For principles of economics, public policy, and social issues courses.

Brief, relevant readings that spark independent thinking and classroom discussions

The Economics of Public Issues is a collection of brief, relevant readings that spark independent thinking and discussion in principles of economics and social issues. The 20th Edition encourages readers to apply theoretical discussions to today’s important issues to gain a deeper understanding of current microeconomic policy concerns.

Spark independent thinking and classroom discussion

• Readings are concise, allowing for easy integration into any principles of economics or issues-based classroom.
• A correlation guide in the preface illustrates how to integrate topics into different courses.
• Conversational and informative non-technical writing is geared toward principles-level students and does not require advanced math.
• Using the latest debates in social policy, the authors encourage readers to question their own assumptions and the analysis offered by the media and politicians on key issues.
• End-of-chapter questions offer students the opportunity to test their knowledge and review chapter concepts.

Roger LeRoy Miller received his PhD from the University of Chicago. Miller is a legal specialist and author of numerous books on law and the legal environment, including criminal procedure. In addition, Miller has authored books on the war on drugs, the economics of crime and criminal behavior, and on related topics.

Daniel K. Benjamin is an Alumni Distinguished Professor in the John E. Walker Department of Economics, Clemson University. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Virginia and completed his PhD in economics in 1975 at the University of California at Los Angeles where he was a National Science Foundation Fellow. Benjamin has taught at Montana State University, the University of Washington, and the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Clemson University.

PART ONE: THE FOUNDATIONS OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

1. Death by Bureaucrat

2. Innovation

3. Flying the Friendly Skies?

4. The Mystery of Wealth

5. The Economics of Exclusion

PART TWO: SUPPLY AND DEMAND

6. Sex, Booze, and Drugs

7. The Economics of Obesity

8. Kidneys for Sale

9. Are We Running Out of Water?

10. Bankrupt Landlords, from Sea to Shining Sea

PART THREE: LABOR MARKETS

11. Das Kapital in the Twenty-First Century

12. (Why) Are Women Paid Less?

13. The Effects of the Minimum Wage

14. The (Dis)incentives of Higher Taxes

PART FOUR: MARKET STRUCTURES

15. The Platform Economy

16. Contracts, Combinations, and Conspiracies

17. Coffee, Tea, or Tuition-Free?

18. Keeping the Competition Out

PART FIVE: POLITICAL ECONOMY

19. Health Insurance for All . . . Or Maybe Not

20. The Deception of Green Energy

21. The Fight over Genetically Modified Foods

22. Student Loans

23. The Graying of America

24. For Whom the Roads Are Tolled

PART SIX: PROPERTY RIGHTS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

25. What to Do About the Climate?

26. Save That Species

27. Ethanol Madness

28. The Death of Recycling

PART SEVEN: GLOBALIZATION AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY

29. The Economics of the Big Mac

30. Globalization and the Wealth of America

31. The $750,000 Steelworker

Selected References