Common Sense Economics provides an excellent introduction to the study of economics, and particularly its many key principles, including the “twelve key elements,” “seven major sources of economic progress” and “twelve key elements of practical personal finance.” The most compelling section of the text deals with financial insecurity and its dependence on quickly escalating personal debts. Indeed, Gwartney et al. note that the ratio of household debt to disposable personal income reached 135% in 2007, “a two-fold increase since the mid-1980’s” (Gwartney 109). Moreover, prior to the recession consumer debt payments on consumer debt as a percentage of income spiked sharply (109). Thus, it appears that the 2007 recession was driven by high household debt. Moreover, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has downplayed the role of public debt in driving economies to the brink. Instead, it warns that household debt is a much more volatile driver of economic recession. Therefore, the economic theme of rising household debts will be the concern of this analysis, which will borrow from the work of Mian and Sufi in House of Debt.
The question of household debt has long been a contentious and divisive subject. Indeed, prescribing solutions to rising household debt and consequent economic recession is unlikely to be as controversial as actually diagnosing the problem. Indeed, household debt has long been censured and stigmatized from both moral and religious perspectives
Within debt there are subtopics that can be debated. We have the poor and the people who are living in poverty. Poverty is seen as a big problem within America. “It is defined as the state of not having enough
They explained that: “Changes in incentives influence human behavior in predictable ways”. The main point of this concept is that the more attractive an option is the more likely an individual to choose it. Another point that they also focused on was the fact that if a particular product more costly, the more unappealing it will become to the consumer. They used examples such as employees will worker harder if they feel that they will be greatly rewarded or a student will study material that they feel will be on an
With the recent developments in the economy there could have not been a better time to
READ: Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science, Charles Wheeland, W.W. Norton, 2003. Completely- cover to cover.
James D. Gwartney, Richard Lyndell Stroup, Dwight R. Lee and Tawni Ferrarini collaborative work Common Sense Economics: What Everyone Should Know about Wealth and Prosperity clarifies, objective economic measures leading to productive prosperity contrasting from protective interventionism prominent in insufficient economic systems. Gwartney holds the Gus A. Stavros Eminent Scholar Chair at Florida State University, as he directs the Stavros Center for the Advancement of Free Enterprise and Economic Education. Stroup, a free-market environmentalist and adjunct professor at North Carolina State University also performs as an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute. Dwight R. Lee performs as Research Fellow at The Independent Institute and the
The author in the book Common Sense Economics used several similar principles in parts three and four that were discussed in the book “How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes.” In Part III of Common Sense Economics, the fourth element states, “Unless restricted by constitutional rules, special interest groups will use the democratic political process to fleece taxpayers and consumers.” The author went on to say that with the public’s expense, elected officials typically profit from plans that favor particular interest groups. Similarly, in chapter fourteen of Schiff’s book, Senator Cliff Cod had created a plan for the government to allow each and every person to get a hut loan, and the government would pay the loan if the borrower was not able to pay. The banks were greatly in favor of this new plan, which pretty much secured his spot as a Senator. However, the people did not see the real reason behind this plan, and they were also not aware of the negative impacts that were yet to come. In recent events, the article from The Intercept discussed a similar matter. Hillary Clinton received an endorsement from the Human Rights Campaign. However, she did not receive by votes from the members of the group, instead, she received the endorsement from an executive board. Therefore, the members may not have agreed with the decision but were forced to go along with it because decision made by the elite group of individuals.
James Gwartney’s book, Common Sense Economics, is designed for those who are taking beginning steps to understand the basics of economics. It also provides actual concrete changes that could be made in the economy. This novel gives insight to the bigger picture that involves political rules and policies that go along with that. The context of the book aims to explain why nations prosper depending on people’s understanding of necessary economic arrangements. There are ten elements of economics, seven sources of economic progress, the role of the government, and twelve key elements of practical personal finance. James Gwartney even acknowledges what he wants students to get out of this text which is that:
Approaching debt is not an easy thing to do and it is even harder when it’s the debt of millions of Americans. The raising or lowering of this debt could provide or destroy jobs. “President Obama has often remarked that the Great Recession (2008–10) is the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression” (Folsom, 2010). I found this statement rather interesting because the way we approached
Thesis: Broadly speaking, the debt crisis facing the US and the international community is an issue that has far reaching implications not only for financial institutions but also to many working people and many economists are giving top priority in solving this issue.
In America, there has never been a time in history where so many Americans have become millionaires or billionaires, yet so many Americans are in debt. Studies have been down in America that the “average U.S. household owes about $15,706 credit card in credit card debt, the average mortgage is $156,333, and the average student loan debt is $32,953” by combining all three of the categories of debt together the total amount is $204,992 (NerdWallet). It has become an epidemic across the country at the same time some Americans aren’t too concerned with their debt. Some of them are more concerned with pursuing in buying useless items just because advertisements are telling the viewer to go buy their product. Capitalism has given birth to a new age of people who are being conformed into having a materialistic and consumeristic mindset by businesses using psychological tactics through commercialization, which people are getting played into thinking they will socially accepted if they purchase the product.
The United States (US) has a rising national or government debt (Nanto, 2011, p. 4), which in 2010 for example stood at $13.6 trillion (The Heritage Foundation et al., 2010) and in mid-2015 stood at $18.153 trillion (National Priorities Project, 2016). Combined with its future forecast (i.e. at $22.4 trillion by the end of this year of 2016, Chantrill, 2016) the national debt is unsustainable and the US is confronted
Do you believe that wrong implementation of differentiation could result in hindering pupils’ progress? (Yes/No)
ratio over 40% is considered troublesome. Also, compared to the 1995 and 2004 pre-retirees, the 2013 pre-retiree’s debt-to-income ratio exceeds the previous cohorts. However, the mean monthly total debt payment is lower for the 2013 cohort as compared to the 2004 pre-retirees. This may be a direct result of the decline in income for the 2013 cohort. In addition, the mortgage debt-to-income ratio for the 2013 pre-retirees increased over the measurement periods between 1995 and 2013. Moreover, the mortgage debt-to-income ratio for the 2013 pre-retirees increased as compared to the 1995 and 2004 pre-retiree cohorts. This observation provides evidence that the current group of pre-retirees has increased their mortgage debt over time and they
For a nation’s economic system to decide how to allocate the society’s scarce resources, there are three questions that need to be answered: “What and how much will be produce?” “How will items be produced” and “For whom will items be produced?
Question A The term economic cycle typically refers to fluctuations in production, trade, unemployment, spending, and economic measures over the course of a time period. In capitalism, these fluctuations usually occur between expansion and boom period (rapid economic growth) and periods of decline or stagnation (recession or contraction). They do not follow a predictable pattern and have a number of variables associated. Capitalism, whether simply the term used as Adam Smith's ideal system or the modern trading of wealth and goods/services needs three things to be successful: a market, a means of production, and natural product. The market may be created (we now have multibillion dollar companies that do nothing but create want), or necessary (certain foods, etc.). The means of production is most usually technological, at least in societies that have advanced; and the natural resources may be human or physical. Because of the volatility and number of variables, it is natural that cycles occur.