Assignments
and Study Questions

 

MINIMUM WAGE

  1. Read the Washington Post article  "Life at $7.25 an hour" by David Finkel, Washington Post, January 10, 2007..

  2. U.S. Department of Labor information on the federal minimum wage law. 

  3. U.S. Department of Labor information on states' minimum wage laws.

  4. Federal minimum wages rates over the years from Infoplease.

  5. Study questions for minimum wages.


RECESSION?

  1. "The Strangest Recession in Economic History," by James Pethokoukis, US News and World Report, May 29, 2008 03:22 PM ET.
  2. "5 Bits of Good News on the Un-Recession," by James Pethokoukis, US News and World Report, May 20, 2008 01:37 PM ET.
  3. "10 Reasons to Feel Good About the Economy," by James Pethokoukis, US News and World Report, May 05, 2008 12:49 PM ET.
  4. "Nobel Winner Stiglitz: U.S. Facing Long Recession," by CNBC.com, April 25, 2008 02:17 PM ET 
  5. "Recession is upon us, Americans say," by Andrew Coen, Investment News, May 6, 2008.
  6. Dismal Scientist Recession Watch.
  7. "U.S. Macro Outlook: Protecting Against the Downside," by Mark Zandi, Dismal Scientist, May 7, 2008. 
  8. "Why it's worse than you think," by Daniel Gross, Newsweek, June 16, 2008.
  9. Study questions for recession.

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OIL/GAS PRICES

  1. An article on the hardship caused by higher gas prices.

  2. Find out how Ethanol Makes Gasoline Costlier, Dirtier.

  3. The EIA "Primer" on gas prices. 

  4. An issue of BusinessWeek featuring oil and the economy.

  5. U.S. retail gas prices.

  6. Gas at $4 a gallon.

  7. Ethanol vs. Gasoline--one study.

  8. Ethanol worse for the climate than gasoline. (NPR)

  9. Ethanol drives gas prices higher.

  10. Ethanol: The Great Big Green Fraud.

  11. Ethanol and food prices. A second article on ethanol and food prices.

  12. Financial Times article on futures.

  13. What is driving gas prices higher?

  14. Study questions for oil/gas prices.


GLOBALIZATION

  1. I will begin lecturing on globalization on Monday. The material on globalization will come primarily from my lecture notes.

  2. Study questions for globalization.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  1. I will begin lecturing on the Social Security System and its problems. The material will come primarily from lecture notes.

  2. It's Your Money: A Citizen's Guide to Social Security Reform by the Cato Institute, 2005.

  3. Failing by a Wide Margin: Methods and Findings in the 2003 Social Security Trustees Report by Andrew G. Biggs. Cato Institute. April 22, 2003.

  4. Study questions for Social Security.

HEALTH CARE

  1. Study questions for health care.