Some Resources for Teachers (and Students)

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With the start of a new school year, just wanted to highlight some resources for teachers I’ve created over the years that may be of use. Please feel free to share these freely. They all are without charge and sharing is encouraged.

Ten Key Ideas–this is my page of essays at the Library of Economics and Liberty. Each essay covers a fundamental principle of economics. No background is required but even more advanced students will learn something, I hope. There are also links to additional resources related to the principles.

A Little Theory–these are the beginnings of a textbook exploring the main topics in intermediate price theory or microeconomics but again, with some effort, they can be of use to a beginner or a more advanced student. (The page also includes the links to some other stuff including the Ten Key Idea Essays and two visual essays on standard of living and the trade deficit. Topics covered in A Little Theory include supply and demand, the theory of the consumer and the theory of the competitive firm. (There’s also material on consumer surplus, producer surplus, and efficiency, material I used to teach but stopped teaching about ten years ago when I decided it wasn’t really meaningful. But that’s a minority opinion so it may be of use to you.) My approach to supply and demand is a little unusual with a strong emphasis on market forces tending toward equilibrium (a very unrealistic but surprisingly useful assumption for analyzing price controls, taxes, and subsidies). I am proudest of this short essay where I try to integrate supply and demand with Hayek’s Use of Knowledge in Society.

EconTalk–there are many podcasts that cover basic economics. Feel free to assign these to your students. Some of them come with guides that have very good discussion questions. Try the conversations with Mike Munger or my co-host, here, Don Boudreaux.

Finally, it is always a good time to revisit the Keynes-Hayek rap videos. Here for your viewing pleasure is Fight of the Century.

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