ECON 1203 - Economics of Social Issues

​This course applies fundamental economic principles to the understanding of domestic and global issues such as poverty, treatment of minorities, immigration, agriculture, health, crime, labor markets, immigration, and environmental damage.

syllabus_spring_19.pdf
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First day of class activity

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Income Equality and Economic Opportunity

Freakonomics:

• Is the American Dream Really Dead?

AEA Research: 

• Has tribal gaming been a boon for American Indians?
• How valuable is access to the social safety net in early childhood?
• As incomes become more unequal, are standards of living diverging too?

Discrimination

Gender Bias at RateMyProfessor
Freakonomics:

• ​What Are Gender Barriers Made Of?

AEA Research:

• ​Gender Quotas in Politics
• Can temporary affirmative action policies have lasting effects?
• Can strong peer networks close the gender gap in entrepreneurship?

Economics of Crime and Violence

Cure Violence:

• Cure Violence Mini Documentary

Opioid Abuse and Crime:

• Paper by Jennifer Doleac and Anita Mukherjee 
  • The Moral Hazard of Lifesaving Innovations: Naloxone Access, Opioid Abuse, and Crime

Journal Record: 

• Childhood Trauma Connected to Adult Challenges

Freakonomics:

• The Perfect Crime
• What’s More Dangerous: Marijuana or Alcohol?

RAND Gun Policy in America 

• Overview
• What Science Tells Us About the Effects of Gun Policies
• How Gun Policies Affect Outcomes: What the Evidence Shows Us

Education

Freakonomics:

• ​Is America’s Education Problem Really Just a Teacher Problem? 

Bureau of Labor Statistics:

• Occupational Employment Statistics - www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm
• Excel Workbook with ED data only (.xlsx)
  • Change "area_type" to 2 to see State-level statistics
  • Change "area_title" to specific state names (e.g. Oklahoma or Texas) to make comparisons

New York Times:

• ​UCO Mobility Report Card

Journal Record

• journalrecord.com/2018/04/02/teachers-students-crowd-capitol/
• journalrecord.com/2018/04/02/state-braces-for-day-two-of-teacher-walkout/​

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Environmental Economics

Freakonomics:

• ​Professor Hendryx vs. Big Coal

Climate Change Economics:

• The Tragedy of the Commons (.pdf)
• Bloomberg: ​What's Really Warming the World?

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