Economic thinking provides an important set of tools for almost every aspect of public policy making. This course aims to offer students a basic understanding of economics and its importance in public policy making. The will begin by providing a broad-based introduction to economics that offers students an understanding of microeconomic and macroeconomic theory including a discussion of when markets can work to achieve policy goals and when “market failures” call for government intervention. The class will then use these economic tools and theories in order to survey several specific policy areas – including health policy, tax policy, and the national debt.
About the Instructor: Marc Goldwein is the Senior Vice President and Senior Policy Director for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, where he guides and conducts research on a wide array of topics related to fiscal policy and the federal budget. He is frequently quoted in a number of major media outlets and works regularly with Members of Congress and their staffs on budget-related issues.