Fall 2023

Below are links to articles on the reading list that are available on-line through the Syracuse University library. The articles are organized by subject, as on the syllabus.

Because these articles are made available through the SU library, they are only available to SU students. If you are using a computer on campus, the links will take you directly to the article. If you are off-campus, you will be taken to a sign-in page so that you can access library materials remotely.

Introduction
Porter, Eduardo, “Rationing Health Care More Fairly,” The New York Times, August 22, 2012, B1, B2.

Irwin, Neil, “How Much is a C.E.O. Worth? America’s Confused Approach to Pay,” The New York Times, August 6, 2015, B5.

Kolata, Gina, “Tiny Heart Devices Reduce Death Rate, But Cost is Concern,” The New York Times, March 20, 2002, A1, A26.

Supply and Demand
Brooks, David, “Do Markets Work in Health Care?” The New York Times, January 13, 2017, A27.

“Never a bargain,” The Economist, June 29, 2019, 23.

“Palm roiled,” The Economist, May 7, 2022, 57

Mashal, Mjuib, Najim Rahim and Fahim Abel, “Afgan Farmers Clamor for Aid. Their Request: Gorge on Watermelons.” The New York Times, June 21, 2019, A4.

Applications of Supply and Demand
Badger, Emily and Eve Washington, “Across U.S., It’s Getting Harder to Find a Home,” The New York Times, July 14, 2022, A1.

“Build, baby, build,” The Economist, August 11, 2018, 21-22.

“Too damned high,” The Economist, August 27, 2022, 20.

“In a fix,” The Economist, January 11, 2020, 58-59.

“Field work,” The Economist, April 13, 2013, 43-44.

Irwin, Neil, “Markets Adapt to Snarled Supply Chains,” The New York Times, July 6, 2021, B2.

“Levying the land,” The Economist, June 29, 2013, 69.

“Credit where taxes are due,” The Economist, July 4, 2015, 64.

“When the inc runs,” The Economist, May 15, 2021, 67.

Mariani, John, “Gas tax cap comes off, but so what?” Syracuse Post-Standard, June 8, 2008, B1, B3.

Consumer Behavior: An Introduction to the Concept of Utility
Frank, Robert H., “Economic Scene: Of Hockey Players and Housing Prices,” The New York Times, October 27, 2005, C2.

“Economic focus: Stomach staples,” The Economist, March 26, 2011.

Consumer Behavior: Maximizing Utility
“Money where your mouth is,” The Economist, November 10, 2013, 41-42.

“Feeding expectations,” The Economist, February 22, 2014, 63.

“BOGOF bobbies,” The Economist, December 17, 2016, 50.

Applications of Consumer Theory
“Poor behaviour,” The Economist, December 6, 2014, 88.

“Fat is a fiscal-policy issue,” The Economist, October 7, 2017, 71.

“Reasonable doubt,” The Economist, October 14, 2017, 68.

Brooks, David “The Nudge Debate,” The New York Times, August 9, 2013, A17.

Porter, Eduardo, “Nudges Aren’t Enough to Solve Society’s Problems,” The New York Times, February 25, 2016, B1 & B4.

Jack, Kelsey, “Do Monthly Bills Undermine the Impact of Carbon Pricing?” Our 2 Cents Blog, July 10, 2019.

Congdon, William J., Jeffrey R. Kling and Sendhil Mullainathan, 2011. “Psychology and Economics,” chapter 2 in Policy and Choice: Public Finance through the Lens of Behavioral Economics, Brookings Institute Press, Washington, DC (optional).

Thaler, Richard H. 2018. “From Cashews to Nudges: The Evolution of Behavioral Economics,” American Economic Review 108(6): 1265-1287 (optional).

Production
No assigned reading

Costs of Production
“Land of the corporate giants,” The Economist, November 3, 2012, 76.

The Behavior of Firms Under Perfect Competition: Profit Maximization and the Derivation of the Supply Curve
Hu, Winnie, “As Uber Ascends, Debt Demolishes Taxi Drivers,” The New York Times, September 11, 2017, A1.

Porter, Eduardo, “Job Licenses in Spotlight as Uber Rises,” The New York Times, January 28, 2015, B1, B5.

Porter, Eduardo, “A Stock Windfall for Titans, A Debacle for Everyone Else,” The New York Times, February 14, 2018, B1, B4.

Varian, Hal R., “Economic Scene: Why Old Media and Tom Cruise Should Worry About Cheaper Technology,” The New York Times, C3, October 19, 2006.

“Against the grain,” The Economist, May 21, 2016, 65-66.

“Rules for fools,” The Economist, May 14, 2011, 84.

Perfect Competition and Economic Welfare
Kenny, Charles, “Trickle Down Economics,” Foreign Policy, December 5, 2011.

Porter, Eduardo, “The Risks of Cheap Water,” The New York Times, October 15, 2014, B1, B6.

The Effects of Market Power: Monopolies
Leonhardt, David, “Big Business is Overcharging You,” The New York Times, November 11, 2019, A23.

Borenstein, Severin “The Little Utility that Could,” Energy Institute Blog, November 8, 2021.

The Role of Government
Borenstein, Severin, “Stabilizing Utilities in an Unstable Climate” Energy Institute Blog, January 22, 2019.

Rosenthal, Elisabeth, “Reinventing Post Offices in a Digital World,” The New York Times, October 31, 2012, A9.

Sorkin, Aaron Ross, “Price Gouging Can Aid Victims? Why Some Economists Say Yes,” The New York Times, September 12, 2017, B1, B6.

“Going postal,” The Economist, April 21, 2018, 59.

“Signal failure,” The Economist, April 11, 2020, 56-57.

“One country, three systems,” The Economist, April 21, 2018, 38.

“The unstuck middle,” The Economist, January 21, 2023, 19-20.

“The worth of nations,” The Economist, May 5, 2018, 72.

Public Goods
Hu, Winnie, “Is Your E-ZPass the key to Congestion Pricing in Manhattan?” The New York Times, March 22, 2018, A18.

Nixon, Ron, “Agreement on Interstate Repair Needs, but Not on How to Pay for Them,” The New York Times, April 4, 2014, A13.

Wolfers, Justin, “Unusual Flavor of G.O.P. Primary Illustrates a Famous Paradox,” The New York Times, May 10, 2016, A3.

“The price of jam,” The Economist, August 5, 2017, 45-46.

Externalities
Wald, Matthew L., “Fossil Fuels’ Hidden Cost Is in Billions, Study Says,” The New York Times, October 20, 2009, A16.

“Taxes of sin,” The Economist, July 28, 2018, 44-45.

“The lives of others,” The Economist, August 19, 2017, 58-59.

Cost-Benefit Analysis
Dudley, Susan et al. (2017), “Consumer’s Guide to Regulatory Impact Analysis: Ten Tips for Being an Informed Policymaker,” Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis, 1-18.

Vining, Aidan R. and Weimer, David L., “The Application of Cost-Benefit Analysis to Social Policy,” La Follette Policy Report, 19(2), Spring 2010, pp. 1-4.(available in Blackboard)

Frakt, Austin, “Fighting Over Chores? Spend Money, Save the Marriage,” The New York Times: The Upshot Blog, April 2, 2018.

Prest, Brian, “Discounting 101” Resources for the Future, January 6, 2020.

Pear, Robert, “New Laws Now Evaluated by Job Creation,” The New York Times, January 3, 2012, A16.

Wald, Matthew L, “Energy Dept. Said to Err on Coal Project,” The New York Times, March 11, 2009.

“Lives v livelihoods,” The Economist, July 3, 2021, 67-69.

Discussion and Final Thoughts
“For goodness’ sake,” The Economist, March 20, 2021, 70.

“Room with a view,” The Economist, January 12, 2013, 66.

“The voice of public choice,” The Economist, January 19, 2013, 76.

“Get off my cloud,” The Economist, January 14, 2017, 69.

Carroll, Aaron E., “Forbidden Topic in Health Policy Debate: Cost Effectiveness,” The New York Times: The Upshot Blog, December 16, 2014.