This volume is a welcome addition to an ever growing body of work in economic education. The chapters herein are sure to appeal equally to new and seasoned instructors. The often overlooked process of setting expectations is motivated through a fresh look at syllabus construction. A wide range of content areas are covered throughout the volume, with dedicated chapters on the Coase Theorem and tax evasion. Research chapters enhance our understanding of the acquisition of economic knowledge (through clicker use), the stock of economic and financial knowledge (and correlated factors), and how real and perceived economic and financial literacy influence opinions (related to the financial crisis). The depth and breadth of coverage on such important topics make this a must have volume.' - KimMarie McGoldrick, University of Richmond, US'This volume includes chapters extending and updating innovative teaching methods for undergraduate economics courses, as well as chapters with empirical research. Economic educators and general economists who are interested in teaching will therefore find something of interest and importance here.' - Michael Watts, Purdue University, US This innovative book offers targeted strategies for effectively and efficiently teaching economics at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It provides professors and other teachers of economics various techniques to engage and retain the interest of students, and challenges them to apply both knowledge and methodological tools to a range of economic problems. Each chapter in this volume addresses a specific topic in the teaching of economics, with the overall goal of deepening students' understanding of economic reasoning and providing the tools required to apply that knowledge and insight to real-world problems. The contributors discuss a broad range of techniques and strategies, from syllabus creation to effective classroom demonstrations to the use of literature and film in illustrating economic principles, all of which provide fascinating insights and ideas for improving the overall quality of economics education. Teachers of economics at all levels particularly university and college professors - will find this book invaluable in their efforts to improve their teaching strategies and methods and provide high-quality economics education to future generations of scholars. Contributors: C.J. Asarta, Y. Bauman, S.A Beaulier, C. Blackwell, W.D. Bosshardt, R.B. Butters, A. Carden, R.J. Cebula, E. Chamlee-Wright, M. Foley, W. Geerling, T.G. Green, P.W. Grimes, J.C. Hall, M.R. Hammock, D. Hazlett, G.D. Mateer, F.G. Mixon Jr., A. Perumal, J.M. Potter, K.C. Rebeck, K.E. Rogers, P.J. Ruder, J.L. Scott, S.E. Skwire, L.J. Trevino, M.A. Vachris, W.B. Walstad, Z.X. Zygmont

War Movies and Economics: Lessons from Hollywood's Adaptations of Military Conflict applies ongoing research in the relatively new genre of economics in popular media to Hollywood's war movies. Whether inadvertently or purposefully, these movies provide numerous examples of how economic principles often play an important role in military conflict. The authors of the chapters included in this edited collection work to illustrate economics lessons portrayed in adaptations such as Band of Brothers, Conspiracy, The Dirty Dozen, Dunkirk, Memphis Belle, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, Spartacus, Stalag 17, and Valkyrie. Aspects of these stories show how key economic principles of scarcity, limited resources, and incentives play important roles in military conflict. The movies also provide an avenue for discussion of the economics of public goods provision, the modern economic theory of bureaucracy, and various game-theoretic concepts such as strategic moves and commitment devices. Where applicable, lessons from closely related fields such as management are also provided. This book is ideal reading for students of economics looking for an approachable route to understanding basic principles of economics and game theory. It is also accessible to amateur and professional historians, and any reader interested in popular culture as it relates to television, movies, and military history.

Public Choice Economics and the Salem Witchcraft Hysteria provides an economics perspective on the witchcraft episode, and adds to the growing body of work analyzing prominent historical events using the tools of economics.

War Movies and Economics: Lessons from Hollywood's Adaptations of Military Conflict applies ongoing research in the relatively new genre of economics in popular media to Hollywood's war movies. Whether inadvertently or purposefully, these movies provide numerous examples of how economic principles often play an important role in military conflict. The authors of the chapters included in this edited collection work to illustrate economics lessons portrayed in adaptations such as Band of Brothers, Conspiracy, The Dirty Dozen, Dunkirk, Memphis Belle, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, Spartacus, Stalag 17, and Valkyrie. Aspects of these stories show how key economic principles of scarcity, limited resources, and incentives play important roles in military conflict. The movies also provide an avenue for discussion of the economics of public goods provision, the modern economic theory of bureaucracy, and various game-theoretic concepts such as strategic moves and commitment devices. Where applicable, lessons from closely related fields such as management are also provided. This book is ideal reading for students of economics looking for an approachable route to understanding basic principles of economics and game theory. It is also accessible to amateur and professional historians, and any reader interested in popular culture as it relates to television, movies, and military history.

This book provides numerous examples that apply the modern theory of bureaucracy developed in Breton and Wintrobe (1982 and 1986) to the Nazi Holocaust. More specifically, the book argues, as do Breton and Wintrobe (1986), that the subordinates in the Nazi bureaucracy were not "following orders" as they claimed during the war crimes trials at Nuremberg and elsewhere, but were instead exhibiting an entrepreneurial spirit in competing with one another in order to find the most efficient way of exacting the Final Solution. This involved engaging in a process of exchange with their superiors, wherein the subordinates offered the kinds of informal services that are not codified in formal contracts. In doing so, they were competing for the rewards, or informal payments not codified in formal contracts, that were conferred by those at the top of the bureaucracy. These came in the form of rapid promotion, perquisites (pecuniary and in-kind), and other awards. The types of exchanges described above are based on "trust," not formal institutions.

This collection of chapters comprises timely aspects of two rapidly growing bodies of academic research: entrepreneurship and economic freedom.Expert editors add to an important field of research, the economics of entrepreneurship, and explore how institutions influence entrepreneurial behavior. This book provides comprehensive and contemporary insights into the interaction between economic behavior of firms and households, economic freedom, and entrepreneurship, and how it generates an environment with greater opportunities for growth and development for individuals, households, and private-sector firms. This advanced and revolutionary book will prove to be a valuable tool for academics conducting research in entrepreneurship and/or economic freedom as well as for graduate students studying in these areas. The volume also provides insight into the measurement and value of economic freedom around the world, making it a useful resource for policymakers and practitioners. Contributors: G.M. Alexander, N.J.Ashby, D.L. Bennett, J. Bologna, R. Boylan, S.B. Caudill, T. Cavusoglu, R.J. Cebula, J.R. Clark, S.O. Crofton, O. Dincer, R.K. Goel, D.M. Gropper, R.W. Hafer, Joshua C. Hall, V. Hartarska, J.C. Heckelman, R.G. Holcombe, J.V. Koch, R. Lawson, D.R. Lee, J.E. Long, F.G. Mixon, Jr., R. Murphy, M.A. Nelson, B. Nikolaev, J.E. Payne, R.M. Robinson, M.G. Simonton, D. Stansel, D. Tarabar, R. Vedder

This edited volume contains a collection of essays that reflect a broad area of economic education inquiry ranging from teaching assessment to the philosophy of the classroom. Written by economics scholars from across the nation, this volume presents recent discoveries in presentation, assessment, and other aspects of economic education at colleges and universities in the U.S. These articles represent but a sample of the growing commentary among academics on the importance of effective teaching and economic education scholarship.

Using theoretical and statistical models, along with several new sets of empirical results, this book examines the impact of legislative television on the political process in the United States. It examines the relationship between political-economic variables and the tendency to adopt/support live television in the U.S. Congress, the impact of television on the length of U.S. House and Senate sessions, the use of parliamentary procedures in the presence (absence) of television cameras, and the role that legislative television has played in improving incumbents' success rates in primary/general federal elections. Where possible, the economic costs to taxpayers of legislators' use of television cameras, in order to enhance their re-election prospects, are also considered.