1: The World Economy since 1950
Explore the roots of globalization in the 1950s and the birth of modern globalization owing to three key factors: the development of new institutions, increased national commitments to globalization, and revolutions in transportation and communication technologies.
3: The U.S. Economy Resurgent?
Around 1995, the U.S. economy witnessed a surge in productivity growth because of booms in the information technology industry. Take a macroeconomic look at the American economy in the second half of the 1990s and look ahead to see where our economy might be in the next few decades.
4: Europe-From Catch-Up to Jobless Growth
Follow the remarkable story of how European economies, fractured by the devastation of World War II, rebuilt in a few decades through two forms of growth: catch-up growth in the 1950s and 1960s, and jobless growth through investment from the early 1970s to the mid-1990s.
6: The Rise of the Euro
Perhaps the biggest symbol of an economically unified Europe is the euro. Professor Taylor explains the economic theory of the euro, reviews the euro's origins, and explores the possibility of the euro replacing the U.S. dollar as the main currency for international transactions and finance.
8: Transitions from Communism to Markets
In 1991, with the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union began moving from central economic planning toward a more market-oriented economy. Track the forces that made this transition so difficult and the possible trajectory for Russia's transition economy.
16: India's Turn toward Market Economics
India's economic reforms in 1991 opened the country up to international trade, limited public-sector monopolies, and allowed for more foreign investment. In addition to exploring India's agenda for continued reform, ponder whether India's economic inequality will allow for balanced growth.
17: Inherited Institutions in the Middle East
Almost 900 years ago, the Middle East was one of the highest-income areas of the world, yet it has a per-capita GDP of about one-sixth that of the United States. Discover how economic policies related to traditional Islamic law possibly contributed to the loss of the region's economic lead.
18: The Curse of Oil Wealth in the Middle East
The Middle East is the world's largest exporter of crude oil, but its economies and standards of living have not surged since the 1970s. Investigate some of the economic theories behind why oil resources have done less than expected to increase the region's prosperity.
19: Africa's Geography and History
Sub-Saharan Africa has been the slowest-growing and lowest-income part of the global economy since the Industrial Revolution, with a per-capita GDP one-twentieth that of high-income countries. Look at how the region's geography and climate affect its economic development.
21: Latin America and Import Substitution
The economic potential of Latin America is quite substantial and deserves to attract American business and government attention. Focus on its import substitution industrialization policies from the 1950s to the 1970s, as well as the problems that arose with foreign debt and hyperinflation in the 1980s.
26: Migration-Senders and Recipients
Explore the effects of international migration on the economic gains and losses of the immigrants, the countries receiving the immigrants, and the countries sending the immigrants. Also, consider the economic ramifications of various immigration policies like border fences and temporary worker programs.
27: Global Population Growth
Fears of overpopulation have been with us since the 18th-century arguments of economist Thomas Malthus. Look closely at current and future patterns in world population growth, along with their consequences on social habits, food shortages, resource exhaustion, and pollution.
30: An Urbanizing World
Explore the connection between economic growth and urbanization, patterns of urbanization in the world's megacities, the gains and costs of agglomeration (economic activity concentrated in a certain location), and urban issues facing new megacities in low-income countries.
34: The Multilaterals-World Bank, IMF, WTO
Focus on these international economic agencies and the effects of globalization on their missions: the World Bank (which provides loans to countries needing capital), the International Monetary Fund (which intervenes during international financial crises), and the World Trade Organization (which reduces barriers to trade).
My wife says that I am an evangelist, with economics as my religion. I'm not sure this is altogether a good thing! But maybe it explains my enthusiasm for prepping and giving these lectures.
ALMA MATER
INSTITUTION
About Timothy Taylor
Professor Timothy Taylor is Managing Editor of the prominent Journal of Economic Perspectives, published by the American Economic Association. He earned his Master's degree in Economics from Stanford University.
Professor Taylor has won student-voted teaching awards for his Introductory Economics classes at Stanford University. At the University of Minnesota, he was named a Distinguished Lecturer by the Department of Economics and voted Teacher of the Year by the Master's degree students at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.
In 2007, Professor Taylor published the first Principles of Economics textbook, available as a free download from Freeload Press. He has also edited a wide range of books and reports and published articles on globalization, the new economy, and outsourcing. From 1989 to 1997, Professor Taylor wrote an economics opinion column for the San Jose Mercury-News.
