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Economics of Public Issues, The, 20th edition

Published by Pearson (July 11, 2017) © 2018

  • Roger LeRoy Miller Institute for University Studies, Arlington Texas

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For principles of economics, public policy, and social issues courses.

Brief, relevant readings that spark independent thinking and classroom discussions

The Economics of Public Issues is a collection of brief, relevant readings that spark independent thinking and classroom discussion in principles of economics and social issues. The 20th Edition encourages students to apply theoretical discussions to today’s important issues to gain a deeper understanding of current microeconomic policy concerns.

Spark independent thinking and classroom discussion

  • Readings are concise, allowing for easy integration into any principles of economics or issues-based classroom.
  • A correlation guide in the preface illustrates how to integrate topics into different courses.
  • Conversational and informative non-technical writing is geared toward principles-level students and does not require advanced math.
  • Using the latest debates in social policy, the authors encourage readers to question their own assumptions and the analysis offered by the media and politicians on key issues.
  • End-of-chapter questions offer students the opportunity to test their knowledge and review chapter concepts.
  • An online Instructor’s Manual (available via the Instructor’s Resource Center: www.pearsonhighered.com) provides tips for leading classroom dialogue, and includes:
    • A synopsis that cuts to the core of the economics issues presented in the chapter
    • A concise exposition of the “behind the scenes” economic foundations of the text (along with 1 or more diagrams)
    • Answers to all end-of-chapter discussion questions, along with suggested new avenues of discussion
  • Selected Readings for each chapter are listed at the back of the book for further student exploration.
  • A Glossary is included at the back of the book to help students use new terms.

Illustrate the power of economics in explaining the world around us

NEW! The new public issues addressed in this edition possess a sense of immediacy and include the following:

  • The Economics of Obesity (the economic causes and consequences of packing on the pounds)
  • The Platform Economy (why Super Bowl tickets can cost $25k)
  • Student Loans (why you borrow, who will pay)
  • What to Do About the Climate? (what does—and doesn’t—make sense)
  • The End of Recycling (the rise and fall of our favorite environmental program)


Reflect new evidence and incentives

The following chapters have been updated to bring in important new evidence on an issue, or to incorporate recent legal or institutional changes:

  • UPDATED! Chapter 1: Death by Bureaucrat
  • UPDATED! Chapter 6: Sex, Booze, and Drugs
  • UPDATED! Chapter 8: Kidneys for Sale
  • UPDATED! Chapter 11: Das Kapital in the Twenty-First Century
  • UPDATED! Chapter 13: The Effects of the Minimum Wage
  • UPDATED! Chapter 19: Health Insurance for All . . . Or Maybe Not
  • UPDATED! Chapter 26: Save That Species
  • UPDATED! Chapter 30: Globalization and the Wealth of America
  • UPDATED! All remaining chapters have been updated so that students get the most current evidence on each topic in the text.

Illustrate the power of economics in explaining the world around us

The new public issues addressed in this edition possess a sense of immediacy and include the following:

  • The Economics of Obesity (the economic causes and consequences of packing on the pounds)
  • The Platform Economy (why Super Bowl tickets can cost $25k)
  • Student Loans (why you borrow, who will pay)
  • What to Do About the Climate? (what does—and doesn’t—make sense)
  • The End of Recycling (the rise and fall of our favorite environmental program)

Reflect new evidence and incentives

The following chapters have been updated to bring in important new evidence on an issue, or to incorporate recent legal or institutional changes:

  • Chapter 1: Death by Bureaucrat
  • Chapter 6: Sex, Booze, and Drugs
  • Chapter 8: Kidneys for Sale
  • Chapter 11: Das Kapital in the Twenty-First Century
  • Chapter 13: The Effects of the Minimum Wage
  • Chapter 19: Health Insurance for All . . . Or Maybe Not
  • Chapter 26: Save That Species
  • Chapter 30: Globalization and the Wealth of America
  • All remaining chapters have been updated so that students get the most current evidence on each topic in the text.

Brief Contents

PART ONE: THE FOUNDATIONS OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

  1. Death by Bureaucrat
  2. Innovation
  3. Flying the Friendly Skies?
  4. The Mystery of Wealth
  5. The Economics of Exclusion

PART TWO: SUPPLY AND DEMAND

  1. Sex, Booze, and Drugs
  2. The Economics of Obesity
  3. Kidneys for Sale
  4. Are We Running Out of Water?
  5. Bankrupt Landlords, from Sea to Shining Sea

PART THREE: LABOR MARKETS

  1. Das Kapital in the Twenty-First Century
  2. (Why) Are Women Paid Less?
  3. The Effects of the Minimum Wage
  4. The (Dis)incentives of Higher Taxes

PART FOUR: MARKET STRUCTURES

  1. The Platform Economy
  2. Contracts, Combinations, and Conspiracies
  3. Coffee, Tea, or Tuition-Free?
  4. Keeping the Competition Out

PART FIVE: POLITICAL ECONOMY

  1. Health Insurance for All . . . Or Maybe Not
  2. The Deception of Green Energy
  3. The Fight over Genetically Modified Foods
  4. Student Loans
  5. The Graying of America
  6. For Whom the Roads Are Tolled

PART SIX: PROPERTY RIGHTS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

  1. What to Do About the Climate?
  2. Save That Species
  3. Ethanol Madness
  4. The Death of Recycling

PART SEVEN: GLOBALIZATION AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY

  1. The Economics of the Big Mac
  2. Globalization and the Wealth of America
  3. The $750,000 Steelworker

Selected References

Roger LeRoy Miller received his PhD from the University of Chicago. Miller is a legal specialist and author of numerous books on law and the legal environment, including criminal procedure. In addition, Miller has authored books on the war on drugs, the economics of crime and criminal behavior, and on related topics.


Daniel K. Benjamin is an Alumni Distinguished Professor in the John E. Walker Department of Economics, Clemson University. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Virginia and completed his PhD in economics in 1975 at the University of California at Los Angeles where he was a National Science Foundation Fellow. Benjamin has taught at Montana State University, the University of Washington, and the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Clemson University.

Douglass C. North


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