Critical Analysis of a Macroeconomics Article Essay

Critical Analysis of a Macroeconomics Article - Essay Example fiscal, monetary and international trade policy) to limit the scale of economic activity within the regenerative and waste assimilative capacities of the ecosphere. The usage of government’s rate of spending through its fiscal policy and its instrument to control money supply through its monetary policy does not provide a viable solution for the dilemma of ecological sustainability. So much so with international trade policy which only enhances the competitiveness of its domestic industries abroad which is not always desirable for the environment. The market cannot be left by itself to let its dynamics correct the inequity and ill effect of having an economy that consumes more than the environment’s regenerative capacity. Such, the article suggested ways to to avoid further ecological degeneration by modifying aggregate private sector spending through cap-and-trade system that will penalize environmentally hazardous activities. It also suggested the idea of a steady sta te economy where growth is commensurate to the environment’s capacity to replenish itself. II. Theoretical Analysis of the Article A. Fiscal Policy – Fiscal Policy is typically used by central government to pump prime the economy through its expenditures. It is used to encourage industry and create jobs during economic downturn funded by its fiscal collection through taxation. The article however acknowledges the fact that the typical function of Fiscal Policy satisfies only economic criteria and not the biophysical criteria of the environment and as such, its typical usage cannot be utilized to remedy the sustainability dilemma of resources. A variation of this Policy Instrument however can be used to limit economic activity that strains the environment. Through cap-and-trade system, it may be able to discourage and limit ecologically straining economic activities by penalizing through reformed taxation those economic activities that depletes our natural resources and pollutes the environment. B. Monetary Policy – Monetary Policy or the government’s instrument to control the supply of money circulating in the economy can neither address ecological degradation. It can encourage private enterprise spending by â€Å"loosening† its interest rates and encourage economic activity which may in fact even be harmful to the environment as it stimulates expansion, which is the biggest threat to ecological degradation. C. External Trade Policy – International Trade Policy merely addresses the international competitivenes of domestic industries to be able to compete in the global market. But with the advent of globalization, government influence in international trade is slowly diminishing that to use this instrument to put limit on the expansionist tendency of the industry to effect diversity conservation is simply not workable. III. Significance of the Analysis A. Society – Initiating a macroeconomic policy that is not ex pansionary will tremendously benefit society in the long-run. Imposing restrictions and/or limit to resource throughput within the environment’s regenerative and waste assimilative capacities will ensure ecological sustainability and availability of resources in the long-run. It will ensure the perpetual availability of resources to provide society’

Childhood Obesity in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Childhood Obesity in America - Essay Example To encourage healthy lifestyles among the American children, there is a need to have collaboration between parents and the education system to encourage healthy lifestyle among children though physical education and healthy diets in addition to the government introducing regulations on marketing of food meant for children consumption. Parents are the greatest contributors in childhood obesity due to their failure to control their children’s eating habits and engagement in physical activities. According to Parizkova and Hills, parents in modern US society have a tendency to prefer eating fast food in restaurants to cooking food at home while also allowing too much television watching by encouraging practices such as having bedroom televisions (396). It is important that parents encourage a healthy lifestyle for their children by cooking for them healthy meals at home. Cooking at home will ensure parents serve their children a balanced diet in addition to having enough portions per sitting. Additionally, limiting the number of hours children spent watching television will encourage other pass time activities such as outdoor games that are more physically engaging. Some people argue that parents can still acquire healthy meals in the restaurants by asking for healthy portions. Although this is partly true, pa rents can exercise more control over what their children consume by taking part in choosing ingredients as well as the process of cooking meals when it is done at home as opposed to in a restaurant. Therefore, preparing food at home becomes the best option when parents want their children to have a balance diet. The high level of childhood obesity in the US is not only as a result of a failure by parents to control the lifestyle of their children, it is also a failure of the education system to teach them about healthy living. Wicks-Nelson and Israel (383) reports