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 conventional theory of free riding as discussed in economic textbooks. Argues the theory is empirically invalid, and reviews various scholarly viewpoints on this issue. Suggests alternatives to teaching current economic theory and argues that the concept of self-interest neglects the ethical issues in behavior. (NL)

Presents findings of an analysis of Italian seventh grade students' understanding of capitalism and socialism. Reports that knowledge of the topics was rather poor. Concludes that students who had studied the topics more thoroughly had somewhat, but not substantially, greater understanding of capitalism and socialism. Calls for more research. (SG)

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)

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…

Discusses problems in teaching and learning economics. Describes students' perceptions of cost as a quality inherent in the product or the result of supply and demand in spite of training they may have received in economics. Urges teachers to help students develop economic understanding so that the students can use what they have been taught. (DK)

Argues that, although most economics textbooks' explanations of imperfect competition may involve three to five models, the concept can be taught using a single, simple model. Uses several business/economic examples as illustrations. (DB)

Extends the application of qualitative response analysis to economic education. Uses multinomial logit analysis to identify variables that determine academic performance in an undergraduate money and banking course. Reports results that suggest the key determinants are an adjusted cumulative grade point average and percentile rank on college…

Explains and illustrates a simplified use of graphical analysis for analyzing the profit-maximizing firm. Believes that graphical analysis helps college students gain a deeper understanding of marginalism and an increased ability to formulate economic problems in marginalist terms. (DB)

The author extends the work of Holt and Laury (1997) on a simple noncomputerized card game for teaching the essential aspects of public goods theory. He suggests a course of several lectures and discusses the behavior of subjects in various game sessions. Among other things, the results provide experimental evidence with respect to the private…

This book presents economic concepts in relation to topics commonly taught in social studies at the lower grade levels. The lessons are intended to accompany appropriate segments of the social studies curriculum, such as family, self, home, school, neighborhood, community. Lessons include the concepts of scarcity, needs and wants, goods and…

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…

This publication is intended as a guide for teaching high school and adult education students about social insurance concepts. Goals of the project are that students: (1) understand the historical context from which social insurance programs emerged; (2) can participate fully as members of a democratic society in making informed decisions about…

This project is designed to teach students the process of buying stocks and to tracking their investments over the course of a semester. The goals of the course are to teach students about the relationships between conditions in the economy and the stock market; to predict the effect of an economic event on a specific stock or industry; to relate…

This curriculum guide introduces high school students to the basic principles of microeconomics. Chapter 1 provides a basic definition of economics, while chapter 2 introduces a number of important economic concepts and ideas and examines reasons for unintended or unexpected consequences of decision-making. Chapter 3 considers how individual…