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.

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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

Research on Gun Violence

• Topic Selection

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
  • Summary and Response to Criticism

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:

• Woodward County, Oklahoma: Why do so many here doubt climate change?
• Bloomberg: ​What's Really Warming the World?
• Yale Program on Climate Change
• Heatwave Risk Perceptions
• Katherine Hayhoe TED Talk
• U.S. National Climate Assessment
  

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