Project Kickoff Report
One-page team checkpoint
Submit by November 6 · 11:59 PM
Your group may choose any topic within Natural Resource Economics; the resource topic atlas provides optional examples, not a required list. Keep the main report to one page, excluding the evidence table and references. Every team member should be able to explain every entry.
The final submission is a research proposal. Use the research proposal template to see what the longer proposal should include.
Team and working title
Team members:
Working title:
One-sentence question
What change or issue will your group study, whom or what might it affect, and what will you compare it with?
Topic and setting
| Element | Your answer |
|---|---|
| Resource, service, or economic issue | |
| Who makes the relevant decisions? | |
| What choices can they make? | |
| Important rules, organizations, or economic conditions | |
| Place and time period |
What you will compare
Explain what you will compare. For example, you might compare what happens now with a different policy, management approach, or possible explanation.
Starting point for comparison (such as what happens now):
Alternative or comparison 1:
Alternative or comparison 2 (if relevant):
Economic framework
Name one model, concept, or diagram from the course and explain how it will help you answer your question:
Evidence plan
For each piece of information you plan to use, identify where you expect to find it. Include the place, time, and units—for example, the number of fish caught in a lake each year. Cite sources in the text that support your question, economic framework, and evidence plan.
| Question | Information you need | Where to find it | Place, time, and units | What the information may miss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What is changing? | ||||
| Why? | ||||
| Who gains or loses? |
Challenges and next steps
What is the biggest challenge your group expects, and what will you do by your next meeting to address it? For example, your topic might be too broad, useful information might be hard to find, or it might be difficult to tell whether one thing caused another.
If your group plans to use data, obtain instructor approval for the exact dataset (the specific set of data you want to use) before downloading a large amount of data or spending a lot of time organizing and correcting it.
References
List the sources cited in your report and evidence table. Include enough information to locate each source, such as the author or organization, title, year, and a link when available. Use a consistent citation style.