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Economics: Most Popular Articles

These articles are the most popular over the last month.
Price Elasticity of Demand
Article gives a common-sense and easy to understand explanation of what price elasticity of demand is and how to calculate the price elasticity of demand
Legalize Marijuana
The war on drugs is an expensive battle, as a great deal of resources go into catching those who buy or sell illegal drugs on the black market, prosecuting them in court, and housing them in jail. In a recent study for the Fraser Institute, Economist Stephen T. Easton attempted to calculate how much tax revenue the Canadian government could gain by legalizing marijuana.
Nominal vs. Real Variables
Nominal vs. Real Question Answered: I'm learning economics and I keep hearing the terms nominal and real all the time to describe things like interes rates. What's the difference between nominal and real?
Recessions vs. Depressions
How can I tell the difference between a recession and a depression? What is the definition of a recession? Of a depression? How can we tell when we're in a recession oe when we're going to get out of one?
Understanding Cost Measures
This article explains how to calculate marginal cost, total cost, fixed cost, total variable cost, average total cost, average fixed cost, and average variable cost using simple examples.
What is the Business Cycle?
Article for beginners answers the question: What is the Business Cycle?
Economic Indicators Guide
I'm constantly hearing about economic indicators in the news, but I'm never sure what they're talking about. What are economic indicators and why are they important?
What Is Macroeconomics?
Article for beginners answers the question: What Is Macroeconomics?
Impact of Globalisation on Developing Countries and India
Impact of Globalisation on Developing Countries and India
What Is Inflation?
An article on inflation for beginners which answers the question: What is Inflation?
Short Run vs. Long Run
Article answers the question: I am undergoing an economics lecture at the undergraduate level and cannot understand the difference between "long run" and "short run". How long is the long run and how long is the short run?
What Was The Gold Standard?
A look at what the gold standard was and how it differs from the fiat system of money today. A comparison of fiat money and the gold standard.
Income Elasticity of Demand
Article gives a common-sense and easy to understand explanation of what income elasticity of demand is and how to calculate the income elasticity of demand.
Pro Forma
Pro Forma Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Pro Forma
Cross-Price Elasticity of D...
Article gives a common-sense and easy to understand explanation of what the cross-price elasticity of demand is and how to calculate the cross-price elasticity of demand
Price Elasticity of Supply
Article gives a common-sense and easy to understand explanation of what price elasticity of supply is and how to calculate the price elasticity of supply.
Economics Glossary
Want to know the meaning of an economics term? Look no further than here!
Online Microeconomics Textbook
About.com's online Microeconomics Textbook helps students clarify microeconomic concepts they may be unclear about.
Externality
Externality Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Externality
Marijuana Legalization
Should the U.S. government legalize marijuana? Over 500 economists sign a letter promoting marijuana legalization.
What Is Economics?
Article for beginners answers the question What is Economics?
Calculating Real Interest Rate
"Calculating and Understanding Real Interest Rates" explains what the real rate of interest is and how it can easily be calculated. We also show how it can be used to make investment decisions.
Cost-Push Inflation vs. Dem...
We Answer The Question: What do the terms "Cost-Push Inflation" and "Demand-Pull Inflation" mean? What's the difference between the two.
What Is Money
Article for beginners answers the question: What Is Money? After reading the article, you will be able to give a quick and correct answer to the question 'What Is Money?'
What Is Microeconomics?
Article for beginners answers the question: What Is Microeconomics?
The Economic Effect of Tariffs
In my article "The Softwood Lumber Dispute" we saw an example of a tariff placed on a foreign good. A tariff is simply a tax or duty placed on an imported good by a domestic government. Tariffs are usually levied as a percentage of the declared value of the good, similar to a sales tax.
Ex Post
Ex Post Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Ex Post
Expansionsary Contractionary
I'm having a little trouble trying to understand expansionary monetary policies and contractionary monetary policies. Can you help explain what impact expansionary monetary policies and contractionary monetary policies have on the economy?
Morbidity
Morbidity Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Morbidity
A Beginner's Guide to Exchange Rates and the Foreign Exchange Market
An introduction to what exchange rates are and what causes them to change.
Government and the Economy
A look at the role government plays in the economy.
Microeconomics Student Reso...
Help for students having trouble with Microeconomics. Microeconomics tips and tricks are available. http://economics.about.com/cs/studentresources/a/micro_help.htm
Economics and Scale
Article answers the question "If I have a production function that has both labor and capital as factors, how can I tell if it is increasing returns to scale, constant returns to scale, or decreasing returns to scale?"
Insider Trading
Insider Trading: What did Martha Do? is a brief look at insider trading and why many forms of insider trading are illegal.
Why Study Economics?
A reader asks: "Perhaps this is an unusual request. My daughter just completed first year of A levels. She will go for an Economics degree next year. She is required to make a write up and to answer interview questions on this write up as to why she wants to study Economics." In Why Study Economics? we discuss various reasons why someone would want to study economics.
Post War Economy
An examination of the American economy after World War II.
Indifference Curves
Article examines the economic concept of indifference curves and shows students how they can use indifference curves to solve economic problems.
A Mixed Economy
A look at the mixed economy of the United States.
Why Get an Economics Ph.D?
Mike Moffatt examines a couple of blog discussions about who should consider attempting a Ph.D. in economics.
Hedonic
Hedonic Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Hedonic
Why Not Just Print More Money?
Article answers the question: "Can you help me find a "simple" way to explain why it is not a good idea to just print more money."
Economics - Articles
An index of articles for the Economics guide site.
Why does money have value?
Find the answer to this week’s economics question, “Why does money have value?” here. The value of money is not a topic people think about too often but it is quite vital in understanding economics.
Marginal Revenue and Cost
In this article we go through 5 questions on marginal revenues and marginal costs to illustrate how a student should answer these questions.
The Economy in the 1980s
An examination of the state of the American economy during the 1980s.
Free Market Economy
Free Market Economy Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Free Market Economy
What is a Monopoly?
Article examines monopolies and companies in monopoly markets, and compares monopoly to oligopoly, monopolistic competition, and perfect competition.
What Is Arbitrage?
Article answers the following question: What is arbitrage? What markets do arbitrageurs usually trade on? The answers to your arbitrage questions right here.
Gross National Product (GNP)
Gross National Product (GNP) Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Gross National Product (GNP)
Where Can I Get Economics D...
"Where Can I Get Economics Department Rankings" looks at different lists which ranks graduate schools in economics. http://economics.about.com/cs/studentresources/a/grad_rankings.htm
Macroeconomics Student Reso...
Help for students having trouble with Macroeconomics. Macroeconomics tips and tricks are available. http://economics.about.com/cs/studentresources/a/macro_help.htm
One-Sample t-Tests
You've got your regression results, but what do you do with them? Here we show how to conduct a one-sample t-test.
Purchasing Power Parity Theory
Article answers the question: "I am currently taking an economics class and we are now discussing purchasing power parity. I am lost, could you help me out?"
P value
P-value is associated with a test statistic. It is "the probability, if the test statistic really were distributed as it would be under the null hypothesis, of observing a test statistic [as extreme as, or more extreme than] the one actually observed."
We Will Never Run Out of Oil
For as long as I can remember, I've been hearing that the world oil supply will run out in a few decades. I remember quite vividly growing up in the early 1980's hearing that there wouldn't be any oil left by the time I learned how to drive. Fortunately the prediction of a depleted oil supply never came true.
Economics - The A to Z List
Want to know the meaning of an economics term? Look no further than here!
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Utilitarianism
Purchasing Power Parity Link
An article that shows how inflation and the exchange rate between two countries are linked through Purchasing Power Parity (PPP).
Preventing Deflation
Deflation and Printing Money: Is the problem that there is more to printing money than printing money? Is in fact the way printed money gets into circulation, that the fed buys bonds, and thus get money into the economy? When the government prints money it causes inflation. Would printing more money cure deflation?
FDI
FDI / Foreign Direct Investment Defined - A Dictionary Definition of FDI / Foreign Direct Investment
Average Total Cost
Average Total Cost Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Average Total Cost
Five Economics Term Paper Topic Suggestions - Introduction
Tips, links and sources for writing an economics term paper.
Frictional Unemployment
Frictional Unemployment Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Frictional Unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Unemployment
t-Statistic
t-Statistic Defined - A Dictionary Definition of t-Statistic
Taxes and Economic Growth
What effect do income taxes have on economic growth? Will lower income tax rates lead to higher growth, or will they just line the pockets of the rich?
Prices in Recessions
When there is an economic expansion, demand seems to outpace supply, particularly for goods and services that take time and major capital to increase supply. As a result, prices generally rise (or there is at least price pressure). We look at why deflation does generally not occur during a recession.
Liquidity
Liquidity Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Liquidity
Recession
Recession Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Recession
Constructing Indifference
Article examines how a student can construct an indifference curve.
What is the Demand For Money?
This question answers the questions: What is the demand for money? Does that change? The other three elements all make perfect sense to me but demand for money is confusing me to no end.
Budget Lines
Article examines how to use and calculate budget lines and how they relate to indifference curves.
GDP / Gross Domestic Product
GDP / Gross Domestic Product Defined - A Dictionary Definition of GDP / Gross Domestic Product
America's Capitalist Economy
An examination of the capitalist economy of the United States.
What are Capital Markets?
Article answers the question "What are capital markets?" for those new to economics.
Elasticity for Beginners
Article gives a common-sense and easy to understand explanation of what elasticity is and how to calculate the elasticities
Calculus and Elasticities
An article which explains how to calculate various elasticities using calculus.
Productivity
Productivity Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Productivity
Monetary & Fiscal Policy Intro
An introduction to American monetary policy and fiscal policy.
Reserve Ratio
A Beginner's Guide to the Reserve Ratio looks at the impact the reserve ratio has on the money supply
Industrialization
Industrialization Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Industrialization
Imports and Export Data
Doing an economics or econometrics project? Get all the imports and exports economic data you need right here. Economic data available for all kinds of econometrics and economics assignments.
Choosing a Graduate School ...
I am an MSc student in economics and I want to pursue a Ph.D. in economics in the United States. I want to follow a career in macroeconomics and econometrics. Can you recommend good pre-Ph.D. books and a good graduate college? How do I pick a graduate school in economics?
Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Bureaucracy
What is a Recession?
An examination of recessions - what they are, what causes them, how do we know if we're in a recession and the political implications of a recession. The full business cycle and other economic indicators are considered.
Price Elasticity Gasoline
price elasticity of demand, gasoline
Contractionary Fiscal Policy
Contractionary Fiscal Policy Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Contractionary Fiscal Policy
What is Economic Efficiency?
Article answers the question "What does Economic Efficiency mean?" for those new to economics.
Online Macroeconomics Textbook
About.com's online Macroeconomics Textbook helps students clarify macroeconomic concepts they may be unclear about.
Inflation
Inflation Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Inflation
U.S. vs Canada Exchange Rate
Article answers the question: I’ve noticed that the Canadian Dollar has increased in value quite a bit relative to the U.S. Dollar over the last few months. I was wondering if this was because the Canadian Dollar is doing well, or because the U.S. Dollar is doing poorly?
The Canadian Exchange Rate
Where to get exchange rate data and how to use it in order to analyze how the Canadian Dollar has performed relative to other currencies. Exchange rate dynamics are an interesting topic of study.
Money
Money Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Money
Labor Force Participation Rate
Article answers the question "What is the Labor Force Participation Rate?" for those new to economics.
Cyclical Unemployment
Cyclical Unemployment Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Cyclical Unemployment
Current Account Balance
Current Account Balance Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Current Account Balance
The Logic of Collective Action
Why do so many government policies make such little economic sense? The best answer I've seen to this question comes from The Logic of Collective Action. Mancur Olson's The Logic of Collective Action explains why some groups are able to have a larger influence on government policy than others.
Discount Factor
Discount Factor Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Discount Factor
Tariffs vs. Quotas
In this article we look at why tariffs are often preferred to import quotas. There's a few reasons why tariffs are more desirable than quotas.
Price Elasticity Calculations
How to use measures of cross price and own price elasticity to determine how much a quantity will change. An example of a calculation.
Trade Deficit
The Trade Deficit and Exchange Rates
Correlation
Correlation Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Correlation
Ex Ante / Ex-Ante
Ex Ante / Ex-Ante Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Ex Ante / Ex-Ante
Arc Elasticity
Article gives a common-sense and easy to understand explanation of what arc elasticity is and how to calculate arc elasticity
Value of the Dow Jones
What does the value of the Dow Jones represent?
Aggregate Demand
Aggregate Demand Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Aggregate Demand
Marijuana Demand
Would Marijuana Legalization Increase the Demand for Marijuana?
What Is a Commodity?
Article answers the question "What is a Commodity?" for those new to economics.
Demand
Demand Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Demand
How Corporations Raise Capital
An examination of how capital is raised by corporations.
What are Interest Rates
Article for beginners answers the question: What are Interest Rates?
Market
Market Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Market
Cobb-Douglas Production
Cobb-Douglas Production Function Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Cobb-Douglas Production Function
10 Supply and Demand Practice
10 practice supply and demand questions to help students study for tests.
Monetary Policy and Ag Demand
An examination of what happens when we have cost of living allowances in an aggregate demand, aggregate supply model
Exchange Rate
Exchange Rate Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Exchange Rate
Stagflation in the 1970s
An examination of stagflation in the American economy during the 1970s.
Inferior Good
Inferior Good Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Inferior Good
Budget Line
Budget Line Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Budget Line
Natural Increase
Natural Increase Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Natural Increase
Ceteris Paribus
Ceteris Paribus Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Ceteris Paribus
Budget
Budget Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Budget
Government Intervention
A look at the growth of government intervention in the American Economy.
Monopsony
Monopsony Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Monopsony
Study For Economics Exam
How To Study For Your Economics Exam. Tips on how to study for your economics exam that is a few weeks away as well as tips on how to cram the night before, if necessary.
Stock Prices Are Determined
An examination of how stock prices are determined.
Mortality
Mortality Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Mortality
Poverty
Poverty Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Poverty
Elasticity
Elasticity Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Elasticity
Five Economics Term Paper Topic Suggestions - Cigarette Taxes
Tips, links and sources for writing a term paper on cigarette taxes.
Bond
Bond Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Bond
Credit Cards - Form of Money?
Are credit cards are a from of money? An interesting and unusual question about! Let's take a look at what is considered to be money and where credit cards fit in.
Wars and the Economy
Article which asks the question "Are Wars Good for the Economy?" and discusses the broken window fallacy.
U.S. Colonization
An examination of the colonization of the United States.
Supply & Demand Practice
In this article we go through 5 questions on supply & demand to illustrate how a student should answer these questions.
Interpreting the Price/Earnings Ratio
An explanation of what the price/earnings ratio is (the P/E ratio) and why it's important.
Poverty in the United States
A look at poverty and inequality in the United States.
What are Opportunity Costs?
Article answers the question "What are Opportunity Costs?" for those new to economics.
Labor Productivity
Labor Productivity Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Labor Productivity
Introduction: Capital Markets
A first look at capital markets.
Cost Function
Cost Function Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Cost Function
Stock
Stock Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Stock
The Bretton Woods System
An examination of the Bretton Woods system.
Dumping
Dumping Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Dumping
PhD in Economics
One student describes his experiences as a PhD student in Economics
Aggregate Demand Question
In this article we go through 6 questions on aggregate supply and aggregate demand to illustrate how a student should answer these questions.
Regulation and Control
A look at the use of regulation and control in the U.S. economy.
What is a Ponzi Scheme
An article aimed at beginners that answers the questions "What is a Ponzi Scheme? How do Ponzi Schemes Work?"
Sunk Costs
Sunk Costs Defined - A Dictionary Definition of Sunk Costs
Per-Capita Money Supply
Here I answer the e-mail question "If all the money in the US was divided up evenly and given to every American over 21 or so, how much would each person get?" by examining the definitions of the M1, M2, and M3 money supply, then work on calculating what the money supply per capita is.

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