''Economics U$A'' is a telecourse series covering the subjects of

microeconomics Microeconomics is a branch of economics that studies the behavior of individuals and Theory of the firm, firms in making decisions regarding the allocation of scarcity, scarce resources and the interactions among these individuals and firms. M ...

and

macroeconomics Macroeconomics is a branch of economics that deals with the performance, structure, behavior, and decision-making of an economy as a whole. This includes regional, national, and global economies. Macroeconomists study topics such as output (econ ...

. The original series debuted in 1985 and has been updated several times since then (most recently in 2011). The series was produced by the Educational Film Center in

Annandale, Virginia Annandale () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia.Annenberg Annenberg may refer to: * Annenberg (surname) * The Annenberg Foundation, formerly Annenberg/CPB, known for funding educational television and the Annenberg Channel * Annenberg School for Communication (disambiguation) ** The USC Annenberg School f ...

- CPB Project (now

Annenberg Media The Annenberg Foundation is a foundation that provides funding and support to non-profit organizations. Overview The Annenberg Foundation was established by Walter H. Annenberg in 1989 with $1.2 billion, one-third of the assets from the sale o ...

) and broadcast on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

and educational stations. The series was hosted by David Schoumacher, with the help of economic analysts Richard T. Gill and Nariman Behravesh (Chief Economist and Executive Vice President,

Global Insight Global Insight is an economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics fo ...

). The series consist largely of interviews of government officials, economic analysts, and people who have experienced important events for the economy of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Herbert Stein Herbert Stein (August 27, 1916 – September 8, 1999) was an American economist, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and a member of the board of contributors of ''The Wall Street Journal''. He was the chairman of the Council o ...

, an economic advisor for the

Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th vice president under P ...

administration, is one of the many guests interviewed in the series.

Episode guide

Episode 1 - Resources and Scarcity: What Is Economics All About?
** Wilderness preservation and WWII productivity show how society allocates and transforms resources.

** Developer William J. Levitt's low-cost housing and Reggie Jackson's contract help explain the powerful forces of supply and demand.

** This episode documents the GNP's greatest achievements and failures since its introduction in the 1930s. **Guests: Robert R. Nathan, War Production Broad,

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

;

Alfred E. Kahn Alfred Edward Kahn (October 17, 1917 – December 27, 2010) was an American economist and political advisor who specialized in regulation and deregulation. He was an important influence in the deregulation of the airline and energy industries. ...

Economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

; John Kendrick,

;

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

;

Gaylord Nelson Gaylord Anton Nelson (June 4, 1916July 3, 2005) was an American politician from Wisconsin who served as a United States senator and governor. He was a member of the Democratic Party and the founder of Earth Day, which launched a new wave of en ...

, Counselor, The Wilderness Society
Episode 4 - Booms and Busts: What Causes the Business Cycle?
** America's roller-coaster economy is examined in light of the economic theories of Marx, Schumpeter, Keynes, and Say.

* ttp://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=343 Episode 6 - Fiscal Policy: Can We Control the Economy?
Episode 7 - Inflation: How Did the Spiral Begin?
**Inflation in the 1960s - What caused that spiral and how did inflation get out of control? **Guests:

Walter Heller Walter Wolfgang Heller (27 August 1915 – 15 June 1987) was a leading American economist of the 1960s, and an influential adviser to President John F. Kennedy as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, 1961–1964. Life and career Hell ...

, Former Chairman,

Council of Economic Advisors The Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) is a United States agency within the Executive Office of the President established in 1946, which advises the president of the United States on economic policy. The CEA provides much of the empirical resea ...

;

James Duesenberry James Stemble Duesenberry (July 18, 1918 – October 5, 2009) was an American economist. He made a significant contribution to the Keynesian analysis of income and employment with his 1949 doctoral thesis ''Income, Saving and the Theory of Consu ...

, Former Member,

Episode 8 - The Banking System: Why Must It Be Protected?
** The S&L crisis is reviewed with a discussion of deposit insurance and the accountability of financial institutions. This program was revised in 1992.

**Guests:

Arthur Laffer Arthur Betz Laffer (; born August 14, 1940) is an American Economics, economist and author who first gained prominence during the Presidency of Ronald Reagan, Reagan administration as a member of Reagan's Economic Policy Advisory Board (1981–19 ...

, Economist
Episode 12 - Federal Deficits: Can We Live With Them?

* ttp://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=352 Episode 15 - The Firm: How Can We Keep Costs Down?** This program looks at the economic factors behind Coke's secret formula change, Studebaker's demise, and The Asbury Park Press.
Episode 16 - Supply and Demand: What Sets the Price?

** This program presents the inside story of American farming's crises from the 1920s to the present.

** Rent control in New York City explains the effect of wage and price controls in a free market economy.

* ttp://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=358 Episode 21 - Pollution: How Much Is a Clean Environment Worth?** The private and social costs of pollution and the international response to global warming are explored.
Episode 22 - Labor & Management: How do They Come to Terms?

* ttp://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=361 Episode 24 - Reducing Poverty: What Have We Done?
Episode 25 - Economic Growth: Can We Keep Up the Pace?

* ttp://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=364 Episode 27 - International Trade: For Whose Benefit?**Guests: Robert Crandell, economist,

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as Brookings, is an American think tank that conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics (and tax policy), metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, global econo ...

; Rep.

John Dingell John David Dingell Jr. ( ; July 8, 1926 – February 7, 2019) was an American politician from the state of Michigan who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1955 until 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, D ...

, D-

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

; Sen. William Brock, R-

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

; Special Trade Representative, Kay Jennings,

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

dealer; Anthony Solomon, Deputy Treasury Secretary,

Carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter ...

administration; Patricia Fernandez Kelly; Steve Knaebel, President, Cummins Engine-Mexico
Episode 28 - Exchange Rates: What in the World Is a Dollar Worth?
**Guests: Dr. Edward Bernstein, former Principal Economist, U.S. Treasury Department; Dr. Joan Spero, Senior Vice-President, Corporate Affairs,

American Express American Express Company or Amex is an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes in payment card industry, payment cards. It is headquartered at 200 Vesey Street, also known as American Expr ...

; Dr.

Marina von Neumann Whitman Marina von Neumann Whitman (March 6, 1935 – May 20, 2025) was an American economist, writer, and automobile executive. She was a professor of business administration and public policy at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business as ...

, former economic advisor to

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Richard M. Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th vice president under P ...

;

Martin Feldstein Martin Stuart Feldstein ( ; November 25, 1939 – June 11, 2019) was an American economist. He was the George F. Baker Professor of Economics at Harvard University and the president emeritus of the National Bureau of Economic Research. He s ...

; George F. Baker Professor of Economics,

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

; Michael Mussa

References

* https://web.archive.org/web/20070929180413/http://www.efcvideo.com/EconomicsUSA/ * http://www.learner.org/resources/series79.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Economics USA 1986 American television series debuts PBS original programming Television series by the Annenberg Foundation