"I learned more about economics from one South Dakota dust storm than I did in all my years at college."

- Herbert H. Humphrey Jr.

• • Can people afford to save money?
  • Who?
  • How much?
• • Who owns the banks?
  • The government?
  • Private companies?
• • Do banks provide loans?
  • What are they commonly used for?
  • Who is eligible?
• • Who uses the banks’ services?
  • What do people do who can’t or don’t utilize these services?
• • Is it safe to keep money or other valuables in a bank?
  • Are the banks protected?

• • Which industry is the most competitive in the market?
  • How about the least?
• • What does a business need in order to remain competitive in this culture?
  • Is it necessary to remain competitive in order for the business to survive?
• • What business structures are the most common?
  • Are there a lot of monopolies?
  • How does this affect the economy?
• • How well does the economy deal with an excess or shortage of competition in any particular industry?
• • How big of a role does customer service play in a company’s success?

• • Is there a national currency?
  • What is it made from?
• • What is the value of their currency related to other cultures’ currencies?
• • What is currency used for and how do people obtain more?
• • What do people buy?
  • Is there a demand for luxury items or do most just buy out of necessity?

• • What is the value of some of the natural resources that are commonly imported or exported?
• • Is the value of handmade items higher or lower than that of machined items?
• • What items are made in the area and who buys them?
  • Who makes them and where are they sold?
• • What types of items are traded?
  • How much trading occurs?

• • How many people can read?
  • Which age group has the highest literacy rate?
• • What is the percentage of educated people?
  • Do many of these people leave the country?
• • What age group seems to be the most educated?
• • Is there a concern for education?

• • What percentage of the population is employed by the government?
  • By private or public companies?
  • What percentage is self-employed?
• • Are there many entrepreneurs in this area?
  • In what industries are they most common?
• • Are there any requirements for working in the government?
  • What are they?
  • How restrictive are the requirements?
• • Do franchises or chains exist in this area?
  • Which ones?

• • Is work outsourced or in-sourced?
  • To or from what countries?
  • How does this affect the economy?
• • Are most goods sold produced domestically?
  • Are many imported from other countries?
  • How do imported goods affect the market?
• • Do people come from other countries to work in this area?
  • Why?
  • What qualifications do these workers need to have?
• • Are there any familiar brand names at factories or other places people work?
  • What are they?

• • Are there local colleges of universities for continued education?
  • How affordable are they?
  • Do they discriminate?
• • What percent of the population goes to college?
  • How long are they there?
• • Do many people leave to study at universities in other countries?
  • If so, why don’t they study in their home country?
• • What degrees are most pursued?

• • How many people own land?
  • How many lease the property that they use?
• • How is a landowner compensated for renting their land?
  • Do their renters pay them with money?
  • Goods?
• • Who can own land?
  • What do landowners do for a living?
• • How much does property cost and how does economics affect where people live?

• • In what industries do people strive to work in?
  • What industries do people try to avoid working in?
• • Does social status have an effect on which industries one can work in?
• • Are various factories and companies organized across one or many industries?
  • How is this accomplished?
  • Are there unions?
• • What industries are based locally?
  • Who are the local industries run by?
• • What are regular business hours?

• • What is the general business atmosphere?
  • Are people friendly?
  • Cold?
  • Extremely competitive?
• • What acts of courtesy can people conducting business show towards one another?
  • How do these gestures affect business relationships?
• • What is the dress code for most businesses?
  • Is it casual?
  • Formal?
• • Are there any business customs or traditions that you may be unaware of?
• • How important is punctuality and staying on schedule?
  • Is it acceptable to be late?
  • What are the consequences?

• • Where are the schools and who are they for?
  • Are there private schools for only those who can afford them?
• • How many from each family attend school and what is the ratio of males to females?
  • How long do they go for?
• • Is anyone’s education paid for by the government?
  • Is it mandatory that those people attend?
• • What is the density of the schools?
  • Are they overpopulated?
• • What is the availability of teachers?
  • How about books and supplies?

• • Are there obvious social classes or castes in place in this culture?
  • What is the historical reason or cause of the divisions?
• • What role does social status play in the availability of educational and professional opportunities?
• • Are people discriminated against because of their socioeconomic status?
• • What is the level of poverty in this area?
  • Are the majority of the population poor?
  • What does this tell you about the economic and governmental structure of the culture?
• • Are there any items that are considered to be a luxury in this culture that are commonplace in most other cultures?
  • How about the reverse?

• • Is tourism promoted?
  • If so, how and to what degree?
• • What percent of the culture’s economic income comes from or relies on tourism?
  • Is it seasonal, or does it fluctuate in another way?
• • Are there events, such as wars or natural disasters, which have had (or are having) a negative impact on tourism in this area and caused a difficult economical situation?
• • How are tourists viewed and treated by locals?

• • Who is in control of the trading industry in this area?
• • Are there any imports that are necessary for survival?
  • What other items are imported?
• • What items are exported to other countries?
  • What percent of the area’s economy do exports account for?
• • Which countries does the culture regularly trade with?
  • Are there standing trade agreements?
• • Are there any countries that aren’t traded with?
  • What is the reason for this ban?
  • Is there a punishment for trading with these countries?

• • Have there ever been any wars in this area?
  • If so, what were the causes?
• • Do economics play a large role in war decisions?
  • Does war have a positive or negative effect on the economy?
• • Do businesses contribute towards wartime efforts?
  • If so, how?
• • Are wars funded by the government or by industry?