SYLLABUS
1.
2.
3. Course: ECON 4346-SA01, Survey of Economics.
4. Term: Fall 2009.
5. Instructor: Mr. Gary L. Moon
6. Home (Office) Phone (210)
945-4943 and Email: moonecon@satx.rr.com.
7. Office Hours, Building and
Location: E-mail is always open!
Otherwise I am an Adjunct Instructor and can almost always make your time
either by telephone, email, or at WBU Main San Antonio campus, my time.
8. Class Meeting Time and
Location: Thursdays,
9. Course description: A one-semester survey course covering
macroeconomics and microeconomics. Credit will not be awarded for ECON 2307
(Macroeconomics) or ECON 2308 (Microeconomics) and ECON 4346
(Survey of Economics).
10. Prerequisites: None.
11.
Required Textbook and Resources:
BOOK AUTHOR ED YEAR PUBLISHER
ISBN# REVIEW
Principles
of Economics Gregory N.
Mankiw 5th 2009 Cengage Learning 0-324-58997-2 Spring 2010
We
will focus on Chapters 1 thru 7, 9, 10, 12, 13 thru 17, 19, 23, 24, 27, 28 thru
30, 33 and 34.
12. Optional Materials that may help
include:
A. Textbook’s
website: www.cengage.com/economics/mankiw.
This support site links chapter to PowerPoint slides, other economics-related
Internet sites for papers, economic indicator data, and best of all—career
listings after graduation.
B.
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication of the American
Psychological Association, 5th Edition.
13. Course Outcome Competencies: Upon completion of the survey course undergraduate
students seeking a Bachelor of Applied Science will have an understanding of
economic principles and policies involving national fiscal, monetary, and
international trade decisions and their economic impacts on individuals,
business firms, and industries. We will use supply and demand analysis to
develop a Pro-Con reasoning sense to explain how and why societies behave
characteristically in resolving conflicts relating resource markets to product
markets whilst focusing economic objectives on meeting goals of high and
sustainable economic growth, price stability, and low unemployment. Specifically,
students should be able to:
• Demonstrate the development of an Economics vocabulary by defining the selected Key Concepts listed in each required chapter of study in the textbook;
• Identify the Ten Principles of Economics and briefly explain each;
• Explain the difference between microeconomics and macroeconomics.
• Identify the major economists highlighted in this study and briefly explain their contribution to the field of Economics;
• Explain how everyone can benefit when people trade with one another;
• Explain the meaning of absolute advantage and comparative advantage and apply the theory of comparative advantage to individual decisions and to national policy;
• Explain supply and demand and what determines the supply and demand for a good in a competitive market—illustrate with models;
• Explain the key role of prices in allocating scarce resources in market economies;
• Explain the meaning of the elasticity of demand, and the elasticity of supply;
• Explain the effects of government policies on markets;
• Explain how taxes reduce consumer and producer surplus; deadweight loss of taxation;
• Explain the effects of free trade and who wins and loses from international trade.
• Define externalities and explain how they can make market outcomes inefficient;
• Identify various government policies and their effects on the problems of externalities;
• Explain efficiency vs. equity tax system designs, and differences in benefits, ability-to-pay, and tax incidence principles;
• Define costs of production in the short vs. long runs and how they impact economies of scale at maximum profitability;
• List characteristics of competitive markets and explain how firms in competitive markets make decisions affecting supply;
• Define monopoly, monopolistic-competitors, and oligopoly; and explain how each firm makes decisions that affect supply and price and how this affects various buyers and sellers;
• Explain why earnings vary so much from person to person and why efficiency wages often lead to more unemployment;
• Define how a nation’s macroeconomic metrics of Real Gross Domestic Product and Unemployment Rates indicate national goal achievement of economic growth, price stability, and low unemployment;
• Explain how the Consumer Price Index is constructed and how to use it to compare dollar figures as prices for designated years;
• Describe the central banking system (the Fed) of the US, the monetary tools the Fed uses to control the money supply in the US, and how the Quantity Theory of Money (QTM) responds to change in the money to change Real GDP;
• Describe how a self-regulating, open-economy moves aggregate demand and supply to meet full employment GDP;
• Explain the influence of Monetary and Fiscal Policy on Aggregate Demand and Real GDP if the free-market fails.
14. Attendance Requirements: If duty calls for absences, make
friends with smart, note-taking attendees. Per clearly written WBU and VA
guidelines, any student missing 25% (3 meetings) of the 11
scheduled classes will receive a grade of "F" for the course—no
exceptions allowed, regardless of the reason(s). As a matter of courtesy,
inform me prior to class starting if you need to depart early. (For those
counting, 25% of 11 meetings equals 2.75 classes; regardless if “excused” or
unexcused; so the third absence is the magic number.) L Realizing traffic externalities occur,
three (3) "tardies" may
count as one absence.
15. Students
experiencing Disabilities: In compliance with the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), it is the
policy of Wayland Baptist University that no otherwise qualified person with a
disability be excused from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be
subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity in the university.
The Coordinator of Counseling Services serves as the coordinator of students
with a disability and should be contacted concerning accommodation requests at
(806) 291-3765. Documentation of a disability must accompany any request for
accommodations.
16. Course Requirements and Grading Criteria: Course has three exams each worth 25%, and one PRO/CON/ANALYTICAL, data-driven, POSITION paper worth 25%. Final grade is the average of these four assessments. We will adhere to WBU’s grading policy, but I will give numerical grades to give both of us specific feedback on how well we are meeting our objectives. Upon completion of this course, students will use words, mathematics and graphics to define and explain how nations meet or fail to achieve their common, wealth-producing goals. Ideally, the course prepares you to analytically support or criticize a given position using objective economic data so you can critique other’s arguments—constructively.
A. Exams are objective and subjective, emphasizing the application of definitions and principles to assessing real world situations having economic ramifications. They require math solutions, written explanations; and always, thinking before answering. Generally, you’ll describe theory, then assess fixes to real-world issues.
B. Make-up Exams. I will do my best to accommodate your work schedules, but see me before a crisis for details and possible arrangements. All exams must be made up before the next scheduled class meeting. Are “make-ups” harder than regular exams? Of course—you have longer to study than others taking the regular exam per schedule.
C. Position Paper Guidelines. Present research data and analysis of both sides (pro, con) of an economic issue or resolution; then argue your position using that analytical evidence in support. Focus research on government, business, or international economic actions or policies involving fiscal, monetary or international exchange and trade that seeks to preserve or explain solution impacts on price stability, unemployment, economic growth, corporate or individual economic behavior, or externalities.
(1) The poignant and substantiated paper should cover 4-6 pages, typed, and double-spaced. Include an Abstract (good practice for business decision makers) and References Page using the format guides in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 5th Ed (often called the APA Manual; see Wayland Baptist University Bookstore for a copy—or any college library in the area). For guidance on the Abstract page, see p. 12; for the Reference Page, see p. 28 and pp. 215-281 (read p. 219 on use of reference list); and for clear examples on citing Internet sources, see pp. 231-281, paying particular attention to p. 268 (citing electronic references) and p. 272; and use p. 274 for most of your on-line reference citing formats. Take great care to cite the entire reference so I can find it. Practicing proper formatting prepares you to compete at the management and executive levels of your major where writing it right the first time is expected when you are evaluated comparatively against other college graduates. To that extent, though the paper is short, do recall you convince your busy boss in the Abstract, impress peers and your staff in the body, and establish your credentials as a subject matter expert (SME) on the References Page. {First timers note: the title, abstract, and reference pages do not count in the paper’s 4-6 page length. J}
(2) Small point on binders and presentation: just staple your Position Paper for turn-in. No need for fancy folders or document protectors, as there are no style/appearance points. In honor of world-wide economics, cheap is good.
(3) Don’t
let pride hinder this requirement—university-work is about learning how
to learn, not being graded. WBU provides an English teacher every Saturday
from
(4) Sources: Use a minimum of three (3) sources,
only one of which may be from a daily newspaper or weekly news magazine. (The
textbook isn’t a source.) Great starting place is WBU’s Learning Resources
Center (LRC) in
17. ACADEMIC HONESTY: This class adheres to zero tolerance for
using someone else's work as your own. Students are responsible for reading,
understanding, obeying, and respecting all academic policies, with added emphasis
being placed upon academic progress policies, appearing in the Wayland Baptist
University Academic Catalog applicable to their curriculum and/or program of
study. Regarding plagiarism, it is illegal in
18. Syllabus note: This syllabus is only a plan, modifiable for academic reasons during the course if prudent. Therefore, the requirements of the course may be altered from those appearing in the syllabus. The plan also contains criteria by which the student’s progress and performance are measured; and that may also be changed, if warranted.
19. WBU E-MAIL. CHECK IT AT LEAST WEEKLY! When you registered, WBU provided you an OFFICIAL E-Mail account and address—validate your address and account ASAP, then check it! I will use that address as the primary way to contact you with class alterations should weather cancel a class; or worse case, have WBU send you a Report of Unsatisfactory Progress so both of us know we have work to do to get your through this senior level college course.
20. SCHEDULE for CLASS preparation
and work, EXAMS and a Term PAPER.
DATE CHAPTER
Microeconomics—Market
System works through A. Smith’s (1776)”Invisible Hand”
Understand Ch 2’s Circular Flow and the course is easy. Funnel your study on every detail of the Production Possibilities Frontier (PPF) and you understand why wars occur—economic limits drive tradeoffs. Peruse the Appendix to renew skills in graphing, slopes, functions, shifts and causality. “Thinking like an economist” in structuring your Paper’s research is worth considering.
Aug 27 Read Ch 3 & 4. Ch 3’s trade and specialization drive the Law of Comparative Advantage to expand Ch 2’s PPF peacefully and pace Ch 9’s International Trade. Explain why differing opportunity costs make trade beneficial for nations--think specialization exploits economies of scale advantages. Distinguish between absolute and comparative advantage, noting which drives international trade decisions. For your professional knowledge, page 57’s FY: The Legacy of Adam Smith and David Ricardo is must-read as these two guys rock your world, now!
Ch 4.
Read the Conclusion and Summary first as they form the heart and soul of
Economics: Laws of Demand and Supply.
Knowing the differential impact on Quantity between a “Price change (D)”
(movement along the Demand or Supply curves) and “non-price change (D)”
(Shift left/in or right/out) is critical to telling the “what happens to
Equilibrium Quantity (Qe) if Price (Pe) changes” story. You can’t study this
chapter enough! Comfort level arrives when you know if you are changing
Qd or Qs, or shifting Demand or Supply, that later determines a new Pe at Qd or
Pe at Qs. The four tables in Ch 4 summarize marvelously. I can honestly
say this author’s textbooks are used by your
Sep 3 Ch 5 & 6. Ch
5 answers life’s ponderings, why do “they” charge so much, or so
little? Note that Total Revenue is a function of two critical variables: Price Elasticity of Demand and Supply.
Total Revenues (TR) minus Total Costs (TC) drive Profits (Π), so slope
of the Demand and Supply curves shows sensitivity of ∆Q to ∆P.
Commodity markets hinge on price elasticities! Why do governments tax the
inelastic demanded goods?
Study Ch 6 in detail to addresses governments countering the Laws of Supply and Demand in meeting the sociologically disenfranchised political demands: price and rent controls (ceilings); and subsidies and minimum wage laws (floors). Why don’t controls and subsidies work? Using Ch 5’s Price Elasticity, who pays the tax burden (different from incidence) for Ch 6’s governments manipulating market system laws in Ch 1 and 4? [Depends on inelasticity, yes?] Take a little time on p. 129’s graph to learn how to explain tax burdens!
Sep 10 EXAM #1: Ch 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. [Value: 25% of course grade. Figure two hours for the magical experience. Yes, we have class after the exam. J]
Microeconomics: OK, the Market System apparently isn’t
perfect and fails, sometimes. Benevolent
Social Planer isn’t pleased.
For Classà Peruse Ch 7 and Read Ch 9. For Ch 7, stop momentarily to grasp the concept of Consumer Surplus, p. 142; Producer Surplus, p. 146; and Market Efficiency, p. 148. This lets us talk to market efficiencies or failures (externalities) later. I think p. 150’s Markets for Human Organs and p. 151’s ITN on Ticket Scalping are two superb analytical pieces about markets trumping well intentioned governments—Prices best allocate scarcity!
Read Ch 9.
Knowing whose “surplus” is gouged answers the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) riddle in the enigma: do free or restricted trade markets via
import Tariffs (and of secondary priority, Quotas) benefit or hurt
domestic consumers, unions (labor), governments, businesses, and/or import
license holders? Know the arguments pro and con for restricting trade
(pp. 188-191). There are three great Paper topics to expand with data in
those In The News articles on pages 187, 189, and 192; and they don’t agree
on globalism’s usefulness.
Sep
17 Read Ch 10
& 12. [Great paper ideas here!] The
Read Ch 12’s Design of the Tax System is worth serious definitive note taking. Follow every government’s thinking as a “they” explain why taxes are as they are. Pause to grasp YOUR future fiscal challenge ahead—paying for MY demographic ‘old folks’ demands for medical care and retirement income support. The baby boomers (born 1946-1964) have tons of time to vote ourselves a growing piece of your income pie! Come out of this understanding the efficiency (lump sum taxes) vs. equity tradeoff involving the Benefits and Ability-to-Pay principles as they grapple with vertical or horizontal equity thresholds. Can we ever get the proportional-regressive-progressive equity dichotomies correct? Look at the “fly paper theory” of tax incidence vs. tax burden—isn’t that just Ch 5 & 6? Finished? See if pp. 258-259’s ITN: Q&A about Tax Reform makes sense!
Sep 24 Review Ch 13, 14, and 15 for understanding and graph explanations and study Ch 16 & 17. I’ll cover the essence of these organizational characteristics in a handout to set corporate organization spectrum. I’m playing in your BSOE-Business Administration sandbox, so if you’ve had accounting and/or financial management, you will blow through this at warp speed; but, if Economics is one of your first courses, read Ch 13 in detail. I take for granted you understand “cost language,” especially economies and diseconomies of scale, but just in case, I’ll pause for the cause—Table 3, p. 283 is super! Study comparatively Ch 14’s Firms in Competitive Markets and their opposite Ch 15’s Monopolies. We have been doing Ch 14’s perfect competition theory thus far in the course, so finish the analytical basis for comparing other forms of business behavior to this model. Fig 1, p. 294: understand Profit is maximized and Optimum Social Output occurs at Price = Marginal Revenue = Marginal Costs at the minimum point of the Average Total Cost Curve. For Ch 15’s monopoly theory, focus on Fig 3 (p. 318) and Fig 5 (p. 321), noting the Monopolist always has a negative externality of a perennial Price Markup by setting Qsold at MR = MC, but Price goes up to the Demand curve, creating excessive (unused) capacity that supports an economic profit (not good).
Read Ch 16’s
Monopolistic-Competition, noting the vast majority of the world’s
business is done by this organizational structure. Spend some time on this
chapter, particularly Fig 2 (p. 349) and Fig 3 (p. 350) focusing on how
Monopolistic-Competitors ensure profits at prices above resource allocative
efficiency per Capitalism’s preference. Note the ↑ economic profit in
the short run (bad), but zero economic profit in the long run (good)
because the Price equals the firm’s Average Total Costs in the long run.
However, Mono-Comps still fail the market system by retaining excess capacity
(bad). Do the pro/con drill on advertising (pp. 356-360)
to appreciate how economists and business grads differ on the social value of
marketing majors manipulating images to formulate excess profits in the short
run. FYI, Galbraith vs. Hayek, p. 358 is an outstanding read! J
Read Ch 17’s
Oligopoly, focus on pricing techniques and hone in on their natural
failure tendencies—greed and fear leading to cheating on Supply. Spend
some time on Game Theory if you haven’t had statistics; however, for you
romantics, John Nash’s life (Gaming in Economics = Nobel Prize in 1994) was the
movie theme in A Beautiful Mind. This chapter is all about OPEC’s power
and
Oct 1 Read Ch 19; pause, then Ch 23. Unions play applying Ch 5’s price (wage) elasticity of demand to the issue of earnings and discrimination. Education is the greatest enhancer of earnings, but only if one maximizes his/her natural talents (passion for doing). Those calling for equal wages or non-discriminatory income structures, objective-only hiring criteria bump into the unintended consequences fostered by corporate leaders, politicians, and laborers seeking above-equilibrium wages such as minimum and living wages, union fixed wage contracts, and efficiency wages where higher wages actually foster increased unemployment. YOU need to explain this one! The market system punishes discriminators with higher prices, less profit—why? Page 426’s Gender Differences is a most timely read for the rest of the 21st Century to explain wage-differentials amongst sexes.
NOTE: THIS ENDS MATERIAL FOR EXAM #2.
Macroeconomics: Aggregate efforts by business and governments
to achieve national economic goals: #1-high and sustainable economic growth
(use Real
Start Final ExamàRead
Ch 23’s Measuring Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Real
Oct 8 EXAM
#2: Ch 7, 9, 10, 12, somewhat 13, 14,
15, but in detail 16, 17 and 19. OPEN NOTES J. (No, NOT Open Book.) [Value: 25% of course grade. Figure two hours for
exam. Yes, we have class after the exam. J]
For
Classà Read Ch 24’s Consumer Price Index (
For
Classà Peruse Ch 27. Pages 600-610 are magnificently instructive—hang
your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP, 401(K) Retirement Plan or Roth/Regular IRA
programs on The Efficient Markets Hypothesis and Random Walks and
Index Funds sections. I’ll answer any questions; otherwise, this chapter
is for YOUR information only. The Time Value of Money concept is the
backbone of all Finance courses; and the Risk-Return Tradeoff is the
essence of your standard of living. If Ch 27 thrills you, wealth will
be yours; if not, wealth won’t be yours.
Oct
15 Read/study Ch
28, 29, and Ch 30’s pages 663-672 (for fun, peruse The Wizard of
Oz debate, pp. 682-684.)
Study Ch 28 to know the definitions of and calculate the unemployment (Ue), employment, and the labor-force participation rates. Follow with determining the strengths and weaknesses of the unemployment rate as indicating what we think it does; or explaining why some people are always statistically unemployed. Get into the weeds of the impacts of increasing mandatory minimum federal wages. The parts on unions using minimum wages to decrease competition (alter the union member elasticity of supply) are key to future chapters on Fiscal and Monetary Policy. Ditto for the Theory of Efficiency Wages—making YOU-the-business person YOUR own enemy. J. M. Keynes used your tendencies against you in the Depression (1930-1939) and took your capitalistic self-regulating powers away, in favor of the Benevolent Social Planner’s government influence today. I like pp. 623-625’s Job Search and Unemployment Insurance discussion.
Read Ch 29,
spending time on M1 and M2 types of money (Fig 1, p. 646), the overview
of the Federal Reserve System (the Fed), then the detailed discussion of the
Banks and Money Supply and the Fed’s Three Tools of Monetary Control.
This is what drives every Finance course, your home loans, and the stock market
fluctuations, Fed’s Tools of Money Control on pp. 653-658 are your life
in finance, investment banking; knowledge is wealth!
Read Ch 30, pages 663-672, Quantity Theory of Money to appreciate HOW the Fed influences inflation and deflation by changing (∆) Money Supply (∆Ms) to ∆Prices to ∆Consumption that ∆’s GDP. Knowing this brings converts you to being the successful manipulator of your own investments. Monetarists believe with ∆Ms, Feds ∆interest rates (∆i%) to drive ∆Consumption (households) which ∆Investment (businesses, wages) to ∆YGDP. Take time to really understand Fig 2, p. 668 after first grasping Fig 1, p. 667. We’ll fix nations via these graphs!
The Case Study, p. 682-684 pops your Wizard of Oz movie bubble—it’s just a silver debate—a fun read. J
Oct 22 PAPER
DUE! NO LATE PAPERS! You’ve had this “Suspense Date” since
For Classà Read Ch 33 & 34. Ch33 helps
grasp where A. Smith (Wealth of Nations, 1776) said economies self-regulate
and K. Marx (das Capital, 1867) said concentration of wealth destroys
capitalism. Use the Aggregate Demand (AD) and Short-run Aggregate Supply
(SRAS) curves to explain changes and impacts in the Expenditure Model of
Ch 34 is THE COURSE in its Finality. John Maynard Keynes (1932) called for “market socialism,” today you say “progressive corporatism,” code for purposeful government manipulation of macroeconomic variables to alter the extremes of the market system—labeled it Fiscal Policy. Adam Smith and David Ricardo called for Monetary Policy via a credible banking system to correct the ills of business decisions. By analyzing liquidity preferences, Fiscalists see multiplier effects of changing Government spending/taxation policies, bolstered by automatic stabilizers as key to kick start too-slow or control too-fast growing economies. Monetarists counter that a crowding out effect of ↑G spending or ↓Taxes can decimate an multiplier growth. To synthesize this chapter we’ll find debilitating national Deflationary/Recessionary Gaps [↓GDP, < ↑Ue, or ↓CPI]; or Inflationary Gaps [↑GDP, > ↓Ue, and ↑CPI] in The Economist’s handout I provide and fix them! Use the graphics in Fig 2, 3, and 5. Make the Pro/Con case for active stabilization policy to justify why the Government should (or not) manipulate the economy as business cycles naturally drive economies up and down and up and down!
Oct 29 EXAM #3—FINAL. OPEN NOTES J. (No, NOT Open Book.) Focus on Ch 23, 24, 28, 29, 30’s pp. 663-672, and all of 33 and 34. [Value: 25% of course grade. To maximize the pleasure, take all four hours if you want!]
NOTE: Final Exam details and Grade, and FINAL
COURSE GRADE feedback: if you want details of this cool experience,
include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your FINAL and I’ll mail
you feedback ASAP. Or, I can send the information by e-mail—but
you must send me an e-mail requesting that material. Keep in mind
privacy is lost on the Internet when I “Reply”, so you are tasking me and
I’ll comply. Finally, if you just want the grade, you can check that on
your WBU IQ Web page.
INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY: Internet search tools on
the World Wide Web (www.) “Embolden” items work great!
Ask Jeeves (http://www.ask.com) This UK search engine picks up academic sources Google leaves out. Surprisingly useful.
Google (http://www.google.com)
I find this to be the best “subject” generator for initial research in
economics.
Microsoft’s Network search engine Live Search leads to Bing (http://www.search.live.com leads you to www.bing.com).
Webcrawler (http://www.webcrawler.com) World Wide Web’s Virtual Library (http://www.w3.org).
Wikopedia (http://en.wikopedia.org). CAREFUL using this as a source of anything academically valid, there are zero academic enforcing mechanisms to ensure validity of data and facts! But, this source can get you started via a frame of reference.
Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com) About half of Google’s research resources, but combining with Bing will be to your advantage.
TV economics and business news sources relevant to timely economic analysis:
Bloomberg
Market News on YOUR cable/satellite TV:
The best investment and economic analysis on TV—shows what happened tomorrow on your TV everywhere
in the world before today in the
CNBC business news: Watch detailed analytical economic and investment programs. You can get the same on-line at www.cnbc.com. If you have HD TV access, go to CNBC HD+ channel for superb graphics and more details, daily!
CNBCW
(Cable NBC World) is an excellent TV choice for world economics and financial
investing news. This source is particularly
good before retiring for the evening or weekend to watch tomorrow
unfolding in
CNNI (CNN-International). CNN runs international news on this station 24/7/365, but mornings are about all business news.
Fox Business News. This is the most recent business news on the TV block, competes with graphics and analysis different from others by using the Pro-Con format for issues covered by business analysts to give you both sides of business actions.
Useful
Websites news sources relevant to applicable economic analysis for research: Great
way to start your news days: read the front pages of an
AmosWeb. A whimsical interpretation of economic news, excellent start point for paper. http://www.amosweb.com
Arab-Persian-Mideast News, Al
Jazeera (English) News. Open eyes and mind, read the “other side.: http://english.aljazerra.net
Asia-Weekly, Asian business news in great detail. http://www.asia-weekly.com
Barron’s Online for Market
Laboratory to follow
BBC News, internet—get the
Bloomberg
Market and Economic News—advice: read daily.
Click on the Bloomberg TV or Bloomberg Radio toggle and watch/listen tomorrow or today’s business on your laptop
or PC. http://www.bloomberg.com
Financial Times.
See tomorrow before ‘today’ in the
International
Herald Tribune—read
Latin American economic news source you can trust for solid data. www.latin-focus.com/#news. Another all-English source of Latin American economics news is the Latin America Herald Tribune, the old Caracas Journal: http://www.laht.com.
Manila
Times.
Microsoft’s
and NBC’s combined web site for YOUR investments. http://www.moneycentral.msn.com.
Moody’s bond service and economic news. Super financial source related to economics. http://www.economy.com
Motley Fool: http://www.fool.com Go here to learn about investments following economic news. Excellent short, explanatory papers covering ‘indexing,’ and investing for those seeking wealth. Great free site for learning how to invest.
Morningstar’s
Mutual fund analysis: Match your investments/mutual funds to the S&P
500 Index trend line. Is YOUR fund above
or below the S&P Index trend line for $10,000 over the 10 year period? http://www.morningstar.com
Oil prices—watch world-traders move prices off world news at the New York Mercantile Exchange. http://www.nymex.com
Reuters--a
solid business and economics source for world news as it happens. http://www.reuters.com
Smart
Money magazine--super daily news in detail. a “must see” daily
site. http://www.smartmoney.com
For more conservative South
Korean takes on
The
The Daily Yomiuri—
The Economist: This is weekly news by the British as they
see the
The
New York Times: Great
business section with a socio-political tint.
www.nytimes.com
The
The Times of
The
Yahoo!Finance.
Get both daily currency exchange values and solid financial and
economic news. http://finance.yahoo.com
World News: Get the entire world’s news, by nation, updated hourly. Good topic source. http://www.worldnews.com
Notable
Internet Economic resources for Paper Writing:
Avert.
UK-driven international HIV/AIDs charity. Good data source on global AIDs
epidemic with harsh photos. www.avert.org.
Blog (daily) site of two brilliant economists, Becker and Posner. http://www.becker-posner-blog.com
British Antarctic Survey site. Get your global warming, ice melting data here! http://www.antarctica.uc.uk
Business statistics are nicely presented here. http://www.bizstats.com
Center for Global Development: think-tank that usually counters WTO and supports poverty issues. http://www.cgdev.org
Conservative
economics view of international globalism by the Institute for
International Economics. http://www.iie.com
Conservative
economics data source by the National Bureau of Economic Research: http://www.nber.org
Conservative economists you see on TV are at the Cato
Institute. http://www.catoinstitute.com
Conservative
economics analysis by the
Conservatives are biased, but solid economic data is
presented by the Concord Coalition. http://www.concordcoalition.org
Council of Economic Advisors & the Economic Report of the President. Click on the most recent Report you seek. These folks control your wealth via advising the President on “your” needs. http://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/
Defense
Department Global War on Terror (GWOT) statistics. http://wwwdefenselink.mil/news/casualty.pdf
Demand and
Supply inelasticities and elasticities are at the
Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Marvelous paper writing data layouts. http://www.census.gov
Department
of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis (best source of
Department of Commerce, FedWorld Information Network. http://www.fedworld.gov/
Department
of Energy view of all things ‘energy’ and OPEC. www.eia.doe.gov
Department of
Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (best source for
Department of the Treasury. http://www.ustreas.gov/
Directory of State Economic Data Centers: http://www.census.gov/ftp/pub/sdc/www/sdctxt.html
Economic Statistics in the Briefing Room of the President. Beautiful charts! http://www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/esbr.html
Economic Statistics normalized for all sorts of data. http://www.econstats.com
Education economic topics are at the National Council on Economic Education’s site. http://www.ncee.net
Employment Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Equal opportunity rulings and economic impacts. http://www.eeoc.gov
European Union. http://europa.eu.int/
Federal Reserve Bank Go here for monetary policy data, money supply and interest rate manipulations, Fed “Tools” decisions, Beige Book, FOMC Minutes of Meetings (decisions). http://www.federalreserve.gov
Foreign
affairs and international relations challenges. http://www.foreignpolicy.com
Hispanic
business data and economic news. Great job source after graduation: www.hispanicbusiness.com
How about the
Law and Economics & Finance (M&A’s) at the Department of Justice? http://www.usdoj.gov/
Insurance Information Institute’s Financial Service’s Fact Book. Good data source for risk management. http://www.iii.org
International energy data position papers. You’ll find tons of data on oil imports/exports by nations. http://www.iea.org
International Monetary Fund. http://www.imf.org/
Internal
Revenue Service (
International foreign currency and is done well in the Foreign Exchange News--worth a visit just to read how this site links exchange monetary exchange news rate changes to world political and economic events! http://www.forexnews.com
Investment
sources:
Iraq/Afghanistan
non-official casualty data layout of US and Allies war effort in
the
Liberal economics analysis is done well by the Economic Policy Institute, with pro-con academic data papers arguing for central Government manipulation of macro-economic variables. http://www.epinet.org
Liberal economic views are in argumentative detail in The Nation. http://www.thenation.com
Liberal public
economic policy issues are at The Public Agenda site. http://www.publicagenda.org
Liberal views
(sometimes extreme) of equity versus efficiency are done by Prout. http://www.proutsworld.org/news/index.html
MBA Jungle magazine (on-line)—good reading for your major and future. http://www.mbajungle.com
National
archives stores all things
National Association for Business Economists (NABE). Every major corporation hires economists to explain why in these times, there have always been times like these. These are your economic forecasters. http://www.nabe.com
Need some facts?
Try the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)—good “military economics” source. http://www.nato.int
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has tons of data by nations. http://www.oecdwash.org
OPEC news seen through the eyes of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. http://www.opec.com
President of
the United States lays out in grave detail, the
Resources for Economists. http://www.econsources.com/index/asp
Securities and
Exchange Commission (
Solid research topics and papers for Economists. http://www.economicssearch.com
Source for Asian economic papers: Far Eastern Economics. http://www.feer.com
Source of South East Asian economic topics, see the layout in the Southeast Asian News. http://www.southeastasianews.net
Source for liberal (often anti-US out of
Texas’
Controller shows you where the money goes in
United Nations. http://www.un.org/
US Congress presents all its economic issues/votes/papers in the Joint Economic Committee. http://www.house.gov/jec
US Institute of Peace. Congressionally funded institute for conflict resolution using economics and diplomacy. www.usip.org
Wall Street
Journal’s “Opinion Journal” has conservative topics detailed through
their eyes. http://www.opinionjournal.com
War on Terrorism? If you can keep an open mind on global security and business agendas by combatants, a popular source for business-oriented issues of your current challenge to Peace does exist. http://www.globalsecurity.org
World Bank. http://www.worldbank.org/
World Trade
Organization (WTO). This site has position papers on globalization and
records every WTO trade decision on various
nations disputes. http://www.wto.org
Library
Research Support—don’t say WBU hasn’t library sources for you paper after
reading below!
Your TexShare Card
gets you in all
WBU:
WBU’s
Mabee Learning Resources Center (LRC) on the main Plainview,
WBU Mabee LRC: 1900 W. 7th CMB 528,
Need some WBU library help? Said another way, want to talk to a human? Help is waiting with Kevin Leggett via e-mail at lrcref@wbu.edu (phone 800-459-8648); John Elliot at elliottj@wbu.edu (phone 806-291-3701); or move up a level with Dr. Charles Seymour at seymourc@wbu.edu (phone 806-291-3704); or Dr. Polly Lackey at lackeyp@wbu.edu (phone 806-291-3702). You can just use 800-459-8648 to get any one of these folks that know all about research and data base information.
I look forward to YOUR academically mature and detailed
discussion question answers plus a well resourced and referenced Economics
Paper! Study at WBU like YOU KNOW the COMPETITION for YOUR NEXT JOB isn’t the
person next to you or even in San Antonio, it’s your peers in India, China,
South Korea, Nigeria, Mexico, Latin America, Vietnam, Kenya, Taiwan, Thailand,
Philippines; soon Iraq, and once US military forces get mission-accomplished, Afghanistan—all
studying the same book in this age of globally outsourced information. (If you
doubt this, check with all the
Good Luck, Buena Suerte and Buena Viaje, Good Journey
Gary Moon