Thanks to those who have participated in our first session of Let’s Talk About…How Should We Rebuild Our Economy? These events are an opportunity to join a national discussion on issues facing our nation, and invites people with different perspectives and experiences to share their views. To learn more about this brand-new program series, click here.
As written by Jodi Beggs for ThoughtCo., “…economics is the study of how people and groups of people use their resources” (Economics for Beginners, 2019). Our economy is a complex system with many moving parts, and to talk about how we should rebuild our economy, it’s helpful to understand the building blocks of how our economy works.
Here is a collection of resources to learn more about the U.S. and global economy, recessions, and strategies for navigating the job market:
- To get started, ThoughtCo. offers an overview of economics in Economics for Beginners: Understanding the Basics. The article covers essential concepts and terms used in the field and links to in-depth articles for further reading. Learn about supply and demand, financial markets, and how we measure economic growth and decline.
- This quick video from TED-Ed (the educational offshoot of the TED nonprofit) focuses specifically on economic recessions and what causes them. You can also visit their web page on this subject to take a quiz about what you’ve learned, and find additional resources on this topic.
What Causes an Economic Recession?
- Crash Course, with John Green and Hank Green, offers free educational videos in a range of topics, including economics. Though these videos are geared toward high school students, they are great for adults, too! Each session is about 10 – 15 minutes, and provides information on larger economic concepts as well as specific events that can affect our economy.
- You can use your library card to access Lynda.com for thousands of career-related videos, courses, and trainings. These two courses can help you gain a better understanding economic recession, and how the state of the economy can affect the job market, unemployment, and wages.
Book Lists
- A Beginner’s Guide to the World Economy: Eighty-one basic economic concepts that will change the way you see the world (Randy Charles Epping, 2001)
- Basic Economics: A common-sense guide to the economy (Thomas Sowell, 2010)
- The New World Economy: A Beginner’s Guide: Demystifying everything from AI and bitcoins to unicorns and Generation Z (Randy Charles Epping, 2020)
- The 21st Century Economy: A Beginner’s Guide: 101 easy-to-learn tools for surviving and thriving in the new global marketplace by Randy Charles Epping (2009)
- Economy 101: Studies the basics of the free market economy, delving into details about economic growth, recessions, and government interventions (Yvette LaPierre, 2020)