NOTE: Both assignments must be submitted to the corresponding dropbox in elearning. See further instructions below.

Assignment #1: Getting acquainted with indicators. Due Sunday, February 20 at 11:59 pm.

This assignment will acquaint you with useful indicators for various ways to measure a country's status. Your task is to learn what each indictor measures and to use them to examine one country from the post-Soviet space. The indicators are:

• • • Doing Business Index: https://www.doingbusiness.org/en/doingbusiness.
    • Fragile State Index (published by the Fund for Peace): https://fragilestatesindex.org.
    • Gini coefficient/index (it goes by both names): https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook.
    • Global Firepower Index: https://www.globalfirepower.com.
    • Global Gender Gap Index: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2020.pdf.
    • Gross Domestic Product at Purchasing Power Parity (GDP PPP): https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook.
    • Gross Domestic Product per capita at purchasing power parity (GDP pc PPP): https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook.
    • Human Development Index: http://hdr.undp.org/en/2020-report.

Your assignment:

1. 1. 1. Pick one country from among the 12 states listed below that came into existence when the Soviet Union collapsed in late 1991.
      2. Look up each indicator for your country.
      3. Write one paragraph for each indicator detailing how its index is comprised and what specifically it measures.
      4. Make a table for your country that includes all the indicators.
      5. Write a short narrative (one or two paragraphs) in response to what you've learned. What kind of story is told by this collection of indicators?
      6. Read the instructions for both writing assignments below carefully and follow them.

Post-Soviet countries (the list excludes the Baltic states):

Assignment #2: To be announced.

Instructions for both writing assignments.

• • You are required to submit your assignments in the elearning dropbox. They just either be MS Word compatible or be in pdf format.

  • Text should be double-spaced with no skipped lines between paragraphs. The exception is the table; it does not need to be double-spaced.
    

  • There should be no spelling mistakes, typos, grammar mistakes, or syntax problems. Verbs should agree with subjects. Sentences should officially end before the next one begins. Don't jump around among tenses. Never use "you." Don't capitalize nouns unless they're supposed to be capitalized (the fact that our recent POTUS did this constantly does not make it correct). Keep straight the difference between its and it's, and between their, there and they're. And never, ever use apostrophes for plural nouns.
  • Spell-check will not catch all your spelling mistakes. There is no substitution for careful proofreading.
  • Adhere to the deadline. Late penalties are draconian, and could result in your premature death or dismemberment. (Actually, I'm serious. See late penalty policy on the course policies page).