Impact Of Christian Missionary Activity

Impact Of Christian Missionary Activity Colonialism in the nineteenth century and early twentieth centuries was part and parcel of the world history, whether one was part of the Colonial empires or countries under colonial rule. Colonialism was not simply a social and economical form of oppression but also cultural, mostly religious for those who lived under its grip. Indeed from the British Raj to the French rule around the world, religion acted as a backbone to infiltrate and convert en masse or divert locals or natives from what was believed to be erroneous religions. Christianity in this way became an important import for colonies around the world. India is such an example. Under British rule since the 18th century, India was subjugated for three centuries until its independence in 1947. This rule has obviously left a big impact on the Indian landscape namely on the cultural and political scene because of education and the counter reaction of Hinduism. This essay will thus attempt to gauge the extent of Christian Missi onary activity in India and its modernizing effect if any. The different ways in which Christian missions operated will be analysed as well as its impact on education and Hinduism. This will be undertaken by describing the concept of modernity from a western perspective and how it applies to the Indian case. The impact of Christian Missions on education will be accounted for as well as the debate over the Hindu Renaissance of the 19th century and whether it was indeed a renaissance. Moreover this essay will assess the impact of Christian activities as having been conducive to the Indian nationalist movement and how this subsequently led to Indias Independence from British Colonial Rule. MODERNITY AND WHAT CONSTITUTES MODERNITY. The concept of modernity is western and a term devised and applied in the West because of the shift from the medieval era to the modern since the Enlightenment. Thus to speak of modernity in the Indian context, one needs to define what modernity entails. Firstly modernity for Marx was to be associated with the rise of capitalist commodity production and for Weber, in the abstract principle of rationalization of the world (Kaviraj, 2000 p137). Modernity sees a state possess several features like a capitalist industrial economy, modern state institutions like the army and forms of democracy. Moreover the community of the traditional society tends to be replaced by the individual enterprise whilst religion tends to be overshadowed by secular values. (Kaviraj, 2000 p137) .Whilst all of the mentioned elements do not have to operate at the same time for a modern society to take shape, they are the prerequisites for one. Furthermore, it is believed that due to prerequisites like democracy, capitalist industrial economy ,etc ,that modernity tends to replicate itself around the globe as it supplants the traditional environment and replaces it with new set of practices altogether. However, this idea does not take into account the plurality and diversity of some places (Kaviraj, 2000 p138) India is such an example. Modernity does not operate on a tabula rasa but rather has to work along existing cultures and beliefs. Moreover, modernity in the Western perspective tends to suggest an image of homogeneity, where rationality prevails over economic, political and cultural spheres. This is rather far from the truth as one can see in Indias case, where plurality and diversity have always been present and in fact regions make up this vast country. Therefore, modernity cannot be applied to all cases in the same way and does not replicate itself around the globe through a common pattern. Even western countries had rather diverse trials and errors path towards modernity.India for i nstance is an extreme culturally fragmented case. The notion of being Indian did not take shape until British Colonial rule. Also, the social fragmentation of class and castes and royalties controlling parts of India made it hard to translate into a nation. However, British rule did contribute into putting perspective to the various religions and their differences. India first of all came under British rule due to the lack of a central state and lack of forms of democracy. Initially starting as a corporation enterprise, the East India enterprise very quickly saw itself acting as a state mostly by collecting revenues, production of statistics etc (Kaviraj, 2000 p143). In this way, British rule sought to transform the Indian colony into a western type state. However Indias diversity and class/caste ridden society could not follow into the Western tradition. India at that point was too embedded by religious and traditional beliefs to be turned into a modern state The modernity that beset the West socially, economically and culturally could thus not be repeated in India. The district of Bengal for instance saw a definite cultural revolution in the 19th century, where Western rationalization of thought seemed to have taken place. However the lack of infrastructures and material prospects could not emulate Western Counterparts so that Bengal could be termed as modern (Kopf, 1979 p9-11). Modernity in 19th century Bengal was allowed by the implementation of rising communication such as printing, education in the form of missionary schools. Moreover, the rise of Bhadraloks and the consolidation of intellectual elite as Ranmohun Roy witnessed a shift from the traditional to the modern. However this was concentrated mainly in urban areas and reserved for the privileged, mostly the middle class. Calcutta is such an example whereby the Bengali Renaissance found itself being the preserve of the few intellectual elite and not one to touch base with most people in general. The next chapters will thus determine whether India turned into a modern state under Christian Missionary activity or did it only see a cultural revival. It is essential to start with education as it became the first port of call for missionaries in India to use as weapon for conversions. THE IMPACT OF MISSIONARY SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION IN INDIA. The printing of ancient texts revived a spark of interest in Indian traditions and texts even from British scholars and missionaries. In effect comparative studies became a key tool into understanding the Indian tradition and values (Killingley, 2003 p509-14).A world completely different from the homogeneity of religion and languages of the Western world, understanding the Indian society and transforming it into a Western project as was the British agenda could be achieved only by instilling western values of religion namely Christianity. This was to be attempted by mission school and missionaries which were meant to bridge the religious gap between Christianity and Hinduism and also Islam. Although initially banned for fear on treading on local beliefs and traditions, missionary schools soon became more popular than anticipated and can be said to be conducive to Indian modernity through the revival of Hinduism (Bellenoit, 2007 p369). Missionary education would also be a catalyst for the Independence movement for it enabled men as Mahatma Gandhi to formulate their political discourse for Indian and Western audiences as well. Missionary education was set up by the British as means to be promote Western education, mainly the notions of rationalization but also to separate the false religions from the real. Indeed, Christianity in the late 19th and early 20th century had become the most widespread religion through colonies and in the Western World, the religion de facto in a sense. Western education in India was to thus boost Christian morality as opposed to the myriads of myths and ancient rites of Indian society. Practices like Sati, the Caste system with its unfair treatment of untouchables and the subordination of women in general became a cause for concern for some of the missionaries. Mission schools were thus intended to be centres of spiritual and religious dialogue as well as centres of academic learning but more importantly a way to impart Hindus the right Christian and moral ways ( Bellenoit,2007 p371) The colonial enterprise in India was a Christian enterprise above all. Missionary schools became increasingly popular, especially North India. They became synonymous to better life opportunities and social status. At the heart of these schools, lay religious debates and comparative lectures between Hinduism and Christianity. Through the comparative studies, missionaries wished to universalize Christianity by finding common things with Hinduism and help the pupils dispel traditions and mythical beliefs which went against the core values of Christianity. These schools moreover relied also on Indian agency and enterprise rather than British administration, which was thought to be conducive to Indians as being part of the Western modern family. However, these comparative studies only served to destabilize the imparted Western knowledge at these schools .Indeed, rather than concentrating on the religious curriculum these schools became centres of academic pursuits by most students. Conversions being the ultimate goal were viewed suspiciously by parents who s ometimes threatened to pull their children out of these schools. Protests were often made by parents who feared that their children would turn Christians and any Christian activities would be frowned upon, seen as a disregard to Hindu culture and values (Bellenoit, 2007 p372) The Christian education only appealed to Indians for it automatically secured better life opportunities and social status within Indian society. Students meanwhile seemed to develop dual allegiances, one to their rational westernized education and the other to the beliefs of their ancestors, seeped in myths and traditions. Mission schools thus were subject to protests and Indian agency from parents to administration and were not just a passive process where Indian pupils imbibed Christian lessons and forgot about their traditions. In Northern India for instance, missionary schools became a way for Indians to contest the so called superiority of Western knowledge and Christianity especially when it came to the i ssue of the dvaita (duality) nature of God which both Hindus and Christians believed in (Bellenoit, 2007 p373-374) The mastering of English language enabled students to forage into Western literature and philosophy. This allowed for Indians to seek and re read their own sacred texts as well as ancient writings which showed the richness of Indian culture and lost traditions of reason and logic which had predated the Italian Renaissance and the Enlightenment. Western notions of rationalization and education in effect helped shape the Indian enterprise for learning and by extension helped them revive or discover what would eventually shape Indian modernity and the process of Independence. However these mission schools were reserved to a few privileged. Moreover, the issues of caste and class still persisted. The interesting outcome of the missionary schools is that they were marked by interdependency and contestation between Europeans and Indians and that this was also a side of coloni al rule and that Indians did not allow themselves to be culturally subordinated (Bellenoit, 2007 p393) In this light, it can be said that Christian activity did bring some forms of modernity in India, mostly in the form of Western style schools and education. Indians, mainly the privileged classes saw the benefit of this system. Indias vast middle class would be formed by this Christian education. However, the outcome of mission schools also meant the revival of Hinduism pupils now armed with English language could compare the West and their own culture. A cultural modernity seems to have taken place with the activities of Missionary schools. REFORM IN HINDUISM DUE TO COLONIAL PRESENCE. It has been pointed out that missionary schools were set up to bridge the gap between Hinduism and Christianity. The presence of Christianity in India was subject to coexistence and conflict. This conflict/ coexistence relationship thus allows for individuals to stay within their religious boundaries or to try synthesising both. The presence of Colonial rule in nineteenth century India forced Hindus to reanalyse the fundamental structure of Hinduism. The threat of missionary schools and the en mass conversion of low caste groups became a turning point for the future of Hinduism which had until then been free from any pressures except for Islam through the Mughal empire. Christianity in India was present through the Church and it was a force to be reckoned with, for it had a clear structure and hierarchy unlike the multifaceted one of Hinduism This then encouraged Indians to congregate and to create a semblance of unity for political aspirations and discourses (Beckerlegge 2004 p145). The creation of the Brahmo Samaj by Ranmohun Roy and the Dharma Sabha and Swami Vivekananda Ramakrishna Math and Mission are such examples. Although these groups are western in form, they were effective in regrouping like minded men, although mostly from upper classes to find ways into counter attacking British policies and rules. Moreover it helped into bringing about changes within Hinduism. (Beckerlegge, 2004 p149). Missionary activity thus sparked a Hindu revival that would follow in the European traditions of rationality and intellectual thought. Faced with an ever present Christian force, Hinduism would face change from the inside as what is known as the Hindu Renaissance. The Hindu Renaissance. The Hindu Renaissance can be described as a time marked by the reformulation of Hindu thought, practice and organization. It started roughly in 1820s and lasted until India gained its independence from Britain( Beckerlegge,2004 p138) The Hindu Renaissance is extremely important as it shaped modernity in India and allowed for charismatic leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo to formulate their political discourses thereafter. The Hindu Renaissance promoted a different style of Hinduism ,namely a modern Hinduism , a neo Hinduism characterized by the relationship between religion and nationalism , the majority of its thinkers having been exposed to western thought , Christianity and education (Beckerlegge,2004 p 139)Placing greater importance on the individual similar to the Enlightenment rather than traditional authorities , the worship of idols and belief in old traditions became a burden. Moreover the traditional Hindu concepts such as dharma and yoga were reinterpreted, eve n gaining International recognition. This new style Hinduism also sought to be at the service of humanity and to its betterment (Beckerlegge, 2004 p 139) As Sarkar points out, the Hindu Renaissance appealed to the middle class for it was created by a middle class which saw the movement as a transitional shift from medieval times to a modern one (Sarkar in Beckerlegge,2004 p 140) The Hindu Renaissance saw the emergence of figures as Ranmohun Roy, Swami Vivekanda and the prominence of cities like Calcutta acting as intellectual hub. People like Roy and Vivekananda tried to incorporate the elements of Christianity and Hinduism into their discourses and writings believing it would not only educate Hindus but also Christians. The precepts of Jesus by Roy are such an example. The Hindu revival aimed into seeking the universality of religions, by finding their common link, a supra power. Roy saw in Christian teachings the universal truth found in all religions but that the greatest form was in Hinduism, namely the Advaita Vedanta. Similar to the traditions and practices that had beset Hinduism, he thought Christianity had been riddled with the Trinitarian theology and supernaturalism (Beckerlegge, 2004 p 151). Similarly Swami Vivekanandas attempt to an inclusive and dynamic Hinduism made him accept the person of Jesus and his teachings. He believed individuals and religions were aiming for the same destination albeit at different times and places. The truth of religions was found in their convergence rather than their historical differences. Figures like Roy and Vivekananda were referred to as Hindu Christians or tacit Christians. However this is a rather Eurocentric view. Hinduism was then reformulated by social and political context of the 19th century Calcutta and the clash of Indian and colonial rule. The Hindu Renaissance also posited a fundamental question, the relationship of the colonized versus the colonizer, a debate which made Indians question why they had been colonized in the first place and why Hinduism had been threatened by the advent of Christianity. The colonial project was an inherently Christian enterprise. The works of Roy and Swami Vivekananda aimed at answering this fundamental question by finding a common ground through the universality of religions. (Van der Veer, 2001 p44-8, 66-70,72-4). It is the western quality of these writings appealed to Western and Indian audiences alike. But these western type discourses were motivated by a Hindu spirituality not to be found in Christianity (Van der Veer, 2001 p44-8 ,66-70,72-4). However the Hindu Renaissance was not a fundamental break from its past. The issues of castes, namely the Untouchables was not abolished. This Bengali renaissance culture only spread in urban areas and amongst the upper middle class bhadraloks . Some of Hinduisms rigid lines when it came to castes and hierarchy were still very traditional and still pervade (Sarkar, 1990 p 95-105).Moreover it took a longer period from the Hindu Renaissance to the actual independence of India , meaning the Hindu Renaissance was not as planned but rather occurred on an ad hoc basis. The Hindu Renaissance did not transform Indian society in a modern one. Christian Missionary activity in India had a modernising tendency to the extent that it brought a western style education through mission schools and the Church. Missionary activity acted as a binding factor for India as it made Indians think of themselves as Indians for the first time. As seen above, modernity entails a notion of statehood as well as industrial and economic growth. The weak links of Hinduism were introspected as well as the clear lack of hierarchy and structure that Britain possessed. A major question was to ask why India had been allowed to be colonized in the first place and how different was it from the Wests state structure. This in turn brought about the Hindu Renaissance with clear western features but imbued with a Hindu spirituality and essence. Morever it allowed Hinduism to possess a more rational and intellectualized discourse through men like Ranmohun Roy and Swami Vivekananda. They wished to syncretise Hinduism and Christianity to prove the universality of religions and thus demonstrate that colonialism was a discriminate and unfair venture on the Wests behalf. Missionary schools as highlighted above allowed Indians agency and contestation as education gave a platform to voice out opinions about Christianity and the colonial rule. Hinduism was thus further reinforced by western educated voices rather than traditional and illiterate ones. Although not advanced infrastructurally by comparison to its western counterparts, India had entered a new era of political and cultural effervescence under the pressure of Christian missionaries and colonial rule. Those activities helped modernity trough key figures as Gandhi and Nehru who would eventually help India gain independence. It can be concluded that Christian mission activity helped India culturally modernize itself and think as a nation although marked by major regional differences.

Social services and the Maori

Social services and the Maori Contribute to discharge of residents from residential care Assessment task 1 The Te Tiriti o Waitangi is an agreement established between Maori and British government in 1840. The main function of this agreement is to provide the legislation system protection for Maori people live within New Zealand from four critical issues, which are protection, participation, partnership and permission. However, it does not have the limitation that only works for Maori people, in additionally for all regions of people that living in New Zealand, which specific requires social services. Partnership Social service organizations must ensure that the needs of Maori are taken into account when interacting with Maori or when creating policy that could affect Maori. One key way to do this is through consultation or even better having Maori representatives on the steering committee or their Board. Maori leadership and management should be consulted when organizational policies are being decided on in order to ensure that they allow Maori to have rangatiratanga over their taonga. Te Tiriti o Waitangi applies in social services by ensuring that all social services have a bi-cultural perspective and recognise Te Tiriti. Protection Social service organizations must respect the right of Maori to enjoy their taonga in social service settings. To be able to make important decisions that are in their best interests. For example Maori have the protected right to make choices (Self Manage) that best serve their culture, their people that line with tika and kawa, their traditions and customary practices. Participation/permission There must be service accessibility for Maori. Te Tiriti applies in social services that Maori models of well-being (Te Whare Tapa Wha or other Maori health models) are utilized rather than workers using western models when working with Maori. Maori must be free to speak Te Reo Maori and to participate in any Maori spiritual or cultural practices if they wish to do so. Having brochures in te reo for Maori clients. All social services as well as society must respect their privacy and ask for permission before implements any action that relates to Maori people. Assessment task 2 Assessment task 3 Assessment task 4 Assessment task 5 During the process from discharge planning process, i have fully followed the Treaty of Waitangi and policies and procedures from the service such as the privacy act, the human rights, the confidentiality protocols as well as the Treaty of Waitangi. We have made the consideration of the client’s status and maintain the privacy and personal safety. I have fully analysis the client’s personal status such as health history, personal behavior, habits. The case of PG, read more of the notes from his social worker regarding how social service theory applied in this case. Social work knowledge, skills, and values. Human development through the life span taking into account the impact on the emotional development of PG. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Services applying an understanding of the social service provision available. Organization and management in the social services understanding my role in the discharge process, and the decision making structure of the organization. For example‘Quality through whose eyes, What quality social work looks like to young people in care’s by Jonelle Crawford. Providing the opportunity for PG to say what she thinks, what she needs, and what is working for her. YUTING SHEN ID: 13010123 01-10-2014

Citizen Kane: Charles Foster Kane - Who Was He? :: essays research papers

Citizen Kane: Charles Foster Kane - Who Was He? The story of Citizen Kane drew many people to the theatres since they wanted to find out who this Kane fellow is or was. It is unarguably one of the best films ever produced. Orson Wells portrays Kane as mysterious person but also a sad person. The different accounts are shown throughout the movie through the reporter wanting to find out who or what Rosebud is. Rosebud was Kane's last dying words. The first person the reporter Jerry Thompson sees is the owner of Walter Parks Thatcher's estate and holdings. Thatcher is long dead and who? visits his library and is allowed to inspect the financier's memoirs in manuscript. Through Thatcher's words we see Kane as a boy playing with his sled on a snow-swept Colorado farm. Through his mother, the boy has just inherited a great fortune. Unable to settle his bill, a prospector who boarded with the Kanes left behind stock certificates that make Mrs. Kane the sole owner of one of the world's great silver mines. She then makes her son the ward of the bank that administers her estate, and Thatcher, whom the angry young Kane bashes with a sled, takes the boy East to be raised. The movie then shows Kane growing up, making life miserable for Thatcher. The mature Kane decides to take direct control of a small, struggling newspaper, and immediately begins using it to attack Thatcher and others among America's financial elite. This displays the mystery with Kane as he wants to expand on something small into something big, but we don't know what. The next account was given by Bernstein, Kane's devoted assistant. He explains the beginnings as a newspaper czar and his takeover of the New York Enquirer, in which he fired its editor, hired an expensive, top-notch staff, and enlisted his college friend Jedediah Leland as the drama critic. Kane is at first a crusader for the understanding, opening his first editorial with a "declaration of principles." He becomes a champion of the little person, hyping his circulation with juicy scandals, crime exposes, etc. In a surprise move Kane marries Emily Norton, the president's niece. For the first time here we see Kane starting a love story. However this wasn't to last and it paved the way for the second-love. The reporter then visits a half-drunk Susan Alexander in a nightclub. She recalls her meeting and eventual affair with the married Kane and their discovery by Leland, who is led to their love nest by Kane's political rival, "Big Jim" Gettys. Until that point, Kane is heavily favored to defeat Gettys in

Huxley’s Human’s Shortcomings of Analysis :: Huxley Hyperion Satyr Essays

Huxley’s Human’s Shortcomings of Analysis Aldous Huxley’s "Hyperion to a Satyr" makes outlandish use of overclarification and unnecessary dramatics to draw ahilarious portrait of the human struggle against its intrinsic nature.His comparison of the techniques, successful and failed, used by human beings to physically dispose of and psychologically deal with the problemof humanwaste, exposes a universality of human thought, emotion, and solution.Thevarious ideologies queried and explained serve to instill within thereadera unifying perspective of mankind, rather than a dividing one. Thisis anincredibly significant point, considering the difficulties encounteredbythe general individual who desires to know the past beyond simple eventsandoutcomes. By contrastingthis property of human analysis against Huxley’sdescriptions of theclasses and their relations, a greater sense of theperspectivenecessary todiscern and fathom our world is gained. The essay consists of an opening retelling of the events concerning a walk on the beach with Thomas Mann, which hethen transitions into discussions on dirt, philosophical perspective, breath,fecal matter, animalistic nature, urbanism, chemical methods, symbolization,slavery and class distinction, political systems, and religion. In general,theseare all related to specific time periods or societies, and the troublesencountered and solutions embarked upon by those who were limited by perspective.Huxley repeatedly reminds the reader of his/her own limitations of perspectivethat must be as well inherently present by the inclusion of unrelated examples of futuristic prediction, or in some cases, futuristic ‘damnation’. Thistemporal mode of analysis is the relevant context the essay must ultimately be viewed in. By describing the various elementsof subject matter far beyond what would be the necessity of reader understanding, Huxley turns an otherwise historical pursuit to an intellectual one. Theissue of human excrement, filth, symbolization, solution, etc. is doubtlessoften dealt with in sociological and cultural studies, but Huxley’s technique of using this problem as a vehicle into the ancient and modern mind isunique. This is why the paper must be viewed in terms of a greater picturethan the individual events described. The methodology to be used takesgreatest use of Huxley’s demonstrations of contrast, and is therefore focusedonthe shifts and variances of perspective. This is often broght aboutin situations where he alternately raises the most miniscule of detailsto the highest pedestal and dismisses the giants of philosophy in commonlists. The purpose of this is to even the bias of time, or essentiallyto provide the reader with a firm grasp of the notion that all gre at thoughtis still limited by environment.

America and Size :: History Sociology Essays

America and Size Somewhere between the struggle for American independence and the first billion sales of the Big Mac, Americans became obsessed with size. From movies to sexuality, and from cars to cholesterol, super-sizing is an American trend that invades most of society. The reasons why are threefold, but primarily the American obsession with size is an extension of the frontier-mentality. The notion of the "American dream" and the tendency of Americans to try and find the best deal has also played an integral role. One of the most interesting aspects of Bigger is Better trend is the lack of academic work related to it; while there is no shortage of analysis on other common American fixations like aliens and Madonna. A lack of academic analysis does not mean that it cannot be analyzed, and it certainly doesn't mean that it isn't prevalent. One of the most obvious examples of a preoccupation with size in America comes from the Centers for Disease Control and the Mayo Clinic. According their records, there were about 678 million outpatient, non-emergency visits to doctor's offices in 1999, and approximately 2 million of those were consultations for cosmetic surgery, the most popular of which was breast augmentation. Of the 158 million outpatient procedures, at least 2 million were cosmetic breast augmentation. When this data is cross-referenced with health insurance coverage of cosmetic surgery (which is almost non-existent), it becomes apparent that the number of outpatient visits and surgeries would be higher if they were covered by medical insurance (Outpatient Surgery Statistical Abstract 11, 15, 16, 72). The convention of breast augmentation is a directly and explicitly observable tribute to the American mentality of bigger-is-better. Another manifestation involving physical appearance involves fingernail fashions. Vicki Vantoch of the Washington Post wrote "Fingernail Fashion Choices" on December 28th, 1999. She compares many of the fingernail fashions she encountered to chopsticks, and marveled at how one of the subjects, a Rite Aid cashier, managed counting money and bagging with "2 inch talons." She concluded, "we make fingernail fashion choices based on our cultural aesthetics, values, social classes and ideas about our roles in society." (Vantoch C04). Perhaps the value she refers to is the same one that won MorePenis.com (a site devoted to products that claim to increase penis-size) millions of unique hits since it's 1999 inception (Marquee West). Just like the early Americans who explored the vast untamed wilderness of the west, modern Americans have given a whole new meaning to the Monroe Doctrine by expanding their own borders with larger breasts, longer fingernails and bigger penises.

Midterm 2 with Solutions Econ311

Intermediate Macroeconomics 311 (Professor Gordon) Final Examination Fall, 2009 YOUR NAME:________________________________ INSTRUCTIONS 1. The exam lasts 2 hours. 2. The exam is worth 120 points in total: 30 points for the multiple choice questions, 60 points for the analytical questions, and 30 points for the essays. 3. Write your answers to Part A (the multiple choice section) in the blanks on page 1.You won’t get credit for circled answers in the multiple choice section. 4. Place all of your answers for part B in the space provided. 5. You must show your work for part B questions. 6. Write your essays with a pen. Write clearly! 7. Good Luck and Happy Holidays! PART A (45 points) Choose the ONE alternative that BEST completes the statement or answers the question. Your answers must be in the space provided below. USE CAPITAL LETTERS. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | PART B (45 points) Please show your wor k and write down the formulas you use for partial credit. Question 1 (5 points) (a) What monthly rate of inflation causes the price level to increase by a factor of 5 (500 percentage points) over a year? (2 points) (HINT: Use the LN and EXP formulas from Chapter 9, Problem 2, further examples of which were presented in lecture on November 11). Using the log formula: p = 100*log(5)/12 = 13. 4%. b) If the rate of monthly inflation is 25%, by what factor would prices have risen over a year? (3 points) Let’s call the initial price level P0 and the price level at the end of the year P12 25 = 100*log(P12/P0)/12 P12/P0 = exp(25*12/100) = 20. Question 2 (10 points) Consider an economy where inflation expectations are given by the equation pet = . 4 pt-1 + . 6 pet-1 . Also assume that when the log of the output ratio increases by 1 points, inflation increases by 4 points. a) Write down the SP equation, both its general form and its specific form with these particular parameter assumpt ions inserted. (2 points) pt = pet + gYt-1 + zt = . 4pt-1 + . 6pet-1 + 4Yt-1 + zt ) Write down the DG equation (no need to derive anything, just write it down). (1 point) Y = Y-1 + [pic] – p c) Combine the SP and DG equations to express p as a function of pt-1, pet-1, Yt-1,[pic]t, and zt. (2 points) (HINT: Your answer must have p on the left side of the equation and terms not including current p on the right side, with all the relevant parameters inserted and solved out. ) p = 0. 4p-1 + 0. 6pe-1 + 4Y + z = 0. 4p-1 + 0. 6pe-1 + 4(Y-1 + [pic] – p) + z 5p = 0. 4p-1 + 0. 6pe-1 + 4Y-1 + 4[pic] + z p = 0. 08p-1 + 0. 12pe-1 + 0. 8Y-1 + 0. 8[pic] + z For the remainder of the problem, assume that in period t=1 the economy has values given by: p0 = 3pe0 = 3Y0 = 0 ) Suppose there is no supply shock in period 1 (z1 = 0) and that [pic]1 = 5. Solve for period 1 values p1 and Y1. (2 points) p1 = 0. 08(3) + 0. 12(3) + 0. 8(0) + 0. 8(5) + 0 = 4. 6 Y1 = 0 + 5 – 4. 6 = 0. 4 e) Sup pose instead that there is a period 1 supply shock that increases the value of z from 0 in period 0 to 1 in period 1. Find the period 1 values p1,[pic]1 and Y1 as well as the expected period 2 inflation, pe2, if the government adopts an accommodating policy. (3 points) Accommodating Policy means Y1 = 0, so from the DG equation p1 =[pic]1 and from the SP equation: p1 = . 4(3) + . 6(3) + 4(0) + 1 = 4 = [pic]1 pe2 = . 4(4) + . 6(3) = 3. 4 Question 3 (15 points)Consider a country whose Central Bank issued 100$ of High-Powered Money (H). Citizens' cash holdings (dollar bills) amount to 10% (. 1) of their deposits while each commercial bank has to have reserves for 15% (. 15) of the volume of deposits. a) What is the level of deposits? (2 points) D = H/(c+e) = 100/(. 1+. 15) = 400 b) What is the level of the Money Supply defined as dollar bills and deposits? (3 points) M = (1+c)D = 1. 1*400 = 440 c) Suppose the Central Bank wants to increase Money Supply to 528. How many extra units of Hi gh-Powered Money do they have to circulate? (4 points) M = (1+c) H / (c+e) 528 = 1. 1 H / . 25 H = 120 So they should print 20 extra units of H ) Assume now that the Central Bank still wants to set the Money Supply to 528 but the Government forbids them from printing High-Powered Money. What option is left to the Central Bank? (Hint: restrict your attention to this simplified model where there is nothing like direct lending or any other exotic policy) (2 points) Change the reserve requirement e) Given your suggested policy, which of the parameters of the model would they be changing? To which new value? (Remember that here H=100 and cannot be changed by assumption and M=528) (4 points) M=(1+c) H / (c+e) 528=1. 1 * 100 / (. 1 + e) e=. 1083 = 10. 8% Question 4 (15 points) Consider two nations, Richland and Poorland.Both nations have the same Cobb-Douglass production function, Y=AKbN(1-b). Let Poorland have an economy with technology level A=18, capital elasticity of production b=(1/3) , population growth rate n=. 13, capital depreciation rate d=. 07, and savings rate s=. 3 a) Rewrite the production function as a function relating Y/N and K/N. (2 points) Y/N = A(K/N)b = 2(K/N)(1/3) b) Solve for the steady state values of the capital-labor ratio (K/N) and per-capita GDP (Y/N). (6 points) s(Y/N) = (n+d)(K/N) sA(K/N)b = (n+d)(K/N) (K/N) = [sA/(n+d)]1/(1-b) (K/N) = [. 1*18 /(. 2)]3/2=27 (Y/N) = (n+d)(K/N)/s (Y/N) = (. 2)(27)/. 1=54 c) Richland has a per-capita GDP that is triple that of Poorland. Given hat Richland has the same production function as Poorland, the capital-labor ratio in Richland is what multiple of the capital-labor ratio in Poorland? (In other words, if Poorland has a capital-labor ratio of K/N= x and Richland has a ratio of K/N= y, what is y/x? ). (3 points) [pic] d) Compute the marginal products of capital in the two nations. (3 points) MPK = b(Y/N)/(K/N) MPKA = (1/3)(54)/(27)=2/3=. 6667 MPKb = (1/3)(162)/(729)=2/81=. 0247 e) Judging from your answ er in part (d), does the Solow model predict that poor countries have a higher or lower rate of return on capital? (1 point) The Solow model predicts a higher rate of return for poor countries.This is one of the critiques of the Solow growth model. PART C (30 points) WRITE YOUR NAME AND ID NUMBER ON YOUR BLUE BOOK. As stated on the syllabus (p. 3) and in numerous in-class and e-mailed reminders, you must write your answers in pen not pencil. This is a single multi-part essay question. You should write in your blue book for 30 minutes. 1. Write a coherent essay on the causes of the 2008-09 recession and on the policy responses to this event. Your essay should cover the following specific points a. First, establish the facts. What were similarities in the duration and magnitude of the 2001 recession and subsequent recovery as compared to the 2008-09 recession and recovery so far?Include comments on GDP, the GDP gap, labor market variables, and any other distinguishing features of thes e two episodes. b. What were the most important causes of the 2008-09 recession? Include comments on which causes were the same as in the 2001 recession, and which were different. c. In what sense, if any, did monetary or fiscal policy partially contribute to the causes of the 2008-09 recession? d. Evaluate the response of monetary policy since early 2008. What were the similarities and differences between this response and the monetary policy response to postwar recessions in 2001 and earlier? What aspects would you praise or criticize? e.Evaluate the response of fiscal policy since early 2008. What aspects would you praise or criticize? Multiple Choice Questions Make sure to write you answers on the blanks on page 1! 1. The current account includes all of the following except: A) net exports B) net income from abroad C) net unilateral transfers D) foreign direct investment 2. In what way was the international economy cited as a source of the U. S. housing bubble in 2003-06? A) che aper prices of imported building materials B) support of dollar by foreign central banks C) immigration of skilled foreign construction workers D) high pay of top executives of foreign investment banks 3.Which of the following were not cited in the course as a reason for France and other European nations to be reluctant to endorse an Obama-like fiscal stimulus for their own countries? A) high unemployment in Europe B) low fiscal multipliers C) social welfare system D) unemployment insurance system 4. Suppose we have an economy in which G = 1100, t = 0. 26, Y = 3800, and YN = 4000. At Y the difference between the actual deficit and structural deficit is A) 60. B) 112. C) -172. D) -112. E) 52. 5. The failure of U. S. net exports to improve dramatically in the mid 1980? s despite the weakening of the dollar suggests that A) U. S. industries supply of competitive goods was inelastic over the period.B) LDC debt repayment schedules and lack of financing kept U. S. exports low. C) NCIs mai ntained fixed exchange rates vis a vis the dollar and U. S. exports low. D) All of the above. 6. In the reading period assignments from the Economist, the United States is faulted relative to Europe and Japan for each of the following reasons except: A) labor and capital markets B) primary and secondary education C) personal saving rate D) infrastructure 7. In the reading period article about France, the French are praised for each of the following reasons except A) infrastructure B) household debt C) output growth rate D) medical care system 8. The mechanism of ? international crowding-out? s that a government budget deficit ________ the domestic interest rate, which makes the dollar ________ expensive for foreigners, which then ________ net exports. A) raises, less, lowers B) raises, less, raises C) raises, more, lowers D) lowers, less, lowers E) lowers, more, raises 9. Which of the following effects takes place as a result of automatic stabilization? A) extra tax revenues are gen erated in a boom. B) tax revenues remain constant during a recession. C) leakages increase during a recession, helping to stimulate the economy. D) Both A and C are correct. 10. If the Federal Reserve intervenes in the foreign-exchange markets and buys foreign currencies A) the U. S. oney supply rises and foreign currencies depreciate. B) the U. S. money supply falls and foreign currencies depreciate. C) the U. S. money supply rises and foreign currencies appreciate. D) the U. S. money supply falls and foreign currencies appreciate. 11. Activists-believe that AD is unstable because A) business and consumer attitudes and expectations shift. B) monetary policy is variable. C) fiscal policy effects are unpredictable. D) Both B and C are correct. 12. Assuming constant wages implies that A) an increase in the price of goods raises profits and SAS is vertical. B) a decrease in the price of goods lowers profits and SAS is horizontal.C) an increase in the price of goods lowers profits and S AS is vertical. D) an increase in the price of goods raises profits and SAS is positively sloped. [pic] 13. Consider the above figure with equilibrium initially at E0. If the money supply is increased and prices are flexible, in the short run prices and output will ___. In the long run output and prices will ___. A) be as at E2; return to E0. B) be as at E1; be as at E2. C) be as at E2; be as at E3 D) be as at E2; be as at E1. E) be as at E1; be as at E3. 14. According to the readings, a common feature of the Great Depression and the recent economic crisis was A) mortgage credit B) deposit insurance C) unemployment rate D) monetary policy 15.The sources of the current problems of running monetary policy are often cited as A) Quantitative easing B) Zero lower bound C) Excess bank reserves D) A) and B) E) B) and C) 16. An acceleration of nominal GDP growth from, say 4% to 6% will A) permanently raise the rate of inflation. B) temporarily lower the rate of inflation. C) leave real GDP unaffected in the long run. D) Both A and C. 17. The short-run Phillips Curve gives A) the actual short-run level of real GDP and inflation. B) all possible combinations of real GDP and inflation, for a given set of expectations. C) all possible combinations of real GDP and inflation, for fully adjusted expectations. D) the response of real GDP and inflation to supply shocks. 18.The Fed is criticized for the â€Å"one-way option† regarding asset bubbles. The criticism is that the Fed __________ when asset prices increase and __________ when asset prices decrease A) raises interest rates; lowers interest rates B) leaves interest rates unchanged; leaves interest rates unchanged C) raises interest rates; leaves interest rates unchanged D) leaves interest rates unchanged; lowers interest rates E) lowers interest rates; raises interest rates 19. Which of the following was not a source of the Great Moderation, according to the textbook? A) growth rate rule for money supply B) finan cial deregulation in late 1970s, early 1980sC) magnitude of supply shocks after early 1980s D) government military spending 20. In the short-run, the impact of an adverse supply shock is to A) reduce real GDP and leave the inflation rate unchanged if the growth of nominal GDP remains the same. B) reduce real GDP and leave the inflation rate unchanged if the growth of nominal GDP is reduced enough. C) maintain the same level of real GDP and reduce the inflation rate if the growth if nominal GDP is increased enough. D) All of the above. 21. According to the textbook, the main losers due to the redistributive effect of the postwar inflation in the United States were A) households. B) corporations. C) government. D) A) and B) 22. Disgruntled? workers who quit their jobs to find ? a more reasonable boss? are experiencing A) involuntary unemployment. B) mismatch unemployment. C) cyclical unemployment. D) turnover unemployment. 23. Policy solutions to mismatch unemployment include A) fisca l policies to raise the AD curve B) monetary policies to raise the AD curve C) policies other than fiscal and monetary policies D) accommodative policies to deal with supply shocks 24. Over a year, the money supply in a nation grew by 6 percent, while velocity rose by 2 percent and real GDP rose by 3 percent. This results in an inflation over the year of ________ percent. A) 5 B) 11 C) 1D) 7 25. The the Fed’s quantitative easing after mid-2008 is not described by A) increased open-market purchases of Treasury securities B) increased open-market purchases of private securities C) increased open-market purchases of corporate stock D) A) and B) E) A) and C) 26. Which of the following increased by the largest percentage between mid-2007 and mid-2009? A) excess bank reserves B) M2 C) high-powered money D) total bank reserves E) M1 [pic] 27. Initially, the economy is at point G in the figure above. An increase in per capita savings from s0 to s1 will in the short run result in ____ ____ and in the long run result in ________.A) excess per capita saving; more rapid growth in per capita output B) excess per capita saving; less rapid growth in per capita output C) more rapid growth in per capita output; more rapid growth in per capita output D) more rapid growth in per capita output; no change in the long run rate of growth in per capita output 28. Which of the following will not affect steady state per capita income in the Solow growth theory? A) The savings rate. B) The initial capital stock. C) The population growth rate. D) The production function. 29. The Solow growth model predicts that nations that are initially poor should have A) slower growth rates than nations that are rich. B) faster growth rates than nations that are rich. C) growth rates equal to those of nations that are rich. D) negative growth rates. 30.Two readings in the course packet for Chapter 11 cite a particular technological innovation for improved economic growth in poor tropical countri es. This is: A) television B) internet C) mobile phones D) new drugs to fight malaria 31. Several structural changes that occurred over the past two decades were a theme of lectures. Which of the following was not one of these changes? A) greater importance of structural unemployment and less importance of frictional unemployment B) smaller response of core inflation to oil price shocks C) larger decline of employment to declines in output in recessions D) larger increase of productivity to increase in output in recoveries E) More reliance on wage flexibility rather than layoffs in 2008-09 recession 32.In the Cobb-Douglas production function Y=AKbL1-b, the variable A has several different names. Which of the following is not one of them? A) autonomous growth factor. B) infrastructure. C) multifactor productivity. D) residual. 33. The formula for the growth rate of multifactor productivity is: A) a = y + bk + (1 – b)n. B) y = a + bk + bn. C) a = y – bk – (1 †“ b)n. D) y = a – b/k(1 – b)n. 34. Which of the following does not affect multifactor productivity? A) a tax on low-efficiency firms B) a higher saving rate C) Environmental regulation. D) Technological progress. 35. Relative growth rates of the standard of living in the United States and Europe indicate that workers in ________ have chosen to ? spend? _______ of their higher productivity on leisure rather than on consumption of market goods and services. A) Europe, a significant part B) the United States, a significant part C) Europe, almost none D) the United States, almost all 36. Which of the following would cause labor? s share of national income to decrease? A) Labor productivity increases less rapidly than the real wage rate. B) Labor productivity increases more rapidly than the real wage rate. C) Labor productivity has increased at the same rate as the real wage rate. D) Labor? s share of national income is not affected by the relative growth rates of labor p roductivity and the real wage rate. 37.Once monetary policy is dedicated to controlling the level of nominal GDP, then fiscal policy can be used to A) choose the overall level of interest rates, with a high budget surplus implying a high level of interest rates. B) choose the overall level of interest rates, with a high budget deficit implying a high level of interest rates. C) control the rate of inflation, with a high budget surplus implying a faster rate of inflation. D) control the rate of inflation, with a high budget deficit implying a faster rate of inflation. 38. A major side-effect of a stimulative fiscal policy is that it will A) discriminate in favor of housing. B) crowd out private expenditures.C) increase the natural rate of unemployment. D) permanently raise the rate of inflation. 39. Which of the following was a policy of Roosevelt’s New Deal which is not a part of the Obama stimulus package? A) tax reductions B) infrastructure improvements C) Direct interventi on to stop financial institutions from failing D) Federal government direct hiring of the unemployed 40. The Barro-Ricardo Equivalence Theorem assumes all of the following except: A) Individuals value the welfare of their heirs as much as their own welfare. B) Interest rates will remain constant. C) All individuals have children D) Markets for consumer housing and durable goods are perfect. 41.Which of the following will cause the date that the Social Security trust fund runs out of money to be pushed further into the future? A) A decrease in the rate of real GDP growth. B) An increase in the population growth rate. C) A decrease in the growth of the real wage. D) All of the above. 42. A fixed money-supply rule will have the greatest stabilizing effect on output when A) money demand is unstable and commodity demand is stable. B) both money and commodity demand are unstable. C) both money demand and commodity demand are stable. D) the velocity of money is unstable. 43. M1 is a defini tion of money largely confined to which function(s) of money? A) unit of account B) store of valueC) medium of exchange D) B and C. 44. In the empirical validation of the theory of the political business cycle discussed in lecture, which of the following variables measured over the year before the election has been the best predictor of the outcomes of presidential elections? A) the unemployment rate B) the inflation rate C) the growth rate of per capita real GDP D) the level of the federal government fiscal deficit 45. In the empirical validation of the theory of the political business cycle discussed in lecture, which of the following elections is a clear outlier as violating that empirical evidence? A) 1932 B) 1936 C) 1972 D) 1992 E) 2000

Belief in Allah

What is Belief in Allah and its effects The Islamic faith is based on belief in Allah. When a person believes that the heavens and the earth and the world around him have been created by Him, and it is He who is governing them and it is He who will one Day call all mankind to account, then this is the beginning of religious awareness. Quite obviously, it is necessary that people have a true conception of their Creator. For this, they must have knowledge of the rational grounds of His existence as well as knowledge about gaining His correct recognition (ma`rifat).In this article we shall dwell upon these twin issues. | We shall first take up the issue of the Almighty's existence. A logical starting point in this regard would be to analyze all human sources of knowledge. A little deliberation shows that, apart from Divine Guidance revealed to the Prophets, man has three sources of knowledge. We shall examine each one of them. a) Faculty of Intuition: Certain a priori information exists in every person's intuition: it pertains to the knowledge which is not learned through the senses but which is innate and inborn in an individual.This innate information consists of various concepts. For example the concept of contradiction is information present in our intuition. This concept, of course, is not a tangible thing. However, we apply this concept to a certain phenomenon and conclude that contradiction exists. b) Faculty of Sense Perception: Similarly, man receives knowledge through his five senses from the external environment. A person's senses are his receptors, which link him to the outside world. He sees, hears, touches, smells and tastes a thing and gets information about it.Moreover, this information gathered by the senses is transmitted to the later generations and such information becomes established history. c) Faculty of Reason: Now, the human faculty of reason collates the information that it receives through the senses with the innate information present i n human intuition. This internal analysis produces results, which, if proven correct, become facts and add to the treasure of human knowledge. One form of this analysis is called induction i. e. general laws are deduced by analyzing particular examples.Many conclusions reached in this regard are not tangible facts. In fact, these conclusions are supported by evidence that exists in the external world. Most scientific laws which have been discovered are of this nature. One does not see the force of gravity, yet undeniable proof exists of its existence. Similarly, it is a fact that the earth is rotating on its axis at a very high speed and also, at the same time, revolving round the sun. Obviously, these are things our senses do not register; yet this rotation and this revolution are irrefutable realities.The Oneness of Allah We sent no Messenger before you without revealing to him, â€Å"There is no god but Me, so worship Me (alone)†Ã‚  (Al-Anbiya  21:25). The Oneness of All ah, known as  tawhid,  is the first and paramount constituent of the Islamic concept, as it is the fundamental truth of the Islamic faith. It is also one of the chief characteristics of the Islamic concept because, among all the belief systems and philosophies currently prevailing among human beings, only the Islamic faith can be characterized as having a pure form of monotheism.This is why we have included â€Å"The Oneness of Allah† as one of the characteristics of the Islamic concept. The evidence of reason that Allah exists: all these created things, past, present and future, must have a Creator Who brought them into existence, because it is not possible for them to have created themselves or to have come into existence by accident. It is impossible for them to have come into existence by themselves because a thing cannot create itself; before it existed it was non-existent, so how could it be a creator?!And it is impossible for them to have come into existence by acc ident, because everything that happens must have a cause. Moreover, this creation is done in a wondrous and precise manner, and every created being is in harmony with the rest of creation, and there is a strong connection between cause and effect. All of this makes it impossible that this universe could have come into being accidentally, because what happens accidentally does not happen in a precise and perfect manner, so how could it remain so precisely balanced?If it is not possible for these things to have created themselves or to have come into existence by accident, then there must be One Who brought them into existence, namely Allah the Lord of the Worlds. Allah has mentioned this rational evidence and definitive proof in Surah At-Toor, where He says: â€Å"Were they created by nothing? Or were they themselves the creators? † (Glorious Qur'aan: Surah At-Toor, 52: v35) All the basic principles of Islam are fully dealt with in the Holy Quran, and so is the doctrine of fai th in God, where of the corner stone is belief in the unity of God. Tawhid is the most important Islamic belief. Belief in Allah What is Belief in Allah and its effects The Islamic faith is based on belief in Allah. When a person believes that the heavens and the earth and the world around him have been created by Him, and it is He who is governing them and it is He who will one Day call all mankind to account, then this is the beginning of religious awareness. Quite obviously, it is necessary that people have a true conception of their Creator. For this, they must have knowledge of the rational grounds of His existence as well as knowledge about gaining His correct recognition (ma`rifat).In this article we shall dwell upon these twin issues. | We shall first take up the issue of the Almighty's existence. A logical starting point in this regard would be to analyze all human sources of knowledge. A little deliberation shows that, apart from Divine Guidance revealed to the Prophets, man has three sources of knowledge. We shall examine each one of them. a) Faculty of Intuition: Certain a priori information exists in every person's intuition: it pertains to the knowledge which is not learned through the senses but which is innate and inborn in an individual.This innate information consists of various concepts. For example the concept of contradiction is information present in our intuition. This concept, of course, is not a tangible thing. However, we apply this concept to a certain phenomenon and conclude that contradiction exists. b) Faculty of Sense Perception: Similarly, man receives knowledge through his five senses from the external environment. A person's senses are his receptors, which link him to the outside world. He sees, hears, touches, smells and tastes a thing and gets information about it.Moreover, this information gathered by the senses is transmitted to the later generations and such information becomes established history. c) Faculty of Reason: Now, the human faculty of reason collates the information that it receives through the senses with the innate information present i n human intuition. This internal analysis produces results, which, if proven correct, become facts and add to the treasure of human knowledge. One form of this analysis is called induction i. e. general laws are deduced by analyzing particular examples.Many conclusions reached in this regard are not tangible facts. In fact, these conclusions are supported by evidence that exists in the external world. Most scientific laws which have been discovered are of this nature. One does not see the force of gravity, yet undeniable proof exists of its existence. Similarly, it is a fact that the earth is rotating on its axis at a very high speed and also, at the same time, revolving round the sun. Obviously, these are things our senses do not register; yet this rotation and this revolution are irrefutable realities.The Oneness of Allah We sent no Messenger before you without revealing to him, â€Å"There is no god but Me, so worship Me (alone)†Ã‚  (Al-Anbiya  21:25). The Oneness of All ah, known as  tawhid,  is the first and paramount constituent of the Islamic concept, as it is the fundamental truth of the Islamic faith. It is also one of the chief characteristics of the Islamic concept because, among all the belief systems and philosophies currently prevailing among human beings, only the Islamic faith can be characterized as having a pure form of monotheism.This is why we have included â€Å"The Oneness of Allah† as one of the characteristics of the Islamic concept. The evidence of reason that Allah exists: all these created things, past, present and future, must have a Creator Who brought them into existence, because it is not possible for them to have created themselves or to have come into existence by accident. It is impossible for them to have come into existence by themselves because a thing cannot create itself; before it existed it was non-existent, so how could it be a creator?!And it is impossible for them to have come into existence by acc ident, because everything that happens must have a cause. Moreover, this creation is done in a wondrous and precise manner, and every created being is in harmony with the rest of creation, and there is a strong connection between cause and effect. All of this makes it impossible that this universe could have come into being accidentally, because what happens accidentally does not happen in a precise and perfect manner, so how could it remain so precisely balanced?If it is not possible for these things to have created themselves or to have come into existence by accident, then there must be One Who brought them into existence, namely Allah the Lord of the Worlds. Allah has mentioned this rational evidence and definitive proof in Surah At-Toor, where He says: â€Å"Were they created by nothing? Or were they themselves the creators? † (Glorious Qur'aan: Surah At-Toor, 52: v35) All the basic principles of Islam are fully dealt with in the Holy Quran, and so is the doctrine of fai th in God, where of the corner stone is belief in the unity of God. Tawhid is the most important Islamic belief.