Award winning projects in K-12 and college level economics are described in this publication. There are two major sections. Section I describes winning projects for 1979-80. A senior research seminar in economics offered undergraduate students a chance to build inexpensive, simplified forecasting models of the U.S. economy. Each student develops…

The purpose of the awards program is to initiate a new merger between economics and education by sharing innovative methods with all Illinois teachers for the teaching of personal economics. Personal economics is defined as the study of the individual's decision-making process and his/her participation in economic life in the roles of consumer,…

Describes class exercises where undergraduates construct and test mathematical models using data and issues related to social security. The students collect data and forecast economic and demographic variables that determine future tax rates. They then discuss government policies that are derived from their models. (MJP)

Recalls the development of a 1970s high school economics textbook and curriculum titled, "Economics in Society," and how it developed into an adult education curriculum. The curriculum emphasizes a thematic approach to economics focusing on concepts and institutions, industry organization, the national economy, and developing countries' economies.…

Describes the use of Mathcad, an interactive software package that responds to mathematical input, in an undergraduate economics class. Mathcad uses a rules-based programming language that "reads" the relationships among variables and constraints defined by the user, solves for unknowns, and graphs for one or more equations. (MJP)

Presents a comprehensive ranking of all national liberal arts colleges based on publications cataloged by the "Journal of Economic Literature" (JEL) from 1989-1994. Concludes that, although economics research is important at the highest ranked colleges, it remains a secondary consideration at the rest. Briefly discusses previous rankings…

Analyzes enrollment and other statistical data from Harvard University toward discussing the question of why women are less likely than men to major in economics. Discovers little evidence to suggest that the dichotomy is dependent on mathematics aptitude. Alternative explanations include a lack of interest and socialization. (MJP)

Maintains that most economics textbooks continue to repeat past mistakes concerning returns to scale and economies of scale under assumptions of constant and nonconstant input prices. Provides an adaptation for a calculus-based intermediate microeconomics class that demonstrates the pointwise relationship between returns to scale and economies of…

Examines the distribution of elapsed time between published research papers and the literature they reference in quantitative business-oriented journals. Discovers that the distribution is better approximated by the generalized gamma, rather than the exponential distribution. Provides a ranking of journals based upon frequency of citations. (MJP)

Notes the trend of declining enrollments in undergraduate economic programs in the United States and discusses its impact. Although similar enrollment drops have occurred twice since World War II, this one arrives at a time of academic budget-cutting and a "soft" market for Ph.Ds. Includes statistics and tabular data. (MJP)

Explains two factors that influence economic education: state mandates and teacher background. Gives an overview of a typical one-semester economics course and teacher ranking of course goals. Cites research showing that students' average economic understanding increases six percent after economics instruction. Concludes that although states are…

Demystifies ideas surrounding U.S. foreign aid to the underdeveloped countries of the world and dispels many commonly held notions concerning the generosity of this foreign aid. Advocates revising U.S. aid programs along the lines of the proposed Global Poverty Reduction Act. (KO)

Asserts that social studies education is again going through a period of reform and restructuring. Maintains that any discussion of economics in the curriculum must take place within these reform efforts. Discusses the relationship between the social sciences and social studies and the significance of this relationship to economics education. (CFR)

Asserts that instructional methods used to teach U.S. history often result in a reliance on routine transmission of information. Argues that the benefits that would derive from adding economics instruction to history are seldom achieved. (CFR)

Describes the liberal arts, computer laboratory-based economics program at Denison University (Ohio). Includes as goals helping students to (1) understand deductive arguments, (2) learn to apply theory in real-world situations, and (3) test and modify theory when necessary. Notes that the program combines computer laboratory experiments for…