ECON 4 ALL
Explore why the economic way of thinking is essential to everyday decision-making. Econ 4 All is a series of short videos which help us understand how economics relates to our daily lives and activities. Economics is the study of human decision-making, or choice, under uncertainty and in the face of scarcity. This video series offers relatable economics content which helps bring the truths of economics to life in accessible ways.
The Most Bang for the Least Buck
Economics is about the constant calculus of choice. We make thousands of decisions per day, and we never have all the expertise. We must think about how to maximize our benefits and minimize our costs.
Resources
>>The Economic Way of Thinking
>>Incentives Matter
>>Incentives
Wake Up and Smell The Market Economy
We rely on thousands of products each day that we have no idea how to make, we often don’t know where they come from! But this reliance on strangers frees us our time. Market economies allow peaceful cooperation, discovery, and through that wealth creation.
Resources
>>I, Pencil
>>It’s a Wonderful Loaf
This Economy is Bananas B-A-N-A-N-A-S
Through incentives, we can weigh costs and benefits and attempt to improve our conditions. In this, we get to grow wealth by becoming more productive through the process of global markets.
Resources
>>The Joy of Stats
>>Treasure Island
Dr. Anne Bradley,TFAS Academic Internship Program
George and Sally Mayer Fellow for Economic Education and TFAS Vice President of Academic Affairs
Dr. Anne Rathbone Bradley is the George and Sally Mayer Fellow for Economic Education and the academic director at The Fund for American Studies. Through this position, Dr. Bradley works to enhance the impact and reach of TFAS economic education programs through courses, seminars, videos and social media. She also delivers lectures around the country and oversees curriculum development and evaluation for economics courses.
Previously, Dr. Bradley served as the vice president of economic initiatives at the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, where she continues research toward a systematic biblical theology of economic freedom. In addition to her work with TFAS, she is a professor of economics at The Institute for World Politics and Grove City College. She is a visiting professor at George Mason University and has previously taught at Georgetown University and Charles University in Prague. She is currently an Acton Affiliate scholar and a visiting scholar at the Bernard Center for Women, Politics & Public Policy. She is a lecturer for the Institute for Humane Studies and the Foundation for Economic Education.
Campus Speaker Series
Our speaker series gives students and campus communities all over the country exposure to foundational economic principles which provide a framework for understanding the complex problems of the world. The economic way of thinking is a powerful tool and allows us to escape our ideological priors and assess specific policies, but also economic, legal and political systems based on their efficacy to advance human flourishing.
For additional information and to bring Dr. Bradley to your campus free of charge, contact Laura Cusack at lcusack@TFAS.org.
The quest for human flourishing is universal, yet there is no agreed-upon answer as to how we obtain it not just for ourselves, but for the poorest among us. While economics suggests that market economies are the world’s most powerful anti-poverty program, much debate remains about whether we should accept and support such structures. This lecture explores these issues and examines how we can embrace and support authentic human flourishing through market trade. Beginning with some universal truths about human nature and the economic realities of the world, Dr. Bradley will explain how understanding and acknowledging them helps us overcome them – creating a better and freer world for all.
Many are worried that Capitalism has lost its way, or may be a good idea in the first place. These lamentations come from the Progressive Left and the Christian Right with some calling for a kinder, gentler version of a market order. They desire something that promises more stuff, more freedom, and an egalitarian distribution of both. This leads to new calls for Democratic Socialism which usually ends up being just socialism with a genteel name. In this talk, we will explore whether democratic socialism is a good goal and whether capitalism needs to be abandoned for more egalitarian alternatives.
Terrorism is one of the defining military and foreign policy topics of our time and the War on Terrorism knows no end. Economics can help us establish a framework of understanding how and why terrorists operate and what can be done to reduce the demand for terrorism as a mechanism for social change.
It is often asked whether Christians can support Economic Freedom and the accumulating wealth it affords. Understanding Christian theology helps us know our purpose and our telos which is to flourish. Economic Freedom is the best way we can allow ordinary people to care for their families and neighbors by serving them through work and the marketplace.
2022-2023 Campus Speaker Series Schedule
September 14
University of Tennessee Chattanooga
September 26
Colorado Christian University
October 3
Mt. Vernon Nazarene University
October 27
Belmont University
November 9
University of Mississippi
November 21
Southern Economics Association Conference
January 26
Arizona State University
February 7
Samford University