The Economics of Public Issues

Book excerpt: The Economics of Public Issues is a collection of brief, relevant readings that spark independent thinking and classroom discussions in principles of economics, public policy, and social issues courses. The Foundations of Economic Analysis: Death by Bureaucrat; Ethanol Madness; Flying the Friendly Skies?; The Mystery of Wealth. Supply and Demand: Sex, Booze, and Drugs; Expanding Waistlines; Is Water Different?; Slave Redemption in Sudan; Smoking and Smuggling; Bankrupt Landlords, from Sea to Shining Sea. Labor Markets: (Why) Are Women Paid Less?; The Effects of the Minimum Wage; Immigration, Superstars, and Poverty; A Farewell to Jobs. Market Structures: Monopsony and Competition in Health Care; Big Oil, Big Oil Prices?; Contracts, Combinations, and Conspiracies; Coffee, Tea, or Tuition-Free?; College Costs (...and Costs and Costs); Keeping the Competition Out; Political Economy: Raising Less Corn and More Hell; Killer Cars and the Rise of the SUV; Crime and Punishment; The Graying of America; Heavenly Highway. Property Rights and the Environment: The Trashman Cometh; Bye-Bye, Bison; Smog Merchants; Greenhouse Economics. International Trade and Economic Prosperity: Free Trade, Less Trade, or No Trade?; The $750,000 Steelworker; The Lion, the Dragon, and the Future. For all readers interested in principles of economics, public policy, and social issues..