The Economics of Public Issues

by Miller, Roger LeRoy; Benjamin, Daniel K.; North, Douglass C.

• ISBN13: 9780138021139
• ISBN10: 0138021139
• Edition: 17th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-07-06
• Publisher: Prentice Hall

Summary

The Economics of Public Issuesis a collection of brief, relevant readings that spark independent thinking.

Author Biography

Roger LeRoy Miller received his PhD from the University of Chicago.  He is currently Director of the Institute for University Studies in Arlington, Texas.  Dr. Miller is a legal specialist and author of numerous books on law and the legal environment, including criminal procedure.  In addition, Dr. Miller has authored books on the war on drugs, the economics of crime and criminal behavior, and on related topics.

 

Daniel K. Benjamin - Alumni Distinguished Professor, John E. Walker Department of Economics, Clemson University

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xiii
The Foundations of Economic Analysis	p. 1
Death by Bureaucrat (when bureaucratic choices mean life for some people-and death for others)	p. 5
The Economics of Oil Spills (why they happen and who should pay)	p. 11
Supersize It (the economics of obesity)	p. 18
Flying the Friendly Skies? (how safe is commercial air travel? How safe should it be?)	p. 24
The Mystery of Wealth (why some nations are rich and others are poor)	p. 30
Supply and Demand	p. 35
Sex, Booze, and Drugs (the unintended-and often harmful-consequences of prohibiting voluntary exchange)	p. 38
Kidneys for Sale (does a market for human organs make sense?)	p. 46
Are We Running Out of Water? (on a planet that's two-thirds water, how can we be running out of the stuff?)	p. 53
The (Dis)incentives of Higher Taxes (how high taxes illustrate the old adage, "there is no free lunch")	p. 59
Bankrupt Landlords, from Sea to Shining Sea (when governments lower rents, tenants can suffer)	p. 65
Labor Markets	p. 73
(Why) Are Women Paid Less? (why are women paid less, while men are working less?)	p. 75
The Effects of the Minimum Wage (how a "living wage" can ruin the lives of minority youngsters)	p. 80
Immigration, Superstars, and Poverty (are the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer?)	p. 84
The Underground World (how informal labor markets are raising wealth around the globe)	p. 91
Market Structures	p. 97
Patent Trolls and Seed Monopolies (do patents make us better off?)	p. 101
Contracts, Combinations, and Conspiracies (why the NCAA and OPEC have more in common than four-letter names)	p. 107
Coffee, Tea, or Tuition-Free? (who wins and who loses from price discrimination)	p. 113
Keeping the Competition Out (when the government steps in, the competition steps out)	p. 119
Political Economy	p. 125
Health Care Reform (big bucks make bad policy)	p. 128
The Pension Crisis (our promises are coming home to roost)	p. 134
Mortgage Meltdown (how Congress got us into the subprime mortgage mess)	p. 141
Raising Less Corn and More Hell (how your tax dollars end up in farmers' pockets)	p. 148
The Graying of America (America is getting older, and you will foot the bill)	p. 155
Property Rights and the Environment	p. 161
Save that Species (saving a species is easyùwith a little bit of economics)	p. 164
Greenhouse Economics (the economics of global climate change)	p. 170
Ethanol Madness (environmental policy gone bad)	p. 176
The Trashman Cometh (the costs and benefits of recycling)	p. 180
Globalization and Economic Prosperity	p. 189
Globalization and the Wealth of America (is globalization all bad?)	p. 191
The $750,000 Steelworker (the economic consequences of restricting international trade)	p. 198
The Lion, the Dragon, and the Future (do China, India, and other modernizing nations spell the demise of America?)	p. 203
Glossary	p. 209
Selected References	p. 218
Index	p. 227
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