After I mentioned to Eric Nilsson over pen-l the course I am now teaching on economic issues, several people have written in asking me about the syllabus. So I am posting it now, for anyone interested. By the way, this is the first time I have taught the course, so I would welcome suggestions. Bob Pollin ECONOMICS 118: THE CONTEMPORARY U.S. ECONOMY Fall 1996 COURSE SYLLABUS This course examines many of the major real and perceived economic problems confronting the United States. Have average living standards been falling? If so, why? Is the Social Security System about to bankrupt the country? Is the government's involvement in the economy excessive? Are immigrants taking jobs from native-born workers? Is the country's health care system the best that we can afford? These and related questions will form the core of the course. Of course, these are the issues that one reads and hears about every day in the media. But we will address these questions from a much more sophisticated perspective than one can get from the media, since we will be relying systematically on the tools and literature of economic analysis to formulate questions and pursue answers. There are at least two sides, and usually more on any given issue; and our primary aim will be to explore alternative perspectives. This will allow you to make informed judgments on your own. READINGS The only required purchase for the course is the bound collection of articles and book chapters available at the campus Printing and Reprographics Office, adjacent to the Bookstore. In addition to these, I have ordered four books that are available at the bookstore. We draw on substantial parts of each of these books; and while the required readings are included in the bound collection, you may find it enlightening and useful to purchase one or more of the complete books. These suggested books are: Susan Feiner ed., Race and Gender in the American Economy: Views from Across the Spectrum, Prentice-Hall, 1994. David M. Gordon, Fat and Mean: The Corporate Squeeze of Working Americans and the Myth of Managerial "Downsizing", The Free Press, 1996. Paul Krugman, The Age of Diminished Expectations: U.S. Economic Policy in the 1990s, MIT Press, 1994. Todd Schafer and Jeff Faux eds., Reclaiming Prosperity: A Blueprint for Progressive Economic Reform, M.E. Sharpe, 1996. COURSE OUTLINE I. Introduction and Overview of Questions at Hand [Sept. 27] II. The Postwar Macroeconomic Experience [Sept. 30-Oct. 18; 3 weeks] A. The "Golden" and "Leaden" Ages of the Postwar Economy Samuel Bowles, David Gordon and Thomas Weisskopf, After the Wasteland, pp. 3-46. Paul Krugman, The Age of Diminished Expectations, pp. 9-17. Dean Baker, Robert Pollin and Elizabeth Zahrt, "The Vietnam War and the Political Economy of Full Employment," Challenge, May-June 1996, pp. 35-45. Lester Thurow, "The Crusade That's Killing Prosperity," The American Prospect, March-April 1996, pp. 54-60. B. The Role of Government, The Federal Deficit and "NAIRU" Michael Boskin interview, "Free Markets: The Way to Sustainable Growth," Challenge, May-June 1990, pp. 12-21. Robert Pollin, "Is Big Government Really the Problem? Dollars and Sense, March-April 1995, pp. 12-13, 40-42. Paul Krugman, The Age of Diminished Expectations, pp. 27-32, 63-78. Robert Eisner, "Deficits and Unemployment: Dogmas Blocking Economic Policy, in Reclaiming Prosperity, pp. 27-36. Additional Reading on Reserve: Robert Pollin and Elizabeth Zahrt, "Expansionary Policy for Full Employment in the United States: Retrospective on the 1960s and Current Period Prospects," manuscript. C. The Role of Business and Work Organization Paul Krugman, The Age of Diminished Expectations, pp. 153-68. Eileen Appelbaum and Peter Berg, "Financial Market Constraints and Business Strategy in the USA," in Jonathan Michie and John Grieve Smith eds., "Creating Industrial Capacity," pp. 192-221. David Gordon, Fat and Mean, pp. 33-94. III. The U.S. and the World Economy [October 21-November 4; two weeks with midterm] A. Trade Relations Paul Krugman, The Age of Diminished Expectations, pp. 35-50; and 89-114. Robert Blecker, "The Trade Deficit and U.S. Competitiveness," in Blecker ed., U.S. Trade Policy and Global Growth, pp. 179-214. PAPER OUTLINES DUE FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25; MIDTERM EXAMINATION, MONDAY OCTOBER 28 B. Movement of People: U.S. Immigration Gregory DeFreitas, "Immigration, Inequality, and Policy Alternatives," manuscript. Norman Matloff, "How Immigration Harms Minorities," The Public Interest, Summer 1996, pp. 61-71. Vernon Briggs, "Immigration Policy: Political or Economic?", Challenge, September-October 1991, pp. 12-18. Bob Sutcliffe, "Freedom to Move in the Age of Globalization," manuscript. IV. Sources of Individual Well-Being [November 6-December 6; four weeks with Thanksgiving] A. Labor Market Discrimination and the 'Culture of Poverty' Krugman, Age of Diminished Expectations, 19-25. Feiner, Race and Gender in the American Economy, pp. 5-21; 28-65. Gordon, Fat and Mean, 115-43. William Spriggs and John Schmitt, "The Minimum Wage" in Reclaiming Prosperity, pp. 163-70. B. Social Spending and Economic Growth Richard Sutch, "Has Social Spending Grown Out of Control?" Challenge, May-June 1996, pp. 9-16. Peter Lindert, "Does Social Spending Deter Economic Growth?" Challenge, May-June 1996, pp. 17-23. C. Health Care Feiner, Race and Gender in the American Economy, pp. 307-48. Edith Rassell, "Health Care Reform," in Reclaiming Prosperity, pp. 61-79. Additional Reading On Reserve: Alain Enthoven and Sara Singer, "Managed Competition and California's Health Care Economy," Health Affairs, Spring 1996, pp. 39-57. D. Social Security Barry Bosworth, "Putting Social Security to Work," The Brookings Review, Fall 1995, pp. 36-39. Dean Baker, "Social Security," in Reclaiming Prosperity, pp. 51-60. Additional Reading on Reserve: Peter G. Peterson, "Will America Grow Up Before It Grows Old?" The Atlantic Monthly, May 1996, pp. 55-86. E. Welfare Reform Jared Bernstein and Irwin Garfinkel, "Welfare Reform," in Reclaiming Prosperity, pp. 173-92. Douglas Besharov and Karen Gardiner, "Paternalism and Welfare Reform," The Public Interest, Winter 1996, pp. 70-84. Sheldon Danziger and Jeffrey Lehman, "How Will Welfare Recipients Fare in the Labor Market?" Challenge, March-April 1996, 30-35. ******************************************** Robert Pollin Department of Economics Univesity of California-Riverside Riverside, CA 92521-0427 (909) 787-5037, ext 1579 (office); (909) 788-8106 (home) (909) 787-5685 (fax); [EMAIL PROTECTED] (e-mail)