Economics Programs

These National and State economic standards are covered:

* Scarcity - Consumers & Consumer Economics, Opportunity Cost & Choice. 

* Marginal Cost Benefits - Decision Making and Cost-Benefit Analysis, Profit - Motive and Maximization. 

* Allocation of Goods and Services - Economic Systems, Incentives and Choice. 

* Specialization & Trade - Benefits of Trade and Comparative Advantage. 

* Price & Quantity Determination - Markets and Prices, Market Failures - Non-Price Determinants. 

* Role of Competition - Market Failures - Levels of Competition. 

* Role of Government & Property Rights

* Profit & the Entrepreneur - Risk and Return, Decision Making. 

* Growth - Incentives, Opportunity Cost, Markets and Prices. 

All presented in a dynamic experience tailored to your classroom.  Contact us for more information on particular curriculum needs you may have! 

While workshops may be customized, the lecture series is composed of four one-hour sections: 

* LECTURE 1.  The Knowledge Problem.  Explores the limits of human knowledge and begins with Leonard Read's classic essay, "I, Pencil."  This essay asks how pencils can be ubiquitous when no one person knows how to build one from scratch.  The paradox provides insights into all things humans build.  Students start thinking about centralized versus decentralized approaches to solving complex problems.  

* LECTURE 2.  This portion of the workshop explores the knowledge problem through experiments in which students attempt to allocate society's resources in order to make people better off.  Students explore real-world examples that demonstrate how the knowledge problem creates unintended consequences.  

* LECTURE 3.  Here, we learn what economists understand about human behavior of people working in the public and private sectors.  Students experience a series of thought experiments and real-world examples intended to highlight the difference between outcomes that are attained when markets and government work perfectly versus when they are run by real people with human failings and self-interests.  

* LECTURE 4.  Students explore how rights provide guidance for limitations on both markets and government.  

Each of these segments, including time for Q&A, is roughly one hour long. 

By prior arrangement and for audiences of college-bound students, we can present a half-hour discussion session on the value of college majors and what students can expect in college and how they may best prepare. 

We tailor the exact length of the program to your schedule. Generally, we need a minimum of 2 hours with a full day seminar running up to 5 hours.  

We also offer an optional one hour, add-on session to talk about college readiness (applications, admissions, majors, etc.). 

Bottom line:  we can customize length of sessions - just contact us for more information. 

The content builds throughout the program so the same group of students should participate in the sessions from beginning to end.  Contact us for ideas on how we can customize the seminar for your student group! 

The content builds throughout the program so the same group of students should participate in the sessions from beginning to end.  Contact us for ideas on how we can customize the seminar for your student group!

Follow these helpful tips: 

1. Talk to the decision-maker at your school who can approve hosting the program. 

Students participating in the program will miss some of their other classes so you’ll need to work with your administration for approval to host the Economics and Government Program during a school day. The content builds throughout the day so the same group of students should participate from beginning to end. It’s like an in-school, content-rich field trip without the hassle of scheduling chaperones or buses! And, we provide the entire program at no cost to you or your school!

You’ll need to secure a space large enough to accommodate your group of students. This could be in the library, an auditorium, or some other assembly space. The room must have a screen and projector that connects to a laptop. 

2. Contact FEE to secure a date for the program. (Submit the form below and then contact us at [email protected] to set up a date to visit). 

We’ll work with you to find a date that works with your schedule and with our faculty. We’re currently booking visits for the 2019-20 academic year. 

3. About a month before the program, FEE will confirm the details of our visit with you.

We’ll ask to confirm the number of students who will participate to ensure we bring enough materials and we will schedule a shipment of books and brochures to arrive around the time of the program. At this time, we will also work with you on a detailed schedule for the day, including arrival instructions and the times that the seminar should begin and end, so that we can make appropriate travel arrangements. 

4. Enjoy the program! 

On the day of the program, we hope that you will sit-in the seminars and even participate in the experiments. Your colleagues—teachers and administrators—are welcome to join us too as their schedule permits.

Junior and Senior honors and AP-level students are the recommended audience.