I’ve been learning research methods from this class that have been perspective altering, and I’m not just saying that. I had always just ignored partial text/abstracts of articles in favor of readily available full texts and books, but as an example of what I’ve started learning in this class I’m planning on building with my research and using abstracts and bibliographical pointers to find data and info about my subject.
That being said, my topic is about the effects of work week length on productivity. I intend to compare the shortened work week(adopted in countries with a socialist bent such as France), the strenous work weeks of developing countries (such as China), and the moderate work weeks of post-industrial countries(such as the U.S.). I will be examining the situation from a more comprehensive viewpoint and a long-run perspective, as not all of the effects of differing work schedules may appear after limited periods of time. My intended research question is, “What is the long run effect on productivity of a moderated work week?”, and my hypothesis is that the post-industrial model, semi-regulated but not to the extent of a semi-socialist country is the most productive one, but these, the hypothesis and research question, are still tentative.
Interesting topic! You’ll have to think about the simultaneity nature of this question: does productivity cause work hours or vice versa.