Us Involvement In World War Two Essays - , Term Papers

Us Involvement In World War Two America's involvement in World War Two When war broke out , there was no way the world could possibly know the severity of this guerre. Fortunately one country saw and understood that Germany and its allies would have to be stopped. America's Involvement in World War two not only contributed in the eventual downfall of the insane Adolph Hitler and his Third Reich, but also came at the precise time and moment. Had the united states entered the war any earlier the consequences might have been worse. Over the years it has been an often heated and debated issue on whether the united states could have entered the war sooner and thus have saved many lives. To try to understand this we must look both at the people's and government's point of view. Just after war broke out in Europe, President Roosevelt hurriedly called his cabinet and military advisors together. There it was agreed that the United states stay neutral in these affairs. One of the reasons given was that unless America was directly threatened they had no reason to be involved. This reason was a valid one because it was the American policy to stay neutral in any affairs not having to with them unless American soil was threatened directly. Thus the provisional neutrality act passed the senate by seventy-nine votes to two in 1935. On August 31, Roosevelt signed it into law. In 1936 the law was renewed, and in 1937 a ?comprehensive and permanent? neutrality act was passed (Overy 259). The desire to avoid ?foreign entanglements? of all kinds had been an American foreign policy for more than a century. A very real ?geographical Isolation? permitted the United States to ?fill up the empty lands of North America free from the threat of foreign conflict?(Churchill 563). Even if Roosevelt had wanted to do more in this European crisis (which he did not), there was a factor too often ignored by critics of American policy-American military weakness. When asked to evaluate how many troops were available if and when the United States would get involved, the army could only gather a mere one hundred thousand, when the French, Russian and Japanese armies numbered in millions. Its weapons dated from the first World War and were no match compared to the new artillery that Germany and its allies had. ?American soldiers were more at home with the horse than with the tank? (Overy 273). The air force was just as bad if not worse. In September 1939 the Air Corps had only 800 combat aircrafts again compared with Germany's 3600 and Russia's 10,000 . American military Aviation (AMA) in 1938 was able to produce only 1,800, 300 less than Germany, and 1,400 less than Japan. Major Eisenhower, who was later Supreme commander of the Allied forces in the second World War, complained that America was left with ?only a shell of military establishment? (Chapman 234 ). As was evident to Roosevelt the United states military was in no way prepared to enter this European crisis. Another aspect that we have to consider is the people's views and thought's regarding the United States going to war. After all let us not forget that the American government is there ?for the people and by the people? and therefore the people's view did play a major role in this declaration of Neutrality. In one of Roosevelt's fireside chats he said ?We shun political commitments which might entangle us In foreign wars...If we face the choice of profits or peace-this nation must answer, the nation will answer ?we choose peace' ?,in which they did. A poll taken in 1939 revealed that ninety-four per cent of the citizens did not want the united states to enter the war. The shock of World War one had still not left ,and entering a new war, they felt, would be foolish. In the early stages of the war American Ambassador to London was quoted saying ?It's the end of the world, the end of everything? ( Overy 261). As Richard Overy notes in The Road To War, this growing ?estrangement? from Europe was not mere selfishness. They were the values expressed by secretary of state, Cordel Hull: ?a

Religions of Mesoamerica

Religions of Mesoamerica How the Codex Fejervary represents the body as the center of the world The Codex Fejà ©rvry has represented the human body as the central point of the world using various imageries. In order to achieve the in-depth understanding of the correlation that exists between the human body and the world, certain unique elements of the tonalpohualli have been used in form of a Mesoamerican augural cycle. It has a cycle of 260 days. The world has been divided into five main parts.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Religions of Mesoamerica specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, the compass points have been delineated using vivid T-shaped tress. As such, the top side has been marked as the eastern direction while the bottom side of the sculpture has been labelled as the western direction. On the other hand, the northern direction has been positioned to the left side of the figure while the right side depicts the south ern position. Carrasco (1998) notes that â€Å"the history of religions teaches us that, at one time or another, almost everything has been considered sacred† (65). This explains why the centre of the world has been taken as the central and sacred point that is being surrounded by the four directions. On the overall, the god of fire also known as Xiuhtecuhlti takes the centre stage and this is why the central part that has been surrounded by the four cardinal points is taken to be sacred. The importance in Aztec religions of the head and its connection to â€Å"tonalli† Those who believed in the sacred practices of the Aztec religions (such as the Nahuatl people) held a belief system that there were three key essences in a human being. These essences were largely responsible for life and overall wellbeing of an individual. The most significant of these three essences was the tonalli. The latter was located right at the top of the head. Hence, tonalli always resided on the head. In addition, every individual had his or her own tonalli. The fact that tonalli was located on the head meant that it controlled every fate in the life of an individual. For example, tonalli fashioned and controlled individuals in terms of who they were or what a person would be destined to perfect in life. In addition, it directed the kind of actions or activities which a person was most likely to engage in while still alive. According to Carrasco (1998), another significance of the head was the grown hair on it. As such, the energy possessed by tonalli and which was being needed by an individual on day-to-day life was extracted by the hair on the head of a person carrying the tonalli. This would symbolize getting hold of the tonalli himself. Their souls would be equally grasped in the same process. The importance of the heart and its connection to â€Å"teyolia† Teyolia was the second most important essence of an individual. It is kept in the heart of a person bec ause it is largely believed to be the actual soul of an individual that supports the breath of life. It also provides the much needed energy in the process of thinking and acting. It also rules and directs the status and genetic makeup of an individual. The feelings and subsequent response to stimuli are also governed by teyolia.Advertising Looking for term paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, the energy provided by teyolia explains the reason why people are alive and can make rational decisions. This implies that a person cannot remain alive if the teyolia does not provide the much needed energy. Hence, a person will die without this form of energy from teyolia. It is also pertinent to note that the human blood also contains some elements and sacred power of teyolia (Carrasco, 1998). The world centering role of the sacred mountain in Aztec religion The Nahuatl people greatly valued and revered the Serpent Mountain which was also called Coatepec. The mountain was a sacred place of worship where the gods resided. Huitzilopochtli god was also born at the Serpent Mountain and hence the location served as a very important spot where godly powers emanated from. This mountain also signified a place of sacred war bearing in mind that a fully armed and newly born god exterminated Coyolxauhqui who was his sister. This is because the latter had attempted to murder Coatlicue (their mother) in collaboration with the 400 Southerners who were her brothers. When the Mexica/Aztecs were migrating towards Aztlan which was to be their mythical homeland, they made a temporary stop at the Serpent Mountain. However, this group of people stayed longer than expected because they resided in this mountain for close to 30 years. During their stay at this mountain site, they constructed a temple. According to Carrasco (1998), â€Å"each community had a public ceremonial precinct, which o riented all human activity and influenced social life† (70). Hence, this sacred structure was built in order to give honor to Huitzilopochtli who was their patron deity. Hence, the Serpent Mountain was also a significant place of worshiping gods. The Aztec foundation myth and the world centering role of the great temple The Aztec foundation based its belief system on the patron god who was known as Huitzilopochtli. The emergence of the Aztecs boosted the significance of this god bearing in mind that he was initially of negligible value among the Nahuas. Most of the mythical foundations of the Aztec religion were based on this supernatural being especially when he was finally made the solar god thereby taking the position of Nanahuatzin. The latter was known to regularly struggle with the absence of light. It also needed to be nourished as one way of making sure that the cycle of the sun would remain uninterrupted for fifty two years. This was yet another foundational myth amon g most Mesoamerican religions such as the Aztecs. in addition, the festive seasons were specifically set aside for offering sacrifices for this god although this practice was supposed to done on a daily or regular basis. Huitzilopochtli was accorded only a single day for sacrifice although there were eighteen festive days.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Religions of Mesoamerica specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More All the generations of Nahuas lived through constant feat over the possibility of the world coming to an end. On the same note, the Aztec religion held a belief system that if Huitzilopochtli was offered human blood as the sacrifice, the termination of the world would not take place (Carrasco, 1998). The Great temple was also associated with the two gods because they were considered to be integral in the survival and overall wellbeing of the people. Hence, the temple was reserved for them. It was mythica lly believed that the unity of the two gods was supposed to be maintained because they were specifically destined to be together. Hence, the role of the Great Temple was boosted both as a place of offering sacrifices and a symbol of unity between the two gods (Carrasco, 1998). Human sacrifice in the New Fire Ceremony and the Festival for Tezcatlipoca The early Aztec civilization practiced human sacrifice as one way of appeasing the gods. However, it is important to note that this practice was also widespread among other civilizations. The Aztec religion valued a lot the 52-year cycle because it was believed that this cycle always marked the end of the word. Hence, a New Fire Ceremony was held after every 52 years coupled with a human sacrifice. This practice was meant to renew the world. It was deemed to be successful if the sun appeared the next day (Carrasco, 1998). On the other hand, Tezcatlipoca was a very influential and mighty god. He controlled and dominated human destiny, so rcery and the night. This religion also believed that people obtained all types of foods as a result of the battle that was triggered by this god. This god also performed the role of renewing the world because he could relive diseases and forgive sins. The god could also liberate a person from natural fate from life (Carrasco, 1998). Reflection From the discussion above and also based on the material that I read when compiling the task, the ancient Mesoamerican religion sheds light on the contemporary culture bearing in mind that the modern cosmopolitan society is also characterized with myriads of religious beliefs and practices. Each religious group tends to exalt its belief system similar to how it was during the ancient Mesoamerican civilizations. Although we live in a technologically advanced world, people still have strong belief in the existence of gods. The development of science has not dissipated belief systems of people. In addition, we may not be sure of the existence of gods because these are intangible beings that cannot be seen or felt.Advertising Looking for term paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, there is a deep conviction in the belief system of people that gods exist. These gods are also believed to supply mankind with hope and restoration of life. Generally, good deeds result into positive results. Therefore, the belief system of the modern has not changed remarkably. References Carrasco, D. (1998). Religions of Mesoamerica: Cosmovision and Ceremonial Centers. San Francisco: Waveland Press. Victor, D. H (2000). Carnage and Culture. New York: Doubleday.

The Market Forces of supply and demand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

The Market Forces of supply and demand - Essay Example These two inter-relates in a situation whereby the producer sells the same quantity of a goods and services that the consumer is willing and capable to purchase. Since a market is a combination of the producer (sellers) and consumer (buyers) of a specific goods and service, the force of demand and supply has been used in the economics to refer to the general behavior of the market participants (Caballero, Hoshi and Kashyap 1947). The main characteristics of a market are that all goods and services are the same and have got a large number of buyers and sellers to curb the effects brought by a single person over the market price. In the economy, a market exists as a competitive field in which a variety of companies and business entities produce identical goods and service and strive to sell to their prospects. The type of market in operation maintains its’ existence in the economy because of their structure namely; a monopoly; which is a market structure where the market is controlled by one firm. Monopolistic competition is market where a variety of companies have a certain percentage of market share but they all differentiate their goods and service from each other to make them unique. Perfect competition is a market structure that does not have a limited number of firms that have an entry. It is generally free entry for all interested buyers and sellers. Another market structure is the oligopoly that has its’ operations dominated by few firms and have total control over the majority in the market share. In cases where there two firms are dominating and has full control of the market share, it is referred to a duopoly. Unlike in a monopolistic market structure where we only have one provider, in a monophony market, there is only one person to purchase the products in the market (buyer). In addition, there is a market structure

Unit 6 Seminar Public Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 6 Seminar Public Health - Essay Example In addition, barrier protections have been a routine part of all health care institutions in reducing the spread of disease. Riegelman (2010) define immunization as the introduction of antibodies/vaccine to strengthen the immune system and to prevent or control diseases (102). Immunizations are essential to the protection of the public because it prevent infection from bacterial and viral diseases, provide either short/long-term immunity, may effectively control outbreak, and can control 70-90% of substantial population with infections from contagious viruses. On the other hand, a number of disadvantages were also noted, among of which are: some diseases such as HIV/AIDS may not have effective vaccines, immunizations are rarely 100% effective particularly among the young and the old and can produce side effects such as allergic reactions, live vaccines may cause injury to fetus or diseases to those with reduced immunity, and immunizations through inactivated vaccine may not produce long-term immunity and thus requires follow-up vaccines/boosters. Barrier protections also include isolation and quarantine. Isolation refers to the separation of the individuals with diseases from healthy population in order to prevent exposure (Riegelman, 2010, 102). Isolation and quarantine have the advantage of controlling the spread of a number of infections and serve as the basic strategies for controlling communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. However, isolation and quarantine may possibly break confidentiality of contacts’ information due to identification of individuals with diseases and follow-up of contacts. It may also lead to public recognition and social stigma placed upon affected individuals. Barrier protections such as immunizations, isolation, and quarantine encompass treatment of those with disease and their contacts and are all essential comprehensive

Comprehensive and Continuous Evaluation Pattern Essay Example for Free

Comprehensive and Continuous Evaluation Pattern Essay It is ironic that Kapil Sibal declared at 125th Birth Anniversary celebrations of great Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan that exam-centric education system would have to go. One wonders what Ramanujan himself would say – â€Å"Mr. Minister, even I am a product of exam centric education system†? Kapil Sibal says he would like to replace the current system with a child-centric one. Now that is a very interesting term. So how does the minister define the term? Expressing his determination to do away with rote learning and the â€Å"archaic† examination-oriented system, he said: â€Å"We are endeavouring to reform this with emphasis on skill development and unlocking the creative talent within the child. † The Ministry’s decision to do away with examinations at the end of the year, replacing them with a Comprehensive and Continuous Evaluation (CCE) system in a bid to de-stress children, was a step in that direction. [Link] Comprehensive and Continuous Evaluation has its benefits. It has to be, however, said that CCE will not de-stress the children all by itself. Students are under stress due to the range of competition. Imagine a candidate appearing for IIT JEE during +2. He faces at least 7 lakh others across the country. Imagine what goes on in the family, forget the candidate! Every IIT graduate has a story to tell as to how many sacrifices the complete family makes for success at the exam! CCE has its benefits and can de-stress the students but in an autonomous organization with tight controls within the organization. For example, some engineering colleges at graduate level and almost all of them at post-graudate level use it to the maximum benefit of both students and professors. The system is a success at these places because of the autonomy. JNTU implemented CCE in engineering colleges affiliated to it. It had limited impact and yet, it couldn’t do away with the final exam. The final exam had to cover 80% of the total score. CCE makes sense when the number of institutions involved is less. Another important factor that influences the impact of CCE is the physical proximity of affiliated institutions. Otherwise fraud and cheating would happen as the case is with JNTU’s example. Understanding the issue JNTU faced several issues with implementing CCE is more than 100 colleges in AP affiliated to it at the time of introduction of the system. They started with 80% external evaluation in the form of final comprehensive exam and 20% internal evaluation across the semester via 5 exams conducted by the instructor. Due to lack of feedback mechanism between students and the governing body – JNTU, the system led to several problems. There were cases of cheating and fraud. JNTU wanted to solve this problem by making internal evaluation â€Å"not so internal† through online objective evaluation. For this, an internal evaluation question bank was created through suggestions from all its professors, assistant professors, associate professors across the affiliated institutes. The online evaluation software would throw random questions on the screen to be answered in stipulated amount of time. This system again failed at several institutions due to infrastructure issues but the major problem was again cheating and fraud. The issue is quite clear – large educational bodies with centralized governing body cannot use CCE effectively. Effective use of CCE can happen with decentralized model. JNTU understood this and divided colleges between JNTU Hyderabad, JNTU Kakinada and JNTU Ananthapur. The division was purely based on physical proximity of the institute to the governing body. This system still faces the issues that it had initially. It will continue to face them. Take another example. IITs. For evaluating graduate students, IITs dont have a common examination across all the IITs! Even BITS Pilani which has its campuses in Pilani, Dubai, Goa and Hyderabad doesnt use CCE across all four via a common evaluation body. Closed loop within each campus is used. In fact in all these institutes, swift justice in case of any fraud/cheating via committees within the institutes ensures better evaluation, without hindering the process of education. The key phrase – â€Å"checks and balances†. One then wonders why such a tight loop cannot be framed within the schools or a set of schools within close physical proximity! What is happening now? In our current system of school education, we have CBSE at national level and as competing bodies we have State Education Boards. Schools are allowed to choose one of the bodies. The chosen body not just dictates syllabi but also evaluates students in a final examination with a common exam held on a common date at all affiliated schools. So by design CCE is missing. Private schools, so far bridged this gap by having internal evaluation which does not affect scoring at final exam but will only help students to be ready for the final evaluation. Government schools on the other hand, have been busy serving meals at noon to children rather than conducting classes regularly. All government education bodies across India have a common goal – syllabus. Core of the problem lies in this – skill development has never been the area of interest of these bodies. Skill development was and still is the school’s responsibility to compete with other schools. Students who make it top notch institutes across India via JEE, AIEEE, BITSAT etc. , generally have a set of skills in some area or the other. But it has to be understood that they do not make it there due to those skills. They acquire those skills at school, due to their own enthusiasm and sometimes due to the school’s stress on extra-curricular and co-curricular activities. Fortunately or unfortunately, skill development is not due to the governing body. Some exceptions do exist in places like Kerala though! In terms of the system of education, both geography and demography have a huge role to play. Before CCE Implementation†¦. Sibal’s megalomania and grandiose plans lack substance just because of one of his very fundamental assertion – centralization. For a country of the size of India, with such a large population, centralization of education is a disaster to start with. Decentralizing and allowing that little freedom to schools would be a very important step. Such a decentralization process must be addressed before CCE can be implemented. If we are supposed to get anything useful from implementation of CCE, what Governments at class X, +1, +2 level in Government Schools needs to Allow more freedom to schools to collaborate and spool resources – they are already in severe resource crunch. Leaving out examinations completely would be a recipe for disaster. As it is, drop out rates in Class X, +1, +2 across states like AP is too high. Any hasty introduction of CCE without first correcting some fundamental flaws in organizing schools would only bring about faster drop out rates at these levels. CCE is already available in an abstract way in private schools. Several aided and government schools tried to emulate it to see marginal success. But the issue remains. CCE it self will not reduce stress on students. In conclusion, CCE would make sense only with a proper mechanism to address drop-out rates at class X, +1, +2 levels across government schools in India. Acts proposed by Sibal like RTE only make it worse as they attack Private schools which have a decent CCE model already in place. Bottom line – leave private institutions alone. If possible allow them a % share of total evaluation points/score. Don’t scrap examinations, even if you introduce grading. Meanwhile, ensure Government and Aided school improve standards w. r. t infrastructure and faculty. Form conglomerates of schools within a certain radius and allow them to frame, organize and evaluate their students through proper resource spooling.

Essay --

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an infection provoked by a group of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that reside on the exterior of people’s skin and inside of the nose. This bacterium is typically innocuous; however, it can cause infections in various parts of the body because is resistant to a number of commonly used antibiotics which makes the infection extremely difficult to cure. MRSA has several symptoms including infectious skin, but sometimes it can cause serious infections inside of the body. To diagnose MRSA most commonly a lab test is done to the infected area of the skin, but depending on the patients symptoms a urine, sputum, or blood test can be done. Accordingly, MRSA is treatable with exiguous antibiotics that are still effective, depending on the severity of the infection and its location in the body. Continually, Staphylococcus aureus is a common bacterium that lives in one’s body; nonetheless, it can be problematic if it gets inside of the body because it can cause an infection. MRSA can be spread from one person to another by skin to skin con... Essay -- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an infection provoked by a group of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that reside on the exterior of people’s skin and inside of the nose. This bacterium is typically innocuous; however, it can cause infections in various parts of the body because is resistant to a number of commonly used antibiotics which makes the infection extremely difficult to cure. MRSA has several symptoms including infectious skin, but sometimes it can cause serious infections inside of the body. To diagnose MRSA most commonly a lab test is done to the infected area of the skin, but depending on the patients symptoms a urine, sputum, or blood test can be done. Accordingly, MRSA is treatable with exiguous antibiotics that are still effective, depending on the severity of the infection and its location in the body. Continually, Staphylococcus aureus is a common bacterium that lives in one’s body; nonetheless, it can be problematic if it gets inside of the body because it can cause an infection. MRSA can be spread from one person to another by skin to skin con...

The Present Government Is Planning to Increase Compulsory Education to Age 18. Why Is Such a Measure Necessary? What Are the Reasons for the State to Implement Such a Law?

The present government is planning to increase compulsory education to age 18. Why is such a measure necessary? What are the reasons for the state to implement such a law? The proposed policy of changing compulsory schooling from 16 to 18 clearly shows the governments vision in how to they intend take a stronghold grip on economy and its problems. Governments aims have always been to raise attainment for all children and â€Å"to close the gap between the richest and the poorest† (Lemieux, 2006: ). From the late 1970s to 1991 the disposable income of the top quintile group increased form 26 to 42 percent, whilst the bottom quintile group fell from 10 to 7 percent (www. statistics. gov. uk), and this has increased further in current times. A possible reason for this increased inequality is the shifts in industry from non-skilled workers to skilled workers over the past 20 years, and educational systems failures to meet these changes. Raising education therefore would help create the supply of labour that industries demand, and help increase economic growth and GDP; both vital requirements in order for the country to come out of the recession, which is an integral part in all government policy. With record levels of unemployment, it is without doubt that this proposed policy intends to target and reduce the unemployment rate, especially amongst young individuals, as more education leads to better job opportunities in the future. Increasing education requirements would therefore theoretically solve the problem of increasing pressure by economists to cut costs and solve the ever-growing dependence of many on welfare. It is important to first define the human capital theory as it plays an integral part in the following points. Human capital theory is that the more educated and individual, the greater earning potential for that individual as he/she is more productive due to the skills they have attained. Belfield’s definition of human capital is the most commonly accepted as â€Å"an individuals embodied skills above their raw ability† (Belfield, 2000: 17). Based on this idea, raising the schooling age to 18 would therefore make young students obtain more skills, becoming skilled and more productive leading to greater job prospects and greater earnings potential. In the long run this would lead to increased consumption, less dependence on welfare due to less unemployment, increase GDP and help boost the economy out of recession. The proposed policy is necessary because it directly tackles youth unemployment that is crippling the current economy. With recent figures stating that as of September 2010, 2. 45 million people are unemployed (www. bc. co. uk), it is important the government aims to reduce this to help boost the economy, and improve national morale. By increasing the schooling age, the government hopes to solve the increasing number of young people unemployed. NEET is a government term that shows the number of people not in education, employment, or training. Recent figures show that â€Å"183,000, 9. 2% of young people aged 1 6-18 in England were NEET at end of 2009† (www. publications. parliament. uk). It is an alarming figure as it is one of the worst in the OECD countries, and needs to be tackled. This is because being NEET at a young age is associated with negative outcomes in later life, each having a cost not just for the individual but also for the economy as a whole (www. publications. parliament. uk). By implementing the proposed policy, this figure of 9. 2% of 16-18 year olds being NEET would be eradicated, and improve their chances of finding employment after leaving school. Greater human capital, revised outlook on goals and better decision-making are the result of more education, and as a result, in the long run, unemployment would fall, and there would be less strain on the welfare system. However, such a law is only effective if it helps meet the needs of the labour market. Labour market patterns and trends have played an important role in the decision to implement the proposed policy. Over recent years â€Å"there have been shifts in relative labour demand that have favoured skilled workers† (Machin & Van Reefen). The 1980s saw radical developments in technology and is often referred to as â€Å"the information age†. Computers, advanced machinery, and other technical change â€Å"has had a clear effect of increasing the relative demand for skilled workers† (M & Van R). This intuitively has led to a decrease in demand for non/semi-skilled workers in the labour market. This phenomenon is enhanced by the globalisation of many industries, and the membership of the EU, leading to many industries using alternative cheap labour in other countries; â€Å"increased foreign competition has damaged the position of less skilled workers† (M & Van R). Hough put forward the argument that the education system and its role is often â€Å"far from what the industry requires† (Hough, 1987: 15). Although this was not directly to do with the school leaving age, it is still relevant in this argument because it is clear that now skilled labour is what industry requires, and by increasing the schooling age to 18, the education system would help create more skilled workers through greater human capital accumulation and allocative efficiency, leading them to be more adaptable to work in such skilled professions. Therefore the increasing of the compulsory schooling age could be used to reduce unemployment rates. This is because labour supply of youths would meet the requirements of labour demand, something that hasn’t been the case over past years. This in turn would increase productivity and output, and help boost the economy, which is another important government aim. Therefore the proposed law can be seen as a way of tackling unemployment. Industries have been crippled by the recession, and the economy is growing at a very slow rate. By making young individuals more educated, it is widely accepted that this would lead to increased productivity and greater economic growth. It is based on the assumption of human capital theory: more education leads to increased productivity levels. Therefore by feeding the labour market with more skilled individuals (which is what the market demands), productivity and output within industries would increase. As the policy would increase education levels, wage levels will rise as individuals who pre-policy implementation would enter semi-skilled work, enter more skilled professions, leading to an increase in national income. With more skilled labour entering the labour force, industries will be able to undertake more skilled/capital intensive practices as they now have more able workers to carry out such operations. This leads on from the previous point, as productivity will increase as well as output. In the long run this would lead to increased consumption therefore the economy will grow. By increasing the schooling age to 18, the government are taking a direct approach to stimulate economic growth in the long run and increase output. Since the introduction of new labour in 1997, recent governments have constantly tried to reduce inequality in society; â€Å"to close the gap between the richest and the poorest† (Lemieux, 2006: ). Inequality in wages have risen dramatically in the UK over the past 20 years, with wage growth â€Å"more evident at the upper tail of the distribution† (Slemrod, 1996: 99). The increasing of the schooling age can be seen as another instrument in solving this. It can be linked to the previous point of meeting the demands of the labour market. It is often the case that when a child leaves school at 16, the opportunities for that individual to obtain high earnings are very limited, as they do not have the skills to compete with more educated individuals and therefore are often limited to low paid, non/semi-skilled professions. Hence by increasing compulsory schooling age to 18, individuals who would normally find themselves at the lower tail of the wage distribution would have potential increased earnings due to the more human capital accumulated, and reduce the gap between the two ends of the wage distribution. A counter argument to this is similar to the problem induced by the implementation of the minimum wage in affecting wage distribution with the wages of the those at the top end of the distribution also increasing. As a result inequality would be unaffected. Having said that, the fact that earnings prospects for young individuals would be greatly enhanced by the policy, shows that reducing inequality in the sense of bettering individuals standard of living, shows that this proposed policy would still be very effective in tackling the issue. The government is under great pressure to reduce the welfare state in order to help reduce the huge deficit of the country. The welfare system used to be a safety net for individuals, but unfortunately has now turned into a fishing net with many abusing it. Increasing the compulsory schooling age to 18 could be seen as a way to reduce the potential dependence people could have on welfare. By allowing students to develop their skills and have greater human capital, the prospects of them finding employment are that much greater, therefore reducing the possibility of unemployment and hence claiming off the state. One of the biggest strains on the state is teen pregnancy as it can lead to a vicious cycle of future offspring going through the same direction of life. Teen fertility is â€Å"driven by immediate thinking-efforts† (Oreopoulous) and poor decision making that is the result of little education. Conception rates for England was â€Å"40. 5 per 1000 girls aged 15-17† in 2010 (www. dcsg. gov. uk), which although is down on previous figures, is still regarded as to high by government officials. Oreopoulous states that education leads to better decision-making and eradicates the present orientated preferences of individuals (Oreopoulous, year : ). Increasing the schooling age by two years therefore can only be a positive step in trying to reduce teen fertility, and hence reduce the strain on the welfare state; and as a result can be shown to be another reason why the government are opting for such a policy. Finally, one must discuss the alternative approaches that the government could have taken instead of increasing the school leaving age. ALMPs are a government tool used to â€Å"raise output and welfare and reallocate labour between sub-markets† (Boeri & Ours, 2008: 261)). However, it is viable to say those ALMPs such as training and activation programmes will be used in conjunction with the new law; therefore strengthening the possible success of the proposed law further in tackling the problems of the labour market. After analyzing and evaluating the proposed law of raising the school leaving age, I have come to conclude that the government have felt that such a measure would: tackle youth unemployment, help create the supply that labour markets demand, increase production and output leading to economic growth, reduce wage and social inequalities, and reduce the dependence many might have on welfare. All these points help build towards the bigger picture the government has: to get the country on the right path to get out of the recession. It is a law that will reap rewards in the long run and will make inroads into changing the â€Å"careless and unambitious culture† of today’s youth. The law will be more beneficial to the country if it is worked in conjunction with alternative labour market policies such as training, and activation policies that will help those who leave school at 18 unemployed. It can be seen in broader aspects boosting the countrys moral and self belief and help Britains labour market and industry compete greater internationally. In my opinion is it is a necessary measure, and such a law will go a long way in helping stabalise and boost the economy. Bibliography Belfield, Clive R. Economic Principles of Education. Cheltenham: Edward Publishing Limited, 2000 Hough, J. R, Education And The National Economy. USA: Croom Helm, 1987 Lemeiux Machin and Van Reefen Slemrod, Joel. Tax Progressivity and Income Inequality. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Oreopoulous Boeri, Tito and Ours, Van Jan. The Economics of Imperfect Labour Markets. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2008. Other sources www. statistics. gov. uk www. bbc. co. uk www. publcations. parilament. uk www. dcsg. gov. uk