Teaching Approach

HEcon Syllabus (pdf)

Study Guides

Assignments

Resources: Ending Poverty

Links

Class Notes

Check this site to obtain or verify assignments. Readings are expected to be COMPLETED on the day/date listed. Announcements, including opportunities for extra credit are also contained here.

Week of December 1:

Monday: Complete Sachs, Chapters 9-10.

Tuesday: Review case studies in Sachs

• Recital, Sachs, Chapters 9-10
• Compare/Contrast: Bolivia; Poland; Russia; China; India

Wednesday: Trade Policy Overview

Read "The New System" (Friedman)

Week of November 24

Monday: Viewing PBS series "The Commanding Heights," Part II "The Agony of Reform. Pay close attention. The video provides basic background information about the struggle of reforming government-based, centrally planned economies. This is information that is not contained in Sachs' book, but will help you make sense of the context. It also includes specific information on Russia, India, China, Bolivia, and Poland.

Tuesday: Recital, Chapters 4-8.

Week of November 17

Introduction to Trade Policy and Economic Development

Monday: Quiz: Sachs, Chapters 1-4.

Sachs, Chapters 4-8 due Tuesday, Nov. 25.

Resources for Sachs' Ending Poverty

Week of November 10

Complete Monetary Policy

• Recital Friday, November 14 on Monetary Policy
• Be aware of what is occuring in the economy for the recital (what are our current economic indicators?)
• Whitehouse summary economic indicators available here.

Week of November 3

Bring your book with you to class each day (Ecology of Commerce). Be prepared for a "recital" over the reading.

Week of October 27

Tuesday: Recital -- Fiscal Policy

Complete Ecology of Commerce by Monday, November 3

Continue Fiscal/Monetary policy

Week of October 13

Friday -- Monday, October 17/20

Monday--Tuesday, Viewing of "Roger and Me" Few of us have experienced a severe economic recession. "Roger and Me" views the experience of recession through the Lens of Michael Moore as he documents Flint Michigan's troubles in the early 1990s. Throughout the film "Roger and Me," Michael Moore comments on the general state of corporate America. Be prepared to discuss the following questions (I expect that you will look-up any terms or ideas that are unfamiliar to you):

• Why is Moore looking for Roger Smith; what does he really hope to accomplish?
• What are Moore's fundamental economic values? Are they valid? Why or why not?
• What are GM's fundamental values (ala GM or Roger Smith)? Are they valid? Why or why not?
• Remember, Moore shot this film in the early 1990s, when "offshoring" was a relatively new corporate strategy. GM cites the need to do this because of global competition (globalization). What other reasons might GM have adopted this strategy?
• How has the role of unions changed over time?
• What does GM owe the union?
• Ultimately, what, if anything does GM owe the people of Flint Michigan? Why?
• In economic terms we use the concept of the multiplier effect to illustrate how business growth or decline affects the local economy. What happens when the multiplier effect is reversed? How would you describe this affect on Flint?
• Economists and sociologists often discuss the idea of a brain drain from local or rural areas to more dynamic cities and economies. In what ways does Moore's documentary illustrate the impact of the brain drain on local communities?
• Could an economic downturn like the one in Flint happen in Silicon Valley? Why or why not?
• How can you position yourself to weather recessionary times?

Thursday: Balance the Budget

Fiscal/Monetary Policy Study Guide Available Here

Thinkpiece 2: Internalizing Externalities is due on Wednesday, October 15.

See News, below, for suggested readings.

"Ecology of Commerce" Chapters due by the following days:

• 6 Monday
• 7 Friday
• 8 Monday, October 20

Continuing Coverage of Economic Crisis and basic Macroeconomics -- Fiscal policy

Week of October 6

Begin reading Paul Hawken's "The Ecology of Commerce." Read Chapters by the following days:

• 1 Monday:
• 2 Tuesday:
• 3 Wednesday
• 4 Thursday
• 5 Friday

Each day we'll cover principles explored in the book. A list of terms and concepts will accompany each chapter/discussion.

By Tuesday be prepared to discuss Hawken's "teasing irony," and the notion of the "death of birth."

Week of September 29

Markets and Crowds: Miracle or Mayhem

For Tuesday, Read the following short articles and be prepared to compare these ideas with those of Mackay's in "Tulipomania":

• "Problem Solving: A Team Sport"
• Is There Wisdom in Crowds

Questions:

• What does Mackay's observation about the tulip market in Holland say about markets and investors in general?
• How do we reconcile Surowiecki's ideas with those of Mackay? Can a society be both "mad" and "wise" at the same time?
• Which theory tends to be most persuasive? Why?
• Under what conditions might either theory prove correct?

News and Announcements

Thinkpiece 2: Internalizing Externalities is due on Wednesday, October 15.

Business Week: look up articles on "corporate social responsibility" for information on how some companies have "internalized" their externalities.

Be prepared for your Second Recital on Thursday, October 2.

Topics include:

Socialism/Concentration of wealth in societies (Lorenz curve/GINI/Paul Krugman's "For Richer"/Market Bubbles/Crowd Wisdom or Madness

Required readings for HEcon this fall:

• 
  Hawken, Paul, The Ecology of Commerce, 1993
  
  Sachs, Jeffrey, The End of Poverty, 2006
  
  Stiglitz, Joseph, Globalization and Its Discontents, 2003

Turnitin.com information:

• Classe: HEcon
• Number: 2431604
• Password: find in class or email me for the password

U.S. Financial Crisis: "Cash for Trash," (Krugman)

U.S. Presidential Election: Does Emotion or Reason win elections? Check out this book, The Political Brain, by Drew Westen.

Homework Archives

Week of September 23

Readings

Wednesday: "For Richer" (Krugman, NYT)

Friday: "Tulipomania" (Mackay)

First Recital: Thursday, September 18 ---

• Review Capitalism, Socialism, Ayn Rand, Ebenstein, other readings and notes on college costs, market pricing, Adam Smith.
• Format: Multiple choice, short answer

Readings, Week of September 8

"Socialism," (Ebenstein, Today's Isms)

• Tuesday, pages 1-15
• Wednesday, pages 15-21

Questions for Tuesday:

What is the relationship between democracy and capitalism?

To what extent can the U.S. be defined as a capitalist system?

Weeks 1 and 2 Readings:

• "Capitalism," (Ebenstein, Today's Isms)
• "The Virtue of Selfishness," (Rand, Virtue of Selfishness)
• "Why Prices are Good: Smith Versus Darwin," (Landsburg, Armchair Economist)
• "Ayne Rand's Literature of Capitalism," (Rubin, NYT)

Suggestions for Extra Credit Readings are available here, or under the assignments tab.