In this experiment, students must decide how to divide their "endowment" of a good between private consumption and a public good. The private consumption provides a benefit (earnings) to only the individual and the public good provides a benefit to each person in the group, even those who do not contribute to the public good. This hand-run experiment is suitable for use in small classes in the range of 5 to 40 students. Some variations on this basic experiment are also described.

This collection uses primary sources to explore Puerto Rican migration to the US. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

A case for the analysis of externalities (social costs and benefits) in the context of recycling. Drawn from a program in New York City.

A case based upon the environmental devastation of the Aral Sea that illustrates economic concepts of opportunity cost and social marginal cost.

Through this independent research project, students experience the process of doing real economics research using appropriate econometric methods.

In this oral history from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Frank Dukes describes his role in the 1962 boycott of discriminatory stores and businesses.

Published in 1986, this Kennedy School case tells the story of Harley-Davidson's application to the ITC for temporary relief from high levels of imported Japanese motorcycles. The case lays out, in considerable detail, Harley's justification for protection and the Japanese manufacturers' counterarguments. The case is presented in two parts, the first focusing on the extent of the "injury" an the second on the nature of the relief Harley requested.

Ricardian Explorer, implemented on the internet, simulates a Ricardian trade model with linear production technology and a CES utility function. The typical simulation has two countries and two goods. While Ricardian explorer was developed to supplement a course in international trade, it can also be used in intermediate microeconomics and microeconomic principles courses. The authors of the simulation are Alberto Isgut and Tanya Rosenblat of Wesleyan University.

In a sales transaction, both the selling and buying entities have economic events that must be recognized in their accounting information system. Students enrolled in a principles of financial accounting course often confuse the accounts to be used by the seller and buyer. This problem-based learning activity helps students practice recording a business-to-business sales/purchase transaction that included credit terms from both perspectives. The problem applies the gross method for recording sales and purchases for a perpetual inventory scenario.

This is a clip from Seinfeld in which Jerry does a cost -benefit analysis of installing illegal cable. He decides to commit the crime when he finds out there will be 75 televised Mets games on TV.

This activity asks students to review the demographic and lifestyle statistics available at ERsys.com, and determine which city or location would provide the best consumer market opportunity for the given problem.

The send-a-problem activity helps students make a connection between real world data and theoretical models.

Students will produce a report for a local non-profit organization in which they will evaluate the effectiveness of vocational training in improving the labor market opportunities for non-college bound youths. The report will be used by the organization when applying for grants.

This Excel spreadsheet assignment brings students step-by-step through the process of solving and analyzing a Keynesian cross model. It is most appropriate for principles-level macroeconomics courses.

Spreadsheets Across Curriculum module. Students build spreadsheets to tabulate, graph and compare the future value of investments with compound vs. simple interest. Spreadsheet level: beginner.

This is an excellent clip from The Simpsons that demonstrates the concept of diminishing marginal utility and marginal analysis.

In 2005, FRONTLINE/World featured the PlayPump, a promising new technology that pumped fresh water when children played on a merry-go-round. The story appealed to the good intentions of politicians, celebrities, and funders, who gave support to installing thousands of these devices in Africa. In this video, reporter Amy Costello continues her investigation into what happened to those communities as the promise of the PlayPump fell short, villages were left with non-working PlayPumps for months, and the device's biggest American boosters began to back away from a technology they had once championed. [23:42]

This example engages students in a simple simulation of specialization and division of labor. All that is needed are staplers and some paper.

This is a simulation for a beginning econometrics course that shows students how heteroskedasticity biases an estimator and why the power of a statistical text is important.