|
elcome! The mission of the Warren E. Burger Library is to provide prompt, accurate, appropriate and courteous responses to the college community's information needs. We look forward to your comments and suggestions on ways we can better serve you. |
Spotlight On …
Econ 101
Is the run-up in the price of oil the result of supply and demand issues, commodities speculation, or the declining value of the dollar? What’s the difference between inflation, deflation, and stagflation? Is the US economy poised to enter a recession? What exactly is a recession?
If these questions leave you befuddled, it may be time for a crash course in the "dismal science" of economics—and the Library has all the resources you’ll need to get up to speed. Begin your study with Paul Samuelson’s Economics, perhaps the finest textbook available on the subject. After you’re comfortable with your understanding of basic economic theories and principles, it’s time to tackle Adam Smith’s seminal An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations and David Ricardo’s highly influential The Works of David Ricardo. Then, to challenge your new-found assumptions, read through Capital by everyone’s favorite Marxist, Karl Marx. With that solid grounding in classical economics, you’ll be ready to explore the neoliberal ideology of Friedman, the Keynesian ideology of Galbraith, the anti-ideology of Olson and the post-ideology of Levitt. If you’re having difficulty with some of the concepts in these, at times, opaque treatises, turn to The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics for assistance.
At the completion of your intensive independent study, you'll not only be able to answer the questions posed above, but you'll also be able to comment confidently on externalities, opportunity costs, moral hazards, and wage-price spirals. And the exchange-value of that ability is immeasurable.
Quick-links
