An Experimental,Evaluated Elementary Course

This is the first of a series of special reports on experimental introductory courses sponsored by the Joint Council on Economic Education. The rationale and objectives of the course are set forth, the content is outlined, and the readings are indicated. Suggested problems and “application units” are given, and an evaluation of the course as it was presented at Carnegie-Mellon University is described.     

新制度经济学中的人力资本探析

企业是一个人力资本和非人力资本的特别合约（周其仁,1996）,人力资本的载体是有意识的劳动,因此人力资本比物资资本更加复杂和微妙。本在新制度经济学的框架内,从产权、交易费用和契约的角度阐述人力资本的特性,并认为这些特性与激励制度、项目责任制、企业规模、劳动合同等企业现象密切相关。     

经济学发展的基本途径

笔者探讨了经济学发展的基本途径,以经济学的自然科学基础更新为例,说明经济学发展要吸收科学发展的成果;以金融市场成为"人造市场"为例.说明经济学发展需要从现实中吸收营养;以当前金融--经济危机为例.说明经济学发展需要继承前人的研究成果,特别是马克思的基本理论;以科学发展的两条道路为例.说明经济学发展需要遵循科学发展的客观规律.     

Simulation Gaming in the Managerial Economics Course

Solow examines the seeming disarray of the economics profession, particularly with regard to macroeconomics, and attempts to indicate why this should be the case. He concludes with a bit of advice and a brief list of objectives for the first course in economics.     

Further Evidence on the Value of Lectures in Elementary Economics

Buckles and McMahon have designed an experiment which can be used in all types of colleges to provide evidence on the best methods of teaching elementary economics. They have tested the hypothesis that class lectures which do no more than recapitulate assigned readings fail to help students learn elementary microeconomic theory. Grade point average and performance on the TUCE pretest were found to be important variables, but attendance at lectures was not. The authors discuss the implications of their findings and suggest further research efforts.     

An Evaluation of the Use of the Marketplace Game in Junior College Economics

In the search for new and better ways of teaching economic concepts, instructors are turning to a wide variety of materials and methods. There is a need to evaluate any new technique, not only in broad general terms but in its use with a specific type of college or student. Furthermore, one cannot generalize about such things as games and simulations but should concentrate on evaluating particular pieces of material or approaches, and the effectiveness of those items with particular kinds of students. This article will raise many questions about the adequacy of the research that has been done in this field and will undoubtedly inspire others to employ similar means of testing and evaluating new materials and methods. Other educational researchers might be especially interested in the authors' use of factor analysis.     

An Evaluation of Award-Winning Elementary Teaching Materials from the Kazanjian Program

In an unusual study, Professor Nappi attempts to measure the effectiveness of teacher-made materials in increasing the economic knowledge of elementary school pupils. In addition, he asks whether special training for teachers using the materials results in greater pupil learning as well. Finally, he seeks to determine the extent to which the teacher's understanding of economics (as measured by the Test of Economic Understanding published by Science Research Associates) brings about a change in pupil knowledge. Experimental and control groups were established for purposes of this study, and the pupil change scores were adjusted for differences in mental ability. It was found that, ceteris paribus, the materials, the special training for teachers, and teacher knowledge of economics all resulted in “comparative advantages” for experimental group pupils.     

The Lasting Effects of an Introductory Economics Course: An Exploratory Study

The author advocates the application of experiential learning in economics courses at the tertiary level. The author evaluates a range of learning methods, both passive and active, in a student survey that provides data on under-graduate attitudes to various class activities. The results indicate a clear student preference for learning activities in economics that can be described as experiential. Analysis of reported student preferences also detects differences according to gender and day or evening class attendance.     

Teaching Ecological and Feminist Economics in the Principles Course

It can be difficult to incorporate ecological and feminist concerns into introductory courses, when one is also obliged to teach neoclassical analysis. In this essay we briefly describe how one might extend existing “multi-paradigmatic” approaches to feminist and ecological concerns, and then present an new alternative approach that may be more suitable for some students. This “broader questions and bigger toolbox” approach can be applied in both microeconomics and macroeconomics introductory classrooms.     

Econometrics as a Capstone Course in Economics

The author describes an econometrics capstone course design at a large public university that offers economics degrees in both business (BBA) and liberal arts (BS). The goal of the capstone is to provide a research experience similar to those in the honors college but on the smaller scale of a one-semester course. The revisions for converting an existing course to a capstone, the student activities adopted, and sample outcomes are addressed. The hurdles overcome within the respective colleges in order to create a capstone course are discussed. Summaries of several student projects as well as publication of faculty-mentored student research papers illustrate the viability of econometrics as a capstone course for institutions unable to establish a stand-alone research course for that purpose.     

西方经济学教学过程中存在的主要问题及其化解对策探讨

目前在西方经济学的教学过程中主要存在着价值观引导、经济学分析方法的认识深化、理论与实际脱节以及课程体系调整没到位等方面的问题。为解决这些问题,一方面应充分认识到西方经济学的理论研究与教学间所存在的巨大差距,切实明确课堂教学的价值观目标;同时注重对西方经济学产生过程的历程以及不同经济学家思想观点的比较分析,避免将西方经济学的教学过程变成单纯的理论与观点灌输;另一方面则要加强教材研究和教材建设中的伦理道德导向内容．切实保持相关课程间在内容以及伦理道德观上的连续性与一致性。     

On the Evaluation of Options on Lotteries: An Experimental Study

We present the results of a comparative experimental study of the evaluation of simple lotteries and call/put/insurance options on these lotteries. The main findings and conclusions are:

(a) The observed bidding patterns depend on the type of asset under evaluation. In particular, subject behavior when buying or selling a basic lottery seems much more cautious than their behavior when buying or selling options on that lottery.

(b) The observed bidding patterns also depend on subject positions with respect to the underlying asset. In particular, the bids for buying lotteries and options long are statistically uncorrelated with the bids for selling the same lotteries and options short.

(c) Subjects with extreme risk attitudes are more inclined to violate basic no-arbitrage conditions (like the call-put parity) when bidding for the different lotteries.

We demonstrate that it is difficult to reconcile the experimental evidence with mainstream theories on individual decision and choice (although we find strong support for prospect theory in some parts of the data). We conclude that the evaluation of options on lotteries is context-dependent and subtler than perceived by existing theories.     

浅析生态资本

本文论述生态资本及生态资本的属性,从生态资本形态创新和技术创新两个方面来探讨生态资本经营的基本规律。     

Applications of Generative Learning for the Survey of International Economics Course

Generative learning provides students with opportunities to organize course content, integrate new content with students' current knowledge, and elaborate on course content by making connections to real-world events. These opportunities promote less reliance on professors' lectures and simultaneously create more self-reliance among students. The authors offer categories of generative learning strategies and briefly discuss their merits. They offer ideas for implementing generative strategies into the day-to-day events of an economics course. Although the authors use a survey of international economics course as their example, the ideas in this article could be applied in a variety of economics courses.