Defines the predominate classifications of economic systems: traditional, command, market, capitalism, socialism, and communism. Considers property rights, role of government, economic freedom, incentives, market structure, economic goals and means of achieving those goals for each classification. Identifies 26 print and audio-visual sources for…

In this humorous dialogue that can be read and acted out as a play in high school economics classes, Karl Marx, a spokesman for communism, and Adam Smith, the father of capitalism, debate (1) whether an economy should produce designer jeans and (2) who should own McDonald's restaurant. (RM)

In this booklet, one of a series intended to apply economic principles to major social and political issues of the day, it is proposed that speculation is often misunderstood, particularly in the operation of the futures markets. These are markets in which obligations to consummate sales and purchases at some time in the future are traded at a…

This booklet, one of a series intended to apply economic principles to major social and political issues of the day, starts from the premise that Marxism is a threat to our way of life and offers a critique of fundamental components of the social movement Marx created. The first of six subsections focuses on sources of influence on Karl Marx…

In this booklet, one of a series intended to apply economic principles to major social and political issues of the day, the position is taken that questions of fairness have little meaning when discussing economic issues like prices, wages, and profits. It is argued that one reason for the frequent use of terms like fair and fairness is ignorance…

In this booklet, one of a series intended to apply economic principles to major social and political issues of the day, the workings of the American insurance industry, a central part of the American economy, are described. Insurance provides a means to transfer or spread risk, thus helping to assure economic survival despite chance, accident, or…

An elaboration of the author's booklet entitled "First Steps Toward Economic Understanding," this primer is designed to help the reader develop a functional understanding of the economic process so that he can make wiser decisions on issues of social policy and on matters affecting his economic well-being. The document is not "economics in one…

In this booklet, one of a series intended to apply economic principles to major social and political issues of the day, an analogy is drawn between the dire predictions once made about the energy crisis and those now being made about a budget crisis. Concerns about the deficit have centered on inflation, interest rates, and growth of the economy.…

This book is designed to help advanced placement students better understand microeconomic concepts through various activities. The book contains 5 units with 73 activities, sample multiple-choice questions, sample short essay questions, and sample long essay questions. The units are entitled: (1) "The Basic Economic Problem"; (2) "The Nature and…

This book is designed to help advanced placement students better understand macroeconomic concepts through various activities. The book contains 6 units with 64 activities, sample multiple-choice questions, sample short essay questions, and sample long essay questions. The units are entitled: (1) "Basic Economic Concepts"; (2) "Measuring Economic…

This curriculum supplement has the following goals: (1) to promote an understanding of the assumptions and values that underlie the free market economy; (2) to articulate the relationship between our economy and contemporary global issues (i.e., environment, poverty, war); and (3) to provide examples of constructive ideas and projects that have…

This book, in conjunction with the student activities books for macroeconomics and microeconomics, is designed for teaching the Advanced Placement Economics course. The book contains five units for the microeconomic portion and six units for the macroeconomic portion of the text. Along with the many activities are sample multiple-choice questions,…

It is the premise of this booklet, one of a series intended to apply economic principles to major social and political issues of the day, that a revolution in the banking and financial services industry is altering not only the fundamental nature of the services offered but the character of the organizations themselves. The purpose of the essay is…

In the introduction to this booklet, one of a series intended to apply economic principles to major social and political issues of the day, it is pointed out that despite the predictions of "doom merchants," the world did not run out of oil in the 1970's, and in fact, is experiencing an oil glut in the 1980's. It is then argued that…

The argument of this booklet, one of a series intended to apply economic principles to major social and political issues of the day, is that entrepreneurs are central to the development of the American economy. In an historical look at American entrepreneurship, it is noted that entrepreneurs have become central figures in the American economy…