Economics and Contemporary Issues

Discover the importance of economics in today's news and even everyday personal life as this book's unique, issues-oriented approach delves into engaging areas of interest. Moomaw/Olson/Applegate/McLean's ECONOMICS AND CONTEMPORARY ISSUES, 8E examines major economic issues related to education, health care, Social Security, unemployment, inflation, and international trade. This edition also examines social and political phenomena throughout the world, such as the collapse of communism and central planning, the role of government in today's economy as well as crime and poverty. The authors clearly connect today's issues to key economic principles and applications with captivating insights and a solid international perspective. Useful online study tools and an inviting writing style assist the reader today and in the future job market.

Ronald L. Moomaw is an Associate Professor of Economics at Oklahoma State University. He also serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Regional Science and Assistant Editor for Journal of Economics. In addition to this book, Dr. Moomaw has authored or co-authored many articles appearing in journals, such as Quarterly Journal of Economics, Southern Economic Journal, Journal of Urban Economics, Regional Science and Urban Economics, Journal of Regional Science, Urban Studies, Land Economics, Annals of Regional Science, and Review of Regional Studies. His current research interests include efficiency in secondary education, economic growth of states, and local unemployment differentials. Dr. Moomaw has served as principal investigator on projects funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Information Agency. He also served on the faculty of the University of British Columbia and University of Virginia, as Senior Research Associate for The Urban Institute, and as an economist at the U.S. Department of Commerce. He is currently on leave at the University of Bonn.

Kent W. Olson is a Professor of Economics at Oklahoma State University. He has co-authored two textbooks and has written numerous articles that have appeared in Land Economics, National Tax Journal, Social Science Quarterly, Journal of Business and Economics, and American Journal of Economics and Sociology. His research interests include Social Security reform, health care reform, federal budget issues and educational finance. Dr. Olson has served on the faculty of Occidental College, Arizona State University, Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis, and United States International University. He is a member of the Western Economic Association, Southwest Economic Association and is listed in Who's Who in American Men and Women of Science.

Bill McLean has taught a variety of economics courses during the past 13 years. His experience includes instructing both at the college and high school levels where he has taught Advanced Placement (AP) Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, Principles of Microeconomics, Intermediate Macroeconomics as well as Money and Banking. He is a reader for the National AP Economics Exam. His primary research covers economic education and economic teaching pedagogies. He earned his B.A. in Business Administration from Columbus State University and M.B.A from Florida Institute of Technology. He also holds a M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He is currently completing a Ph.D. in Economics at Oklahoma State University.