Commenting on Boskin's article "Observations on the Use of Textbooks in the Teaching of Principles of Economics," Case discusses the debate surrounding the sequence of principles courses and the content deemed necessary for corresponding textbooks. Case agrees with Boskin that key concepts should have more emphasis and concludes that…

Examines the suitability of the traditional arc elasticity measure as a component of the economics curriculum. Demonstrates that the midpoint measure is subject to shortcomings as it invariably approaches one when price changes become large. Discusses point elasticity of demand as an alternative to the midpoint measure in the principles course.…

Suggests a method to teach John Keynes's principle of effective demand using a standard aggregate labor market diagram familiar to students taking advanced undergraduate macroeconomics courses. States the analysis incorporates Michal Kalecki's version to show Keynesian unemployment as a point on the aggregate labor demand curve inside the…

Described is the design and administration of a large two-semester course in principles of economics that permits both students and faculty some choice of both subject matter and meeting times. Students complete a standardized nine-week core and are then allowed to select topical modules. Advantages and disadvantages are discussed. (Author/RM)

The emphasis in teaching elementary and secondary economics education in Japan is upon real-life situations rather than upon concepts and generalizations. The actual content, however, does not seem to differ all that much from U.S. economics curriculum. (Author/RM)

Suggests that business students should be offered business-related economics courses on subjects such as managerial economics and business conditions analysis. Philosophy and content of these courses are suggested. (DB)

Suggests that economics textbooks are often misleading in their discussions of the shape of the long-run average cost curve. Clarifies and amplifies the importance of the concept of return to scale and the concept of economies of scale. Identifies illustrations provided in textbooks as the greatest source of confusion. (KO)

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)

Addresses the problem of defining the high school economics course and notes the consequent difficulty of measuring teaching and learning effectiveness. Identifies a two-step factor analysis/regression procedure as an effective technique in economic education research. (KC)

Focuses on the effect of interest rates on the increased use of credit cards, a popular method of financing households. Uses three models to demonstrate that interest rates must rise, resulting in increased consumption expenditures. (CMK)

Discusses a strategy for teaching students about how the Social Security Trust Fund works. Explains that a flow chart is presented to the students; four terms are defined (deficit, surplus, debt, and reserve); and a new graph is prepared to show the paths of these four variables. (CMK)

Discusses four reasons why economic forecasting courses are important: (1) forecasting skills are in demand by businesses; (2) forecasters are in demand; (3) forecasting courses have positive externalities; (4) and forecasting provides a real-world context. Describes what should be taught in an economic forecasting course. (CMK)

Presents a Web site that utilizes the Learning-by-Objective (LBO) model that integrates Internet tools for knowledge transmission, communication, and assessment of learning. Explains that the LBO model has been used in creating micro and macroeconomic course Web sites with WebCT software. (CMK)

Illustrates the bias of the ordinary least squares (OLS) estimator for the first-order stochastic difference equations. Utilizes a small letter y denote a value of the corresponding random variable Y because it is important for students to distinguish a random variable from its realization. (CMK)

Reports the results of a study of the effects of intermediate economics courses on knowledge and understanding of economic concepts among undergraduate students at Harvard University. Courses involved in the study included micro and macro courses, field courses, a theoretical course, and a policy-oriented course. (Author/DB)