This course will cover six key economic issues: the recent slowdown of US economic growth, economic inequality, the US’s mounting national debt, the US’s inefficient health care system, the US’s soaring prescription drug prices, and immigration.
Here are some of the questions that will be addressed: What caused the recent slowdown in the nation’s growth? Is faster growth a good thing? What is driving the US’s widening income inequality? Is the “American Dream” now just a pipedream for all but the richest Americans? How critical is it for America’s national deficit to be reduced? Why does the US spend so much more on health care than other high-income countries, and is it getting its money’s worth? Why are pharmaceutical drug prices so high in the US? Can drug price inflation in the US be tamed? What are the benefits and costs of immigration to US citizens, and does one exceed the other?
