Learn

Each lesson plan combines a 5-minute read of an online blog post and then a series of fact questions and an analytic activity. The lesson plans provide a mini economics course because each one includes current events facts and an economic concept.

Learn With Elaine: McDonald’s Speedy Drive-Thru

To compete against other fast food chains in a monopolistically competitive market,, McDonald’s needs a speedy drive-thru.

Learn With Elaine: Panama Canal Expansion

Wide enough for huge container ships, the newly expanded Panama Canal will boost global trade and production.

Learn With Elaine: Misleading Metrics

Like factory quotas, snake bounties, or college ranking, sometimes incentives can create unintended consequences.

Learn With Elaine: Uber’s Driver Shortages

Related to universal supply side incentives, Uber’s driver shortages display the power of the higher prices that motivate producers.

Learn With Elaine: Tokyo 2020

Seemingly simple, the pandemic delays that created ticket refunds for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics have an immense cost.

Learn With Elaine: Inventing Post-it Notes

An accidental innovation, Post-it Notes had a massive economic impact through the private and social returns that they created.

Learn With Elaine: Impulse Buying

Staying at home during the pandemic, we have shifted our impulse buying from the supermarket to our online shopping cart.

Learn With Elaine: Banana Problems

Echoing what happened during the 1950s, banana problems with a spreading fungus mean we will again need a new kind of banana.

Learn With Elaine: An African Trade Deal

Looking at a recent African trade deal, we can debate the many sides of free trade.