A Biter's Market

A Biter's Market
In honor of Halloween, this is a nice little article about kids and incentives. Government policy makers are always looking for incentives to motivate us to act in a certain way. Read the article and respond to at least two of the five questions listed at the bottom of the article. Also can you think of any unintended consequences that might arise from this seemingly well meaning act.

Consumer Price Index

The Consumer Price Index is perhaps the most popular of the many price indices calculated by the federal government. It is used to determine Social Security benefits, Cost of Living Adjustments, and the amount of certain taxes that are paid. The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland has a neat educational tool known as the
"drawing board" on their website. Watch the following video and in your post you must do two things.

1) Come up with a legitimate higher order thinking question over material covered in the video.

2) Provide an answer to someone else's question that they posted. (In your answer be sure to list whose question it is you are answering.)

My first question is "How is the economy like Goldilocks?"

Is it time to retire the penny?

Has the venerable $.01 piece outlived its usefulness? Check out the website for some of the arguments in favor of eliminating the penny. What do you think? Also check out this guys hilarious rant against the penny.

The second video is from a guy who loves pennies. Which side are you on?

Planet Money’s t-shirt, comparative advantage and protectionism. A lesson in International Trade

ntroduction: The purpose of this activity is to reflect on the principle of comparative advantage and better understand how the patterns of global trade are shaped by this fundamental concept. You will watch and read the story of a t-shirt that was manufactured using resources from four separate countries. Next, you will respond to an essay prompt.
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Steps:

1. Read the page that tells the backstory to the Planet Money t-shirt project.
2. Watch the five part documentary 
3. Read the stories behind the t-shirt’s different stages of production:

• Cotton
• Machines
• People
• Boxes

Essay prompt:

A comparative advantage exists when a particular task can be done or a good can be produced at a lower opportunity cost by one nation than by a potential trading partner. When countries specialize in the goods for which they have a comparative advantage, the allocation of resources (land, labor and capital) between nations is more efficient, allowing for a greater level of overall production and income than what is possible without trade.

Carefully explain how the the story of the production of the Planet Money t-shirt demonstrates the principle of comparative advantage.