Economics U$A
This
series will give students an understanding of the economic forces
that will shape the world of tomorrow — a world they'll be
living in sooner than they may want to think!
Economics U$A provides a compelling vehicle to teach classes the
fundamentals of economic history, theory, and practice. An informative
blend of historic and documentary footage, interviews with leading
economists, and news-style analysis introduces the basic interactions
of people, resources, and capital that fuel the U.S. and world economies.
Produced by the Wharton Econometric Forecasting Association and
the Educational Film Center.
Episode Descriptions
1
Resources and Scarcity — Wilderness preservation, and WWII
productivity demonstrate how society allocates and transforms resources.
2 Markets and Prices — Developer William J. Levitt's
low-cost housing and Reggie Jackson's contract help explain the
powerful forces of supply and demand.
3 U.S. Economic Growth — This episode documents the
GNP's greatest achievements and failures since its introduction
in the 1930s.
4 Booms and Busts — America's roller-coaster economy
is examined in light of the economic theories of Marx, Schumpeter,
Keynes, and Say.
5 John Maynard Keynes — This program introduces Keynesian
economic theory and analyzes the Depression.
6 Fiscal Policy — Tax and spending policies reduce the
severity of business cycle fluctuations.
7 Inflation — Examines the economic and social costs
of the inflationary spiral of the early 1960s.
8 The Banking System — The S&L crisis is reviewed
with a discussion of deposit insurance and the accountability of
financial institutions.
9 The Federal Reserve — The rising power of the Federal
Reserve Board and the pros and cons of increasing reliance on monetary
policy are examined.
10 Stagflation — Demand-pull and cost-push inflation
are introduced, looking at economic crises of the 1970s.
11 Productivity — The cause of America's great productivity
slide is examined, along with possible solutions.
12 Federal Deficits — Recent efforts to the reduce the
deficit are examined, including the Gramm-Rudman Act and a proposed
constitutional amendment requiring balanced budgets.
13 Monetary Policy — The different reigns of three Federal
Reserve Chairmen--Arthur Burns, William Miller, and Paul Volcker--are
examined.
14 Stabilization Policy — The debate between monetarists
and Keynesians, supply-side economics, and the 1985 Bonn Economic
Summit are covered.
15 The Firm — The economic factors behind Coke's secret
formula change, Studebaker's demise, and The Asbury Park Press.
16 Supply and Demand — The California drought, the Arab
oil embargo, and the Jordache designer jeans craze reveal the forces
of supply and demand.
17 Perfect Competition and Inelastic Demand — The inside
story of American farming's crises from the 1920s to the present.
18 Economic Efficiency — Rent control in New York City
explains the effect of wage, price, and rent controls in a free
market economy.
19 Monopoly — The stories of Standard Oil, AT&T, and
Kodak demonstrate the power and importance of monopolies.
20 Oligopolies — A look at the rise of oligopolies and
the growth of government regulations includes a debate of the effects
of airline deregulation.
21 Pollution — The private and social costs of pollution
including the sources and international response to global warming
are explored.
22 Labor and Management — The effects of labor unions
are discussed in this program, with examples from the ILGWU, the
New York Herald Tribune and the UAW.
23 Profits and Interest — This episode shows how banks,
big business, and little entrepreneurs act to maximize profit.
24 Reducing Poverty — The causes of income inequality
and the role of social welfare policy are examined.
25 Economic Growth — The effects of natural resource
depletion and the telecommunications industry are explored.
26 Public Goods and Responsibilities — The TVA, and
national health care, demonstrate the role of government in our
lives.
27 International Trade — The effects of international
trade, tariffs, and quotas, featuring the 1989 trade bill.
28 Exchange Rates — Governments try to control exchange
rates with such means as The Plaza Accord of 1985 and the Louvre
Accord of 1987.
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