the general process by which a large diffuse cloud of gas turns into a star and surrounding planets?

New stars are believed to be formed when a huge area of a diffused cloud of gas is turned into a new star. This happens when a nearby star to the gas cloud dies. The dying star provides the energy (e.g., by shock waves) to create a newly-formed star out of the gas cloud. Some of the matter in the gas can form planets.

Name of the two end states of stars much more massive than the Sun and describe their physical properties?

Stars much more massive than our sun have short, violent lives. Because of their large gravities, their cores are raised to very high temperatures, allowing the fusion of elements as heavy as iron. These massive stars end their lives in spectacular detonations called supernova and leave behind bizarre compact objects, neutron stars, and black holes.

Astronomers often say that large telescopes are like time machines. This is because what the telescopes are detecting is radiation that has been traveling through space for long periods of time. The radiation that is being detected originated at some point, a long distance away (light years) and a long period of time previously – in other words, like a time machine, astronomers are looking at events (that created the radiation) that took place in the past.

The following lists some of the evidence that the universe began in a hot, dense state 13.8 billion years ago:

A steady, constant energy microwave background radiation is present everywhere - a radiation that can be best explain by a beginning universe in a hot, dense state;
Astronomers can show data that support an expanding universe; and
The most abundant element in the universe is helium – the element that would be first created based on a hot, dense state beginning theory.

Astronomers believe the dominant ingredients of the universe are what they call dark matter and dark energy. Astronomers have concluded this is because such ingredients are needed to support their most acceptable theories on the nature of the universe, based on what astronomers have observed about the universe. However, although astronomers believe that dark matter and dark energy exist, they are unsure of the physical nature of the matter because astronomers have not yet been able to detect the matter in order to describe it.

Are citizens of affluent nations violating the human rights of people living in poverty in developing countries?

This is an interesting and important question to reflect upon and in the next few paragraphs I will provide some of my reflections on the question.

I believe the answer to the question cannot be well-answered with a yes, a no, or maybe. But rather, answers will vary and depend on assumptions, definitions, and other factors. For example, does citizens mean the nation as a whole or individual citizens? What about those citizens in an affluent nation that give a high percentage of their income directly to poor people living in developing countries, which certainly some citizens of affluent countries do. Are those citizens in affluent countries who do not give directly violating the human rights of poor in developing countries? I do not think so.

What does “the human rights” mean? Assuming human rights mean the right not to live in poverty, which I agree with, does that lead to citizens in affluent countries, being required to ensure the rights of citizens in developing countries? I do not think so. I accept we all have “human rights”, but this does not mean that by not doing something one is violating those rights of another person. Do human rights of poor people in developing countries mean they have the right to be taken out of poverty by those in affluent nations? I do not think so.

Am I violating the right of my neighbor because I make twice as much as the neighbor? I do not think so and I believe asking the question “Are citizens of affluent nations violating the human rights of people living in poverty in developing countries?” is a similar question.

So, a final reflection on the question above is that it is not a useful question to be asking with respect citizens in affluent nations’ relationship to citizens living in poverty in developing countries.

Political Philosophy

Several reasons are given for why we should have a state. One reason given is based on John Stuart Mill’s harm principle. Mill wrote in his essay “On Liberty” the following:

“The object of this essay is to assert one very simple principle, as entitled to govern absolutely the dealings of society with the individual in the way of compulsion and control, whether the means used to be physical force in the form of legal penalties, or the moral coercion of public opinion. That principle is, the sole end for which humankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self-protection. That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant.”

As Mill indicates in the above quote, the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercise over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. In other words, in Mill’s view, the only reason for having a state is to prevent harm to its members from others.

I find Mill’s view of a sole reason for having a state troublesome. I believe many other, important reasons exist for having a state. Other important reasons include helping the state members live and work together cooperatively and productively; improve economic life and efficiency of exchange through state-enforced contract and property law; providing public goods and infrastructure; harness the knowledge and expertise of the state’s members; and promoting the happiness and welfare of the state’s members.

The one reason from this list of reasons for having a state (the list in the above paragraph) that I find most persuasive is “promoting the happiness and welfare of the state’s members.” It seems to me that should this reason for a state be successfully implemented as the highest priority for having a state, then the other reasons for having a state (for example, preventing harm to members; helping members live and work together; improving economic life; etc.) will follow. Having as the highest priority for having a state as being promoting happiness and welfare of the state’s members will lead to the successful implementation of the other reasons for have a state, and therefore should be of the highest priority.

Robert Nozick argues that only a limited, minimal state should exist. This minimal state should only have narrow functions of protection against force, theft, fraud, enforcement of contracts, and similar objectives. A state with more rights, powers would violate people’s rights. Nozick argues people’s justice is best obtained through interactions between one another, without a state’s intervention. Nozick’s views are consistent with John Stuart Mills’ harm principle idea on the primary reason a state is needed.

I find Nozick’s view on the limits of a state troublesome. His limits on a state’s purpose fits the needs of a state in the agricultural world of the 18th and prior centuries but is deficient in responding to what a state needs to be in the industrial and post-industrial ages. The needs of the people in these later centuries are much different, more complex, than in the previous centuries, where much was different. The modern state needs to be better used to enrich the state’s people, to meet the needs that exist in modern societies, to better insure equality, opportunity, and welfare, which Nozick’s state ideas would not obtain.

A justice-related philosophy that I find persuasive is Martha Nussbaum’s capability approach. I like the idea of developing a state capability that will better achieve the promotion of happiness and welfare for the state’s members. I believe modern societies, the nature of the world we live in today, the need of peoples in this world, in the states currently existing are much different than the needs in the pre-industrial, agricultural ages, and today states need to have an agenda, a capability, a utility, a willingness to pursue, promote policies and programs that better ensure the welfare, justice, and happiness of its members. I believe that Nussbaum’s “10 Central Human Capabilities” philosophy provides an excellent approach for a state to use to promote its citizens’ happiness and welfare.

Moral principles create the goals, it seems to me, for considering that all people are, in a certain sense, equal. In what sense are they equal? I suggest it is in the moral sense that people are equal. A moral sense is a principle – an acceptable way to be, a way to live one’s life, in order to obtain benefits oneself and for all.

But trying to obtain such a sense (egalitarianism) creates tension, because beyond the moral sense that one is trying to achieve, the reality is that vast differences exist in people based to a large extant on luck – the luck of the draw, the luck of to whom one is born, where one is born, when one is born, etc.

So, to reconcile this tension, for the good of society as a whole as a moral principle, versus the good that individuals stride to achieve for themselves, a reconciling force is needed – and that reconciling force is the state.

That the state is the reconciling agent in overcoming this tension between the moral principle of equality for all and the reality that vast differences exist between people creates tension in the affairs of the state. How does one create and operate a state that can successfully reconcile morale aspirations of equality for all (equality as an objective, e.g., equality achieving a moral objective) and individual aspirations (equality as a constraint, e.g., equality that does not constrain individual aspirations, which can be greatly enhanced by luck, and which may fail moral aspirations)?

The answer to the problem of reconciling this tension (between the moral principle of equality for all and the reality that vast differences exist between people), it seems to me, is in pursuing an ever-increasing rational, well-informed electorate who recognize that moral principle aspirations of equality for all are of critical importance for the state’s welfare.

These philosophical concepts of equality as an objective and equality as a constraint can be associated with the ideas of pollical philosophers. The ideas of such philosophers as John Stuart Mills, Thomas Hobbes, and Robert Nozick, who view the primary purpose of the state to limit the bad inclinations of its citizens to project the rest, seem to be associated with the equality as a constraint concept. And the ideas of political philosophers such as Martha Nussbaum, Amartya Sem, and John Rawls, who view the state’s primary purpose to promote the welfare of its citizens seem to be associated with the concept of equality as an objective.

These concepts, equality as a constraint and equality as an objective, seem to underlie the approaches taken by existing state political parties as the Republican Party (equality as a constraint) and Democratic Party (equality as an objective) in the United States; the Conservative Party (equality as a constraint) and Labor Party (equality as an objective) in the United Kingdom); and Christian Democratic Party (equality as a constraint) and Social Democratic Party (equality as an objective) in Germany.

Memorandum for the Speaker – the United States of America House of Representatives

Memorandum Purpose: The purpose of this memorandum is to convince the speaker of the House of Representatives to provide and promote the data literacy of the members of the House of Representatives and also the importance of using this data literacy.

Background: Data literacy has become a critically-needed skill related to decision-making and policy implementation in governance, including national governance. Decisions related to development of programs are much improved when those decisions are based on accurate and timely data related to the programs. In the proposed social spending bill before the House of Representatives, major parts of the bill relate to social program improvements. Arguments for passage of this bill would be enhanced by providing accurate, detailed data related to the social programs that will be supported with the bill’s passage. These arguments would be enhanced by optimum use of data related to the social programs. House of Representative members are more likely to recognized this with improved data literacy.

Data Literacy Attributes: Data has become ubiquitous in the 21st Century. Being able to find and use reliable and relevant data related to governmental policies and programs have become paramount. The ability to find and use the needed data relies upon data literacy. Data literacy includes the ability to know the sources of data, how data is collected and produce, how data is disseminated and exchange, where data is located, and how data has and can support change and development. Data literacy also requires the recognition of the misuse of data and the need for safeguards to prevent such misuse.

Data Use: Members of the House of Representatives should know well where to go to find the data (public and private) that relate to policy and programs that the members are concerned with, such as those aspects of the current social spending bill before the House of Representatives. Being able to know where to fine and how to use relevant data can help support arguments for the social spending bill now being considered.

Members should be well-versed in how data have been used in the past and the potential of data use in the future to make smart decisions and policy.

The House of Representatives should provide for resources and policy to promote literacy for tis members and to insure that needed physical assets are paid for and human capital supported.

The House of Representatives should be aware of and interact with other countries and international agencies in those organizations’ development of data literacy and use of data in governmental programs. Advances in data literacy and good uses of data are being made continuously and the House of Representatives should be aware of those advances. Good examples of such advances are found in the World Bank’s flagship report “Data for Better Lives”. This report provides good, relevant details on how data has been and can be used in promoting public development. Resources to promote greater creative uses of data to support development should be identified by the House of Representatives.

Much creative use of data can be found. A good example of how data has been used successfully is in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both public and private sources of data were used to generate conclusions related to the spread of the virus and other aspects of the pandemic that led to better decisions and to counter the ravages of the pandemic and to recover from those ravages. The creative use of data in the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate how data can be used to respond to challenges and to provide solutions to those challenges.

One program under debate in the social spending bill being considered by the House of Representatives is for the government to pay for community college tuition. This is a controversial section of the social spending bill. Perhaps finding and providing data from other countries that relate to the advantages of free college tuition in those countries could be useful in persuading those oppose to free community college tuition to change their minds.

Conclusions: In the years to come, a national, well-thought out policy to promote data literacy and use will require a mature, integrated data-use program. Such a policy requires recognition for it and dedicated funding. The speaker of the United States of America House of Representatives should recognize this and work to implement the policy.

Social and Post Keynesian Economic Theory Perspectives on Trade Data for Three Trading Partners (Mexico, Canada, and the United States)

Then in the section “Analysis: Post Keynesian Economic Theory”, I provide analysis from the table and the WITS website related to Post Keynesian Economic Theory and Mexico, Canada, and US international trade.

Consistent with Social Economic Theory is the lower trade ratio for the US (20% in 2016) compared to Mexico and Canada (73% and 52% in 2016) as countries with large economies, such as the US, do not need to depend as much on international trade.

Statistics. Statistics on the World Bank’s WITS website has been used in the analysis. This URL, https://wits.worldbank.org/, links to the website.

The Coursera Writings

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The big questions for this essay are: when and how were chemical elements formed; what roles have these elements played in the formation of planets; and what roles do chemical elements play in human history? In answering these questions, I demonstrate an understanding of the course objectives.

Biobased Products Market

1. Are sufficient efforts being made to ensure that biobased materials are being identified and purchased and

2. How much are carbon dioxide emissions being (could be) reduced from the use of these materials.

Performance measurements are vital in understanding the effectiveness of a city’s procurement program in reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Here are some actions that I believe are needed for cities to be able to implement effective measurement programs:

An Identification of Several City Models that Represent Mexico City’s History and Current Status

Here are some of the innovations ongoing or planned by Mexico City that suggest a Smart City Model:

2. Green Buildings. Reference 20 describes the activities going on in Mexico City in constructing more environmentally-friendly (green) buildings.

3. Housing. Reference 11 gives an overview of several problem areas for Mexico City that Harvard University in the United States is collaborating on with Mexico City officials. A major area is solving housing problems. Another program being worked on is smart transportation.

4. Water and Sanitation. Reference 13 describes the groundwater exploitation, flooding, and other serious water and sanitation problems that Mexico City has and the plans and projects that are responding to these problems.

Although Mexico City cannot yet be compared very well to those cities that are considered first class smart cities, such a Singapore, Hong Kong, and Seattle, plans and projects described above suggest that Mexico City is moving in that direction.

In conclusion, the identification of several city models representing Mexico City throughout its history has:

1. Demonstrated how formulated models can be used to understand forces that play a role in a city’s descriptions;

2. Demonstrated how a city can undergo forces that change the most appropriate model used for describing the city; and

3. Demonstrated the importance of innovations in improving a city.

Is Financialization a Cause for People Not Having Adequate Housing (Their Rights as Humans)?

Definitions found on the Internet state that financialization is an increase in the size and importance of a country’s overall economy. Financialization describes an economic process by which exchange is facilitated through the intermediation of financial instruments.

In the following paragraphs, I will present my case for why Leilani Farha is wrong.

Conclusions. Social and Post Keynesian Economic Theories provide meaningful insights into international trade, as indicated in the analysis in this essay.

Preliminary Analysis on Whether to Invest in a West Virginia Coal Mine

Introduction. This report provides an initial, preliminary strategic analysis on the potential value of investing in a West Virginia coal mine.

This initial, preliminary strategic analysis will consist of the following:

A Strengths – Weaknesses – Opportunities – Threats (SWOT) analysis for determining a West Virginia coal mine company internal strengths and weaknesses as well as external opportunities and threats.

A Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix analysis for rating the coal mine company as an investment with respect to its cash flow potential.