I can relate but, Thank God, school is far in the rear-view now. What I find most useful when analyzing economic growth is a venn diagram. I look at everything in terms of an interactive relationship between three components and how they support one another- political, social and economic. I look for variables/indicators within all three spheres and if/how they maintain a dynamic equilibrium...from an historical perspective. It's an incredible amount of work, but almost always accurate. I did it when NAFTA was being debated comparing the two "NAFTA's" and was able to predict a mass migration North.