Includes bibliographical references.

Unit 1. Microeconomic issues. Are profits the only business of business? ; Should the compensation of executives be subject to government regulation? ; Has the Supreme Court made it possible for corporations to buy elections? ; Should the United States stop all new offshore drilling for oil? ; Are health savings accounts working effectively? ; Should NBC and Comcast be allowed to merge? -- Unit 2. Macroeconomic issues. Is Obamacare a disaster for the economy? ; Will health reform's pilot programs lead to the control of health care costs? ; Did the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 create jobs? ; Do American consumers need a Financial Protection Agency? ; Should minimum wage and living wage laws be eliminated? ; Does immigration benefit the economy? -- Unit 3. The world around us. Is a fair trade policy superior to a free trade policy? ; Is loan mitigation the answer to the housing foreclosure problem? ; Are biofuels like ethanol the answer to U.S. energy problems? ; Can U.S. deficit and debt problems be solved without increases in taxes? ; Is China's currency undervalued and should the United States take action to correct this undervaluation? ; Do the testing and accountability elements of the No Child Left Behind Act prevent a proper cost-benefit evaluation? ; Is the inequality in U.S. income distribution surging?