Economics for Dummies - Very conservative views?

[Pegasus]

I picked up a copy of Economics for Dummies to preview and see if we want to use it as part of DD's Economics credit. I've only skimmed part of it but I was struck by how conservative it seemed. I think we can still use but I'd be interested in balancing it with something less conservative. . .ok, I'll say it, more liberal. :tongue_smilie: Any suggestions?

 

Thanks,

Pegasus

[emubird]

I don't know much about economics textbooks. We've used Aftershock (Robert Reich) and I'm looking at Shock Doctrine (Naomi Klein). We've also watched Capitalism: A Love Story, but that's more of a political movie.

 

We also watched The Commanding Heights, but that tends toward the conservative bent (seeing as that was the sort of group that funded it). It isn't all that good at actually teaching economics. Once again, it's more political than scientific.

 

I would like to find a source for learning economics that relies more on data than wild, abstract mathematical modelling that seems to have little actual support. The Commanding Heights tended to glorify the mathematical modelling and the University of Chicago school. (After watching this video, we also watched Missing for another take on the events in Chile.)

 

But this may be getting far afield from what you're looking for.

 

You might want to pick up a cheap college text book (an older edition that no one wants) for the basics.

[creekland]

I used the Teaching Company's videos for my oldest. He enjoyed them and the professor tried hard to be politically neutral (explained reasoning for both sides on issues).

[Kalmia]

Paul Krugman is the economics writer for The New York Times, very liberal, Nobel prize winning, brilliant guy. He has a college textbook entitled Microeconomics. Take a look.

 

Disclosure: It is published by the company my dh works for and it is ridiculously expensive as are all textbooks, so as a frugal home-economist, I suggest buying used and an older edition.

[MSNative]

Have you looked at this book? Economics: Principles and Policy by Baumol and Blinder http://www.amazon.com/Economics-Principles-Policy-InfoTrac-College/dp/0030354579

 

I used this in Econ 101 in college. You can pick it up SUPER cheap. Very readable and understandable. I am using it now with my middle schoolers. Alan Blinder is very liberal (you can google his name for several letters to the editor in favor of Obama's policies.) This text definitely has a liberal spin, but I believe it gives a good foundation in econ. regardless of your political views.

 

If you really want to have fun and give your kids a well rounded econ education, you could teach this text along with Thomas Sowell's Basic Economics, which gives a more conservative spin. I actually think this is a better text (Sowell is a much more readable author), but you asked for a more liberal text.