Hot Topics help you help your students apply economic reasoning to the news and public policy issues of the day. FTE will watch the news for you, and when we find a story that lends itself to economic analysis, we'll email you a Hot Topic discussion guide, hot off the virtual press.

Suggest a Hot Topic!

---

Most Recent Hot Topics

Recession Hits the Poorest of the Poor 06/01/09

For the past two centuries, the percentage of the world\'s population living in poverty has been falling even as the world population grew. The World Bank defines absolute poverty as living on the equivalent of less than $1.25 a day, and for the past two decades, not only the percentage, but the actual number of poor in the world has fallen. There are actually fewer poor people in the world today than there were 20 years ago. The decline in poverty around the world is the result of unprecedented economic growth. But, the current economic crisis reminds us that just as economic growth helps raise standards of living of the poor, a world-wide recession in which rates of growth fall, sends many back into poverty.

 

Saving and Spending: A Good News/Bad News Story 03/13/09

American consumers and business are embarking on an era of thrift as the recession deepens, saving more money as they cut spending on purchases as varied as sweaters, new homes and office towers. ... The personal saving rate in the last three months of 2008 rose to its highest level in 6 years.

 

The Genesis of a Crisis  01/30/09

The financial turmoil we are currently experiencing is not the result of any single action, law or individual. It is the culmination of regulatory and market forces that have been building for over three decades. This brief article is designed to give the reader a quick overview of some of the major themes that have contributed to our present financial difficulties.

 

Scalping Inauguration Tickets  01/20/09

Scarcity is the basic economic problem – limited resources and unlimited wants and needs. Evidence of scarcity can be seen everywhere and the 2009 Presidential Inauguration is no exception. With only days remaining until the swearing in of Barack Obama, people are scrambling to get their hands on one of only 250,000 tickets available to what may prove to be the most popular presidential inauguration of our time.

 

The Dollar's Comeback?  10/16/08

On July 15, 2008, the dollar was at its lowest level against the Euro ($1.6038 per Euro) since the Euro’s inception in 1999. By September 11, 2008, the dollar had rallied to a one-year high of $1.3882/€. Now, amid fears of a looming recession, possible inflation, and the credit crisis, many people are left wondering what’s in store for the dollar.

 

What's Up With Gas Prices? 05/05/08

Road Trip! The perfect graduation celebration, right? Wrong! Have you seen the price of gas lately? In dollar terms, the cost of filling a gas tank is at an historical high, and prices are rising daily. Definitely not good for summer travel plans. So, who's the villain in this sinister plot to make summer vacations more expensive?

 

Older Hot Topics…

---

Thanks to FTE partner The Heartland Foundation for it's assistance in providing articles and columns used in compiling the Hot Topic student handouts.