Focuses on Allan Bloom's perception of a classic text and his belief that there are no classic texts in the social sciences. Contends there are definitive works in economics and develops a list of six criteria to determine them. Discusses economics books that might be considered classic works, and lists textbooks that refer to these classics. (NL)

Discusses the economic concepts of complementarity and anticomplementarity related to prices of inputs. Reviews traditional treatment of these concepts by economics instructors and textbooks. Presents an approach that builds on the concepts of input complementarity, independence, and anticomplementarity. (CFR)

Observes that, before 1973, determining a valuation formula for option prices was an elusive goal of financial economics. Discusses Louis Bachelier's early twentieth-century work on the problem. Notes that Bachelier derived a normal distribution for stock price movements by modeling price changes in specific way. Reviews Bachelier's option pricing…

Argues that the textbook presentation of the concept of natural monopolies has changed little since the early 1960s. Suggests that most economics textbooks have ignored the issue of economies of scale versus fixed costs. Notes that educators often discuss economies of scale without explaining why certain industries enjoy greater scale economies…

Economists use nonrandom sampling and self-selectivity models to analyze a variety of issues. Individuals are not homogeneous and self-select into those alternatives where they have a comparative advantage. Examples where self-selection models have been applied include analyzing schooling, labor supply, and career choices. A student's…

Money, banking, and macroeconomic textbooks traditionally present the topics of money, the creation of demand deposits by depository institutions, and the Hicksian-Keynesian Theory of Income and Interest separately, as if they were unrelated. This paper presents an integrated approach to those subjects using computer programs written in BASIC, the…

This study that examined the economic reasoning of preschool and elementary school children concluded that (1) the nature of children's economic reasoning is supportive of cognitive development theory; (2) children's economic reasoning varies somewhat by personal experiences, and (3) the intermediate grades are an appropriate level to emphasize…

Discusses effects of test question order on student performance. Addresses (1) differences in the distribution of scores on each form of the examination; (2) effects on the validity of individual examination items; and (3) effects on the reliability of the examination instrument. Concludes that distribution of examination scores may be influenced…

This paper reports on a research project designed to determine if the model Life Management Curriculum formulated in Project III-6-987 and available at California community colleges since 1987 is meeting intended goals and if male and female students are making progress in achieving career/family balance and improved quality of life. An evaluation…

The purpose of this research was to estimate the educational production functions for students belonging to different subgroups in a principles of economics course. Three samples were used: (1) a large lecture class at a large state university (185 students), (2) several small sections taught by different instructors at a small private university…

Discusses British economics education between 1951 and 1991. Reports the scarcity of economics courses and materials during the 1950s, growth the discipline in the 1960s, the inception of the Economics Association's 14-16 Project during the 1970s, and the increased curriculum integration of the 1980s. Examines prospects for economics education in…

Seeks to explain economists' differences of opinion, through the example of contemporary British economic debate. Observes that part of the explanation lies in the complexity of economic issues. Argues that the more important factor lies in economists' ideological differences. Contrasts the views of the libertarian and market interventionist…

Presents issues and debates raised at the Eighth International Conference on Economics Education. Emphasizes the colonial legacy of education systems in developing nations. Expresses a fear among developing nations that Europe will develop an increasingly protectionist stance after 1992. Questions the concept of the developing nations as a group…

Guidelines for the construction and use of an attitude instrument are presented, and the application of the instrument to measure student attitude toward economics is described. Attention is directed to the Likert-like summated forced-choice variety of attitude instrument, whereby attitude toward the object is inferred from the summed responses to…

To investigate whether economics education makes students more conservative, an attitude instrument was administered to college students taking courses in economics, world civilizations, and education. Results showed that a complex of factors is responsible for the greater conservatism exhibited by some (but not all) of the economics classes…