Economics of Public Issues, The

The Economics of Public Issues, 17th Edition Table of Contents

Part One: The Foundations of Economic Analysis
1: Death by Bureaucrat (when bureaucratic choices mean life for some people—and death for others)
2: The Economics of Oil Spills (why they happen and who should pay)
3: Supersize It (the economics of obesity)
4: Flying the Friendly Skies? (how safe is commercial air travel? How safe should it be?)
5: The Mystery of Wealth (why some nations are rich and others are poor)

Part Two: Supply and Demand
6: Sex, Booze, and Drugs (the unintended—and often harmful—consequences of prohibiting voluntary exchange)
7: Kidneys for Sale (does a market for human organs make sense?)
8: Are We Running Out of Water? (on a planet that’s two-thirds water, how can we be running out of the stuff?)
9: The (Dis)incentives of High Taxes (how high taxes illustrate the old adage, “there is no free lunch”)
10: Bankrupt Landlords, from Sea to Shining Sea (when governments lower rents, tenants can suffer)

Part Three: Labor Markets
11: (Why) Are Women Paid Less? (why are women paid less, while men are working less?)
12: The Effects of the Minimum Wage (how a “living wage” can ruin the lives of minority youngsters)
13: Immigration, Superstars, and Poverty (are the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer?)
14: The Underground World (how informal labor markets are raising wealth around the globe)

Part Four: Market Structures
15: Patent Trolls and Seed Monopolies (do patents make us better off?)
16: Contracts, Combinations, and Conspiracies (why the NCAA and OPEC have more in common than four-letter names)
17: Coffee, Tea, or Tuition-Free? (who wins and who loses from price discrimination)
18: Keeping the Competition Out (when the government steps in, the competition steps out)

Part Five: Political Economy
19: Health Care Reform (big bucks make bad policy)
20: The Pension Crisis (our promises are coming home to roost)
21: Mortgage Meltdown (how Congress got us into the subprime mortgage mess)
22: Raising Less Corn and More Hell (how your tax dollars end up in farmers’ pockets)
23: The Graying of America (America is getting older, and you will foot the bill)

Part Six: Property Rights and the Environment
24: Save that Species (saving a species is easy—with a little bit of economics)
25: Greenhouse Economics (the economics of global climate change)
26: Ethanol Madness (environmental policy gone bad)
27: The Trashman Cometh (the costs and benefits of recycling)

Part Seven: Globalization and Economic Prosperity
28: Globalization and the Wealth of America (is globalization all bad?)
29: The $750,000 Steelworker (the economic consequences of restricting international trade)
30: The Lion, the Dragon, and the Future (do China, India, and other modernizing nations spell the demise of America?)

For principles of economics, public policy, and social issues courses.

Brief, relevant readings that spark independent thinking and classroom discussions.

The Economics of Public Issues is a collection of brief, relevant readings that spark independent thinking and classroom discussions in Principles of Economics and Social Issues courses. This text encourages students to apply theoretical discussions to today’s important issues and to gain a deeper understanding of current economic policy concerns.

Key Features:

• Readings are concise, allowing for easy integration into any principles of economics or issues-based classroom.
• A correlation guide in the preface illustrates how to integrate topics into different courses.
• Conversational and informative non-technical writing is geared toward principles-level students and does not require advanced math.
• Discussion questions are included for each real-world issue, and an online Instructor’s Manual provides tips for leading classroom dialogues.
• Using the latest debates in social policy, the authors encourage readers to question their own assumptions and the analysis offered by the media and politicians on key issues.

Roger LeRoy Miller received his PhD from the University of Chicago. He is currently Director of the Institute for University Studies in Arlington, Texas. Dr. Miller is a legal specialist and author of numerous books on law and the legal environment, including criminal procedure. In addition, Dr. Miller has authored books on the war on drugs, the economics of crime and criminal behavior, and on related topics.

Daniel K. Benjamin - Alumni Distinguished Professor, John E. Walker Department of Economics, Clemson University

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