There are 5
economics articles included on the summer reading list below. Read all of them carefully in August, and be
prepared to discuss them at the beginning of the semester.
Things to
think about while reading each paper:
What is the
fundamental economic theory? How does that fit in with what you know? What is the empirical strategy? Does that seem like a good idea? What are the results - do they seem
plausible? What do you learn from the
paper? Does it give you other
ideas? What else might you want to see
the authors do?
You should
read carefully, actively, and critically.
Get a good sense of what each paper does.
Gary S. Becker,
Tomas J. Philipson, and Rodrigo R. Soares, 2005. “The Quantity and Quality of
Life and the Evolution of World Inequality,” American Economic Review, 95(1),
p. 277-291.
Lawrence Summers,
1989. “Some Simple Economics of Mandated Benefits”, American Economic Review,
p.177-183.