Introduction to Economics: Social Issues and Economic Thinking

Introduction to Economics: Social Issues and Economic Thinking is designed to increase student engagement for introductory level economics courses by providing practical applications of economics while also providing a foundation for more technical economics issues. The text begins with a set of chapters that are an "Economics Toolkit" including coverage of key topics like marginal benefits/marginal costs, production possibilities, supply and demand, efficiency, and macroeconomic measurement tools. It then uses the tools to understand various market outcomes, market interventions, and market failures. These chapters, which are often overlooked or completely excluded in other texts, are a valuable means to provide a conceptual framework for students to judge the merit (or lack thereof) of market interventions and other types of social policies.