AP Macroeconomics 2014 Summer Reading
 Common Sense Economics by James D. Gwartney. . . [et al.]
2010 edition (ISBN978-0-312-64489-5)
As you read Common Sense Economics, you will be answering the authors’ discussion
questions (see attached) that go along with the “Elements” of each chapter of the book.
Please provide reasoned answers (in your own words) to each question and come prepared
to discuss your insights the first week of class. All work is to be your own and academic
dishonesty will not be tolerated. Work is due for all students your first day back,
Monday, August 11th.
Have a fun and safe summer and I look forward to seeing you in either the fall or spring
semesters next school year!
Regards,
Mr. Jeffrey
Common Sense Economics
Part I. Twelve Key Elements of Economics
1. Suppose you are taking a class and the teacher announces that all students
will receive the same grade at the end of the term. How would this influence
a students’ incentive to study and master the material? If teachers want
their students to learn the course material, do they have a strong incentive
to establish a close relationship between performance and the grade
received? Explain. Element 1
2. Can the government provide goods such as housing, education, or health care
“free” to its citizens? If so, how does this affect the incentive of people to
consume these goods? Explain, using examples. Element 2
3. Explain the law of comparative advantage and the principle of economies of
scale in your own words. Explain how each of these fundamental ideas make
it possible for trading partners to produce a larger output than would
otherwise be attainable. Element 4
4. Evaluate the statement: “Production should be for people and not for profit.”
Think about the following in formulating your answer:
a. If production is profitable, are consumers helped or hurt?
b. Would consumers be helped more if production resulted in a loss?
c. To what extent is there a conflict between the incentives of producers
and the incentives of consumers? Element 7
5. Suppose that enrollment at your college increases sharply and as a result
there is a substantial increase in the number of students looking for
apartments. How will this change affect the price of apartments in the
area? How will this change influence the incentive to conserve on the use of
apartment space? If markets are allowed to operate, how will the future
supply of apartments be affected? Explain. Element 11
Common Sense Economics:
Part II. Seven Major Sources of Economic Progress &
Part III. Economic Progress and the Role of Government
Part II
Element: Legal System: The Foundation for Economic Progress Is a Legal System That
Protects Privately Owned Property and Enforces Contracts in an Evenhanded Manner.
1. “Private ownership forces resource users to confront the cost of the resources they
utilize. Without private ownership, it is difficult to see how the benefits of resource use
could be balanced against the costs incurred.” Evaluate this statement.
Element: Competitive Markets: Competition Promotes the Efficient Use of Resources and
Provides a Continuous Stimulus for Innovative Improvements.
1. Is competition “pro-business?” Do business firms generally lobby legislators requesting
that they make sure that their market is open to all potential producers, or do they often
ask legislators to erect barriers limiting competition from various rivals?
Element: Competitive Markets: Competition Promotes the Efficient Use of Resources and
Provides a Continuous Stimulus for Innovative Improvements.
2. What is “creative destruction”? Historically, how has creative destruction influenced the
quality of our lives? Provide some examples that reinforce your answer to this question.
Concluding Thoughts Part II
3. Discuss the importance of the following as sources of economic growth and prosperity: A)
natural resources, B) density of population, C) democracy, and D) economic freedom
Part III
Element: Government Slows Economic Progress When It Becomes Heavily Involved in
Providing Favors to Some at the Expense of Others.
4. As more firms, products, and sectors are subsidized, businesses will spend more time
trying to get the subsidies. What impact will this have on both the businesses and the
products they produce? How will this affect the economy’s output and income levels?
Element: The Net Gain to Those Receiving Government Transfers Is Less, and Often
Substantially Less, Than the Amount They Receive.
5. Why is it difficult to transfer income to a group of recipients in a manner that will
improve their long-term well-being? Do the secondary effects of the transfers explain
why this is true?
Element: Central Planning Replaces Markets with Politics, Which Wastes Resources and
Retards Economic Progress.
6. “When government controls what is bought and sold in an economy, the first thing that
will be bought and sold will be the legislators.” Evaluate this statement.
Common Sense Economics
Part IV. Twelve Key Elements of Practical Personal Finance
Element 1. Discover Your Comparative Advantage.
1. Why is it important for you to specialize in areas where you have a comparative
advantage? How can you discover key areas where you have a comparative advantage?
Element 2. Be Entrepreneurial. In a Market Economy, People Get Ahead by Helping Others and
Discovering Better Ways of Doing Things.
2. How can you “be entrepreneurial” without ever becoming an entrepreneur in the
traditional sense (i.e., opening up your own business)? Give an example of a time when
you have been entrepreneurial, or an opportunity where you could be entrepreneurial
in the near future.
Element 4. Don't Finance Anything for Longer Than Its Useful Life.
3. What does it mean to finance something for longer than its useful life? How does
doing so force you to “pay in the future both for your past pleasure and your current
desires”? Have you ever done this? How can you avoid doing so in the future?
Element 5. Two Ways to Get More Out of Your Money: Avoid Credit-Card Debt and Consider
Purchasing Used Items.
4. Explain the following statement: “…those who try to increase their consumption using
credit-card debt end up having less consumption and less money than those who avoid
credit-card debt and save instead.”
Element 6. Begin Paying Into a “Real-World” Savings Account Every Month.
5. Consider the following statement: “The surprising element relates to the nature and
timing of the events, not to their occurrence.” Why does it make sense to save for
such “surprises”? Provide some examples from your own life in which a “real-world”
savings account would have (or did!) come in handy.
Element 7. Put the Power of Compound Interest to Work for You.
6. Albert Einstein is purported to have stated, “The most difficult thing in the world to
understand is the power of compound interest.” What do you think he meant by this
statement?
Element 8. Diversify – Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket.
7. What is the difference between a stock (equity) and a bond? Is it risky for the
ordinary investor to undertake stock market investments? Are equity investments
more risky than bonds?
Element 9. Indexed Equity Funds Can Help You Beat the Experts Without Taking Excessive Risk.
8. Can an ordinary person who does not want to spend a lot of time studying the stock
market or analyzing specific businesses expect to earn an attractive return in the
stock market? If so, how?
Element 11. Beware of Investment Schemes Promising High Returns with Little or No Risk.
9. If someone offers you an unbelievable investment option that promises to make you
wealthy in a relatively short period of time, what should you do?
Element 12. Teach Your Children How to Earn Money and Spend It Wisely.
10. “People spend money they earn more wisely than funds that are given to them.”
Indicate why you either agree or disagree with this statement. Use some examples to
make your case.