Welcome to ECO 130,

Contemporary Economic Issues!


Hi!  I'm Fred Ruppel, your instructor.  You may have seen my homepage on your way here.  This is the homepage for our class for the Fall 2005 term.  I'll be re-building this site occasionally as the semester goes on.  You'll be able to view and download the class syllabus -- no excuses for ever losing it now -- plus I'll provide you with links to some interesting sites.  The first of these will be the web-link to your textbook.  Check it out and see what's on their website. 

I've also got some websites for U.S. and international economic information.  We'll get to macroeconomics and the U.S. economy in the last third of the course (chapters 11-15).  Two of the major sources of U.S. economic data are the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Economic Report of the President.  You can search around on each of these websites for data on how the U.S. economy is doing.  We will also be studying some global economic issues.  There are some good links for international data (chapters 5 and 8).  The CIA publishes country-specific information in its CIA Factbook.   The Factbook is a good source to begin a "case study" of a country.  One of the best sources for international economic data is the World Bank's World Development Indicators.  Much of the focus here is on poverty and worldwide economic development.

Details / Notes for Textbook Chapters

Much of the material on this website will be chapter readings and diagrams for the course.  Each of the following links was created in one of the following formats: MSWord (*.doc), Corel WordPerfect (*.wpd), JPEG photo format (*.jpg), QuattroPro (*.qpw), or MSExcel (*.xls).  When you click on the link, you will probably not see the file contents directly.  Instead, your browser will typically prompt you to either open the file or to save the file.  If you are at a public computer, you should click "Open the file".  If you are at a private computer, I suggest you save the file to a diskette or your hard drive, then open it later with the appropriate software.  For you to access a file, you must have word processing or photo edit software on your machine.  Most software packages (WordPerfect, MSWord, etc.) can read other formats if conversion software is loaded with the package.  Many software packages do not automatically load conversion software -- you sometimes have to specifically request it.  See your lab manager for assistance.  You can always call the EKU Help Desk (859-622-3000) for assistance.

The chapter readings contain a number of diagrams.  You will probably be using word processing software to read through the chapters.  When you see a reference to a diagram you should ALT-TAB back to this page and then click on the appropriate diagram link (FigureX-Y.jpg).  You can then ALT-TAB between the text and the figure.  Please keep track of any errors or confusing items you find in either the text or the diagrams.

Syllabus

Class Information and Updates

Socratic Learning Method

Macro Links

Exam1MWF, Spring 04

Exam2MWF, Spring 04

Exam3MWF, Spring 04

Exam4MWF, Spring 04

Spreadsheets:
    Retirement Spreadsheet, QPW
    Retirement Spreadsheet, XLS
    Gross Domestic Product.XLS
    National Data.XLS

Chapter Readings

Preface
Preface.doc
Preface.mht

Poverty and World Hunger
Chapter 1.doc
Chapter 1.mht
    Figure1-1.jpg    Figure1-2.jpg    Figure1-3.jpg    FigureA1-1.jpg    FigureA1-2.jpg
  
International Trade
Chapter 2.doc
Chapter 2.mht
    Figure2-1.jpg    Figure2-2.jpg    Figure2-3.jpg    Figure2-4.jpg    Figure2-5.jpg    Figure2-6.jpg    Figure2-7.jpg    Figure2-8.jpg    Figure2-9.jpg
    Figure2-10.jpg  Figure2-11.jpg  Figure2-12.jpg
 
 Protectionism
Chapter 3.doc
Chapter 3.mht
    Figure3-1.jpg    Figure3-2.jpg    Figure3-3.jpg    Figure3-4.jpg    Figure3-5.jpg    Figure3-6.jpg    Figure3-7.jpg
 
Agriculture
Chapter 4.doc
Chapter 4.mht
    Figure4-1.jpg    Figure4-2.jpg    Figure4-3.jpg    Figure4-4.jpg    Figure4-5.jpg    Figure4-6.jpg    Figure4-7.jpg    Figure4-8.jpg   
  
Energy
Chapter 5.doc
Chapter 5.mht
    Figure5-1.jpg    Figure5-2.jpg    Figure5-3.jpg    Figure5-4.jpg    Figure5-5.jpg    Figure5-6.jpg    Figure5-7.jpg    Figure5-8.jpg   
  
Labor Issues
Chapter 6.doc
Chapter 6.mht
    Figure6-1.jpg    Figure6-2.jpg    Figure6-3.jpg    Figure6-4.jpg    Figure6-5.jpg    Figure6-6.jpg    Figure6-7.jpg    Figure6-8.jpg    Figure6-9.jpg

Globalization
Chapter 7.doc
Chapter 7.mht
    Figure7-1.jpg    Figure7-2.jpg    Figure7-3.jpg    Figure7-4.jpg    Figure7-5.jpg    Figure7-6.jpg

Market Structures and Perfect Competition 
Chapter 8.doc
Chapter 8.mht
    Figure8-1.jpg    Figure8-2.jpg    Figure8-3.jpg    Figure8-4.jpg    Figure8-5.jpg    Figure8-6.jpg    Figure8-7.jpg   

Market Power and Monopoly
Chapter 9.doc
Chapter 9.mht
    Figure9-1.jpg    Figure9-2.jpg    Figure9-3.jpg    Figure9-4.jpg    Figure9-5.jpg    Figure9-6.jpg    Figure9-7.jpg    Figure9-8.jpg

Market Power and Imperfect Competition 
Chapter 10.doc
Chapter 10.mht
    Figure10-1.jpg    Figure10-2.jpg    Figure10-3.jpg    Figure10-4.jpg    Figure10-5.jpg    Figure10-6.jpg    Figure10-7.jpg    Figure10-8.jpg

The Role of Government
Chapter 11.doc
Chapter 11.mht
    Figure11-1.jpg     

Externalities, Pollution and Education
Chapter 12.doc
Chapter 12.mht
    Figure12-1.jpg    Figure12-2.jpg    Figure12-3.jpg    Figure12-4.jpg    Figure12-5.jpg    Figure12-6.jpg    Figure12-7.jpg    Figure12-8.jpg    Figure12-9.jpg