The Economics in Practice describes prosperity and recession as they are depicted in literature. Looking at data on GDP growth released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in its Interim Economic Outlook (available at http://www.oecd.org), how would you compare the economic performance of “emerging markets,” such as Brazil, China, and Russia, with respect to advanced industrial economies like Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States over the past year or two? Are these economies expanding or shrinking?