Current Events in Macroeconomics – Unemployment and Inflation

Choose one of the two options below and pay particular attention to any discussion relating to the macroeconomics concepts addressed in the current unit. After listening or reading, answer the following questions:

What important new things did you learn?
Did the topics discussed in the article or podcast relate to your personal experience in any way? If so, how? If not, how do you believe it could?
How does this new knowledge relate to unemployment, inflation, or other macroeconomic measurements that are being explored in this unit and how they impact the entire economy?
Based on what you learned, what action(s), if any, do you think the government, or society, should take?

Option 1: Podcast

Choose any podcast related to the macroeconomics concepts addressed in the current unit, then choose a specific current episode of that podcast. Examples of acceptable economic-oriented podcasts include:

NPR’s Marketplace
NPR’s Planet Money
Bloomberg’s Stephanomics
The New Economics Foundation’s Weekly Economics

If you are unfamiliar with podcasts, use any of the above options or just search for economics podcasts. You may also use TED Talks about economic issues.

Option 2: Magazine or Newspaper Article

Using the Library’s Publication Finder, search for a magazine or newspaper that publishes economic-related content. Select a current article related to at least one of the macroeconomics concepts addressed in the current unit.

Examples of magazines and newspapers publishing economic-related content include:

The Economist
Harvard Business Review
New York Times
Wall Street Journal

You must follow the following criteria for your research:

Explain how your search terms were refined.
Identify your choice of databases (for example: EBSCO or ProQuest ABI/Inform).
Identify the range of dates used.
Identify the experts.
Identify how you sorted the relevant topics.

Write a summary of the article(s), answering the following questions:

Why are financial markets essential for a healthy economy and economic growth?
What are financial institutions?
Describe each and give an example of who may use them:
Investment banks
Commercial banks
Financial services corporations
Pension funds
Mutual funds