DOCSLIB.ORG

Laissez-Faire File Sharing

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Laissez-Faire File Sharing Laissez-faire file sharing Access control designed for individuals at the endpoints Maritza L. Johnson Steven M. Bellovin Columbia University Columbia University [email protected] [email protected] Robert W. Reeder Stuart E. Schechter Microsoft Microsoft Research [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT 1. INTRODUCTION When organizations deploy file systems with access con- Despite decades of research into shared file systems, email trol mechanisms that prevent users from reliably sharing remains an enormously popular way to share files. Prior files with others, these users will inevitably find alternative research has shown that email is used more frequently than means to share. Alas, these alternatives rarely provide the other sharing mechanisms [5, 29] and that many users choose same level of confidentiality, integrity, or auditability pro- email as their primary sharing mechanism [31]. Our anecdo- vided by the prescribed file systems. Thus, the imposition tal experiences at Microsoft align with these findings; even of restrictive mechanisms and policies by system designers those individuals and groups we work with that primarily and administrators may actually reduce the system’s secu- use shared file systems (shared folders or SharePoint) in- rity. evitably resort to email attachments when access controls We observe that the failure modes of file systems that en- interfere with sharing. force centrally-imposed access control policies are similar to Like many before us, we set out to enumerate the user re- the failure modes of centrally-planned economies: individu- quirements that lead users to circumvent the file sharing sys- als either learn to circumvent these restrictions as matters of tems prescribed by their organizations. This effort was part necessity or desert the system entirely, subverting the goals of a larger effort to retrofit an existing file sharing system to behind the central policy. better meet the needs of individual knowledge workers; our We formalize requirements for laissez-faire sharing, which goal was to make Windows shared folders as easy to use as it parallel the requirements of free market economies, to bet- is to attach files to email. As we enumerated the needs of in- ter address the file sharing needs of information workers. dividual knowledge workers we discovered surprising resem- Because individuals are less likely to feel compelled to cir- blances to the economic freedoms and other requirements cumvent systems that meet these laissez-faire requirements, that are essential to empowering individual workers in mar- such systems have the potential to increase both productiv- ket economies. These economic parallels provide theoretical ity and security. grounding not only to explain recent survey and interview results, but also to show that this circumvention of centrally- managed access control is inevitable. Categories and Subject Descriptors Indeed, both centrally-planned command economies and K.6 [Management of Computing and Information Sys- file sharing systems with centralized access control share tems]: System Management, Security and Protection, Eco- similar failure modes. Centrally-managed policies hinder in- nomics; H.1.2 [Models and Principles]: User/Machine dividual productivity and give individuals less incentive to Systems—Human Factors participate in the system. As a result many individuals ei- ther flee the system or subvert central planners as a matter of General Terms necessity. In centrally-planned economies the consequences of failures include lost productivity, emigration, and the loss Security, Human Factors, Economics, Management of goods to underground markets. When users opt for alternatives to organizations’ prescribed Keywords systems for storing and sharing files, the organization will File sharing, access control management no longer be able to audit who has accessed the files, en- sure these files are stored in a secure manner, back up files, or otherwise protect their integrity. Thus, overly restric- tive access control policies may negatively impact not only Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for productivity, but security as well. personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are For example, restrictions on where shared data can be not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies accessed often lead users to a dangerous circumvention of bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, to these policies: storage of data on laptops. Of the 570 data republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific breaches reported to the Open Security Foundations DAT- permission and/or a fee. NSPW’09, September 8–11, 2009, Oxford, United Kingdom ALOSSdb in 2008, 116 (20%) were attributed to information Copyright 2010 ACM 978-1-60558-845-2/09/09 ...$10.00. stored on laptops that were stolen, resulting in an aggregate We formalize each of the requirements that define laissez- loss of 2.6 million individual records [18].1 faire sharing in Section 2, presenting each requirement with USB sticks are another example of a mechanism for shar- its economic analog. As we present each requirement we ing and transporting data that is attractive for its flexibil- describe how email-based file sharing fares in meeting it. ity when compared to overly-restrictive file sharing systems. In Section 3 we detail an ongoing effort to layer laissez- Alas, USB memory sticks are easily lost and pose a growing faire email-based sharing on top of Windows folder sharing. malware threat [27], yet when Beautement et al. interviewed We explain how the underlying architecture and deployment 17 employees of both HP Labs and Merrill Lynch about their choices of desktop/workstation file systems impose barriers use of USB memory sticks, all reported using them [2]. The that interfere with our attempts to overlay a laissez-faire participants from Merrill Lynch reported using these sticks model. In Section 4 we discuss how users’ circumvention of for the purpose of transporting information. file sharing technologies that fail to meet these laissez-faire A particularly dangerous workaround for access control requirements drives an evolutionary process away from cen- restrictions is to share a password or other credential for an tralized access control. We discuss further related work in authorized account (e.g., your own) with the intended dele- Section 5 and conclude in Section 6. gate. In interviews with students and technology workers by Weirich and Sasse, participants reported sharing passwords when they deemed it necessary to complete their work [30]. The temptation to circumvent policy that overly restricts 2. DEFINING LAISSEZ-FAIRE SHARING productivity can also be seen in the U.S. nuclear weapons complex. Tober and Hoffman’s book on the Wen Ho Lee Laissez-faire sharing is defined by five properties – own- case [28, p. 294] quotes a weapons physicist explaining ways ership, freedom of delegation, transparency, dependability, “to circumvent some laws we thought were too restrictive, and minimization of friction – which we will now define in to get some work done.” detail. After introducing the definition of each property we Even when secrets of national security are at risk, the will discuss its analog in economics and work an example, costs of access controls that fail to meet the needs of knowl- examining how email-based file sharing fares in achieving edge workers may outweigh the benefits. The fundamental the desired property. assumption of many security practitioners, “that the risk of Ownership inadvertent disclosure outweighs the benefits of wider shar- The owner of a document, initially the individual ing” was faulted by the National Commission on Terrorist who creates it or first introduces it into a sharing Attacks Upon the United States (a.k.a. The 9-11 Commis- system, must not be required to sacrifice rights in sion) in its investigation of why the U.S. intelligence commu- order to add the file into the system. nity failed to discover the 9/11 plot [17]. It concluded that In a market economy, private property rights provide an these “Cold War assumptions are no longer appropriate.” incentive for production: the introduction of goods into the We are not the first to observe the connection between economic system through labor. When individuals do not central planning in economies and in information sharing enjoy the fruits of their labor underground markets inevitably systems. Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, reports emerge to compete with those that are officially sanctioned. being influenced by Nobel Economics Laureate Friedrich In file systems, similar competition exists among prescribed Hayek’s classic essay The Use of Knowledge in Society [8], in file sharing mechanisms and unsanctioned mechanisms. In- which Hayek argues that centrally-planned economies were formation workers may have the opportunity to store their inherently inefficient because only individuals “on the spot” work on a file system local to their device, a portable storage (or at the “endpoints”, in the networking parlance used by device, the shared file system provided by their organization, Wales) maintained the local knowledge necessary to make or even systems external to the organization for which they decisions [13, 23]. Hayek’s arguments have made Wales wary are working. These individuals are less likely to choose to of attempts to change Wikipedia in ways that would “cen- introduce a document into a prescribed file sharing system tralize something that can be left decentralized” [23], includ- if doing so necessitates forfeiting rights, such as the right ing access control. to easily access the file from the location or device of their We argue that Hayek’s arguments for moving control to choosing. For example, if the owner of a file cannot access the endpoints is not only applicable to open systems like a file share from home, or if remote access is especially bur- Wikipedia, but can be applied more generally to include densome, he or she may instead store the file on a USB drive, closed systems as well.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Bibliography
    Bibliography Archival Insights into the Evolution of Economics (and Related Projects) Berlet, C. (2017). Hayek, Mises, and the Iron Rule of Unintended Consequences. In R. Leeson (Ed.), Hayek a Collaborative Biography Part IX: Te Divine Right of the ‘Free’ Market. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Farrant, A., & McPhail, E. (2017). Hayek, Tatcher, and the Muddle of the Middle. In R. Leeson (Ed.), Hayek: A Collaborative Biography Part IX the Divine Right of the Market. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Filip, B. (2018a). Hayek on Limited Democracy, Dictatorships and the ‘Free’ Market: An Interview in Argentina, 1977. In R. Leeson (Ed.), Hayek a Collaborative Biography Part XIII: ‘Fascism’ and Liberalism in the (Austrian) Classical Tradition. Basingstoke, England: Palgrave Macmillan. Filip, B. (2018b). Hayek and Popper on Piecemeal Engineering and Ordo- Liberalism. In R. Leeson (Ed.), Hayek a Collaborative Biography Part XIV: Orwell, Popper, Humboldt and Polanyi. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Friedman, M. F. (2017 [1991]). Say ‘No’ to Intolerance. In R. Leeson & C. Palm (Eds.), Milton Friedman on Freedom. Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution Press. © Te Editor(s) (if applicable) and Te Author(s) 2019 609 R. Leeson, Hayek: A Collaborative Biography, Archival Insights into the Evolution of Economics, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78069-6 610 Bibliography Glasner, D. (2018). Hayek, Gold, Defation and Nihilism. In R. Leeson (Ed.), Hayek a Collaborative Biography Part XIII: ‘Fascism’ and Liberalism in the (Austrian) Classical Tradition. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Goldschmidt, N., & Hesse, J.-O. (2013). Eucken, Hayek, and the Road to Serfdom. In R. Leeson (Ed.), Hayek: A Collaborative Biography Part I Infuences, from Mises to Bartley.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mont Pelerin Society
    A SPECIAL MEETING THE MONT PELERIN SOCIETY JANUARY 15–17, 2020 FROM THE PAST TO THE FUTURE: IDEAS AND ACTIONS FOR A FREE SOCIETY CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR MAKING THE CASE FOR LIBERTY RUSSELL ROBERTS HOOVER INSTITUTION • STANFORD UNIVERSITY 1 1 MAKING THE CASE FOR LIBERTY Prepared for the January 2020 Mont Pelerin Society Meeting Hoover Institution, Stanford University Russ Roberts John and Jean De Nault Research Fellow Hoover Institution Stanford University [email protected] 1 2 According to many economists and pundits, we are living under the dominion of Milton Friedman’s free market, neoliberal worldview. Such is the claim of the recent book, The Economists’ Hour by Binyamin Applebaum. He blames the policy prescriptions of free- market economists for slower growth, inequality, and declining life expectancy. The most important figure in this seemingly disastrous intellectual revolution? “Milton Friedman, an elfin libertarian…Friedman offered an appealingly simple answer for the nation’s problems: Government should get out of the way.” A similar judgment is delivered in a recent article in the Boston Review by Suresh Naidu, Dani Rodrik, and Gabriel Zucman: Leading economists such as Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman were among the founders of the Mont Pelerin Society, the influential group of intellectuals whose advocacy of markets and hostility to government intervention proved highly effective in reshaping the policy landscape after 1980. Deregulation, financialization, dismantling of the welfare state, deinstitutionalization of labor markets, reduction in corporate and progressive taxation, and the pursuit of hyper-globalization—the culprits behind rising inequalities—all seem to be rooted in conventional economic doctrines.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Proceedings of the Wealth and Well-Being of Nations
    The Wealth and Well-Being of Nations of Nations Well-Being and Wealth The • Deirdre McCloskey Deirdre Contributors The Annual Proceedings of Deirdre Nansen McCloskey Joel Mokyr Jan Osborn Bart J. Wilson IX Volume 2016-2017 • Gus P. Gradinger Stephen T. Ziliak Emily Chamlee-Wright The Wealth and Well-Being of Nations Joshua C. Hall Seung (Ginny) Choi Virgil Henry Storr Bob Elder 2016-2017 Laura E. Grube Chuck Lewis Catherine M. Orr Department of Economics Volume IX: Bourgeois Virtues and the Great Enrichment: The Ideas and Influence of Deirdre Nansen McCloskey Warren Bruce Palmer, Editor The Miller Upton Program at Beloit College he Wealth and Well-Being of Nations was Testablished to honor Miller Upton, Beloit College’s sixth president. This annual forum provides our students and the wider community the opportunity to engage with some of the leading intellectual figures of our time. The forum is complemented by a suite of programs that enhance student and faculty engagement in the ideas and institutions that lay at the foundation of free and prosperous societies. Senior Seminar on The Wealth and Well-Being of Nations: ach year, seniors in the department of economics participate in a semester- Elong course that is built around the ideas and influence of that year’s Upton Scholar. By the time the Upton Scholar arrives in October, students will have read several of his or her books and research by other scholars that has been influenced by these writings. This advanced preparation provides students the rare opportunity to engage with a leading intellectual figure on a substantive and scholarly level.
    [Show full text]
  • Trade Deficits and Jobs
    Trade Deficits and Jobs August 2008 Russell Roberts roberts@gm u.edu George M ason University http://www.cafehayek.com http://www.econtalk.org http://www.m ercatus.org www.mercatus.org A Persistent and Growing Merchandise Trade Deficit U.S. Merchandise Trade Balance, 1960-2005 (billions of dollars) 1968 1970 1986 1972 1988 1974 1990 1960 1976 1992 1962 1978 1994 1964 1980 1996 1966 1982 1998 1984 2000 2002 2004 100 0 -100 -200 -300 -400 -500 -600 -700 -800 -900 Source: BEA, http://bea.gov/bea/di/table1.xls • Merchandise trade balance—exports of goods minus imports of goods • I have tried to make it as scary as possible: • Excludes services (America exports more services than it imports since 1971) • Not deflated by either the price level or the size of the economy • Until 1976, roughly zero—sometimes positive or sometimes negative but always somewhat small. • Beginning in 1976, U.S. has run a trade deficit every single year • Since 1976, U.S. has imported $6 TRILLION worth of goods more than it has exported. 2 proportionofthepopulationworkingisalsohigher after1976thanbefore. • Economyproducesjobsforpeoplewhowant them. Populationishigherbutthe • Tradeaffectsthekindofjobsineconomy,notnumbers tradedeficits • In2005,over40millionmorejobsthanin1976,thebeginningofpersistent,growing • Recessionsreducenumberofjobs—otherwise,steadygrowth • Noobviousimpactoftradedeficitsonemployment Source: BLS,CurrentEmploymentStatistics,SeriesId:CEU0000000001 100 120 140 160 20 40 60 80 0 1939 1941 1943 Little orNoImpactofTradeDeficitonJobs 1945 1947 1949 1951
    [Show full text]
  • CV in PDF Format
    PROFESSOR TODD J. ZYWICKI GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION PROFESSOR OF LAW GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW 3301 N. FAIRFAX DR. ARLINGTON, VA 22201 703-993-9484 [email protected] Web Page: http://mason.gmu.edu/~tzywick2/ PUBLICATIONS BOOKS CONSUMER CREDIT AND THE AMERICAN ECONOMY (with Thomas Durkin, Gregory Elliehausen, and Michael Staten), (Oxford University Press, 2014). PUBLIC CHOICE CONCEPTS AND APPLICATIONS IN LAW (with Maxwell Stearns) (West Publishing, 2009). Editor, The Rule of Law, Freedom, and Prosperity, 10 SUPREME COURT ECONOMIC REVIEW (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. 278 pp. ISBN: 0-226-99962-9). • Reviewed by Professor William A. Fischel, 14(6) LAW AND POLITICS BOOK REV. 493-97 (June 2004). ARTICLES AND BOOK CHAPTERS Bruno Leoni's Legacy and Continued Relevance, __ J. PRIVATE ENTERPRISE __ (Forthcoming 2015). Commentary on CFPB Report: Data Point: Checking Account Overdraft (with G. Michael Flores). Price Controls on Payment Card Interchange Fees: The U.S. Experience (with Geoffrey Manne and Julian Morris), ICLE Financial Regulatory Research Program White Paper 2014-2 (2014). Behavior, Paternalism, and Policy: Evaluating Consumer Financial Protection, __ NYU J. L. & LIBERTY __ (forthcoming 2014). Keynote Address: Is There a George Mason School of Law and Economics? __ J. LAW, ECONOMICS & POLICY __ (Forthcoming 2014). Uncertainty, Evolution, and Behavioral Economic Theory (with Geoffrey Manne), __ J. LAW, ECONOMICS & POLICY __ (Forthcoming 2014). Overdraft Protection and Consumer Protection: A Critique of the CFPB's Analysis of Overdraft Programs (with G. Michael Flores and Brian M. Deignan), 33(3) BANKING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES POLICY REPORT 10 (March 2014). The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, in PERSPECTIVES ON DODD-FRANK AND FINANCE (Forthcoming 2014, MIT Press).
    [Show full text]
  • In Adam Smith's Invisible Hands: Comment on Gavin Kennedy
    KLEIN Econ Journal Watch Volume 6, Number 2 May 2009, pp 264-279 In Adam Smith’s Invisible Hands: Comment on Gavin Kennedy Daniel B. Klein1 ABSTR A C T In preface, I should tell the reader that Professor Gavin Kennedy and I met and hit it off at the January 2009 International Adam Smith Society conference held at Balliol College, Oxford, commemorating the 250th anniversary of The Theory of Moral Sentiments. There Gavin and I discussed whether this Journal, of which I am editor, might publish his essay along with a dissenting opinion. As we went forward, we agreed that I would author the dissent. I am grateful to Gavin for his valuable instruction and cooperation in the shared aim of producing an exchange on the phrase invisible hand in Smith’s writings. The Journal invites Gavin to rejoin and conclude the exchange in a future issue. Peter Minowitz (2004, 411) concludes his essay, “Adam Smith’s Invisible Hands” with the following words: “Centuries after Smith’s death, we are still struggling to fathom a two-word phrase that stands out in a thousand-page book.” Such struggling has been misplaced, according to Professor Gavin Kennedy. Abstain from the struggling, for the two-word phrase is an incidental metaphor in Smith’s writings; it deserves no currency as tag for the prosaic workings of markets, even less for rarified workings untrue to Smith. In his erudite, plain-spoken, challenging essay, Gavin suggests that the metaphor had no very special significance; that its occurrence in the Astronomy differs irreconcilably from that in The Theory of Moral Sentiments and Wealth of Nations.
    [Show full text]
  • Syllabus Review, Introductions
    Urban and Regional Economic Development, 90-743 Spring 2021 Version 1.0, January 30, 2021 Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:10-4:30PM Instructor Location: Online through February 12 Christopher Briem Office Hours: Group online Mondays 4-5:30pm E-mail use: [email protected] (starting Feb 6) Office/voicemail: 412.624.3791 Individual appts: Fridays 3-6pm Cell: 412.363.7498 Course Description The course will introduce students to the theory and practice of economic development in the United States. An introduction to basic analytic techniques used by both researchers and economic development practitioners will be coupled with a broad overview of the research literature in the fields of urban and regional economics. Emphasis will be placed on the public sector’s role in promoting economic development and public policy at the federal, state and local levels that are focused on improving economic conditions for people, places and regions. Optional readings will focus on Pittsburgh’s economic development and regional economic change since WWII. Upon successful completion of this course you should be able to: Explain economic theories explaining the location of economic activities and the growth or decline of regional economies at the state, metropolitan and local level. To include, but not limited to industry cluster theory, the role of human capital, place-based vs person-based economic development approaches. Critique the theories and methods of regional economic development in their application to a region. Understand key data sources and their limitations for use in local and regional analysis. Examine regional and local economies using critical analytical methods like shift share, location quotients, and comparative analysis.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploring Inequality
    SMU McLane/Armentrout/Bridwell Scholars Reading Groups Fall 2020 Syllabus Exploring Inequality Tues./Wed.: Dean Stansel, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow [email protected], office: 214-768-3492 Mon./Fri.: Meg Tuszynski, Ph.D., Research Fellow & Assistant Director [email protected], office: 214-768-3170 O’Neil Center for Global Markets & Freedom (www.oneilcenter.org) Cox School of Business, Crow 282 Meeting Times. Our meetings will be held on Mondays (Bridwell), Tuesdays (McLane), and Wednesdays (Armentrout) at 6-7 pm (Central time), and Fridays (Armentrout) at 11am-noon (Central time) online via Zoom. All four groups have the same readings. Attendance is required. Your attendance and active participation are required. We will have 10 regular meetings plus a joint reading group summit with the students from similar reading groups at Baylor, Texas Tech, Angelo State, and University of Central Arkansas. That event will be held online via Zoom on the morning of Sat. Oct. 17 and is a required part of the program. You will not be paid the $1000 stipend if you do not attend. You are required to attend all 10 weekly meetings. However, if you have an unavoidable conflict, we do have limited flexibility, with advance notice, for you to switch nights if you cannot attend on your regular reading group night (i.e., if you can’t make one of your regular Monday night meetings, you can instead attend on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday that week and vice-versa). In addition, the O’Neil Center hosts several guest speakers throughout the semester. Those will all be online this semester.
    [Show full text]
  • Russell Roberts
    RUSSELL ROBERTS DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS 4400 UNIVERSITY DRIVE ENTERPRISE HALL, ROOM 332 FAIRFAX, VA 22030 WORK: (703)993-1186 [email protected] http://invisibleheart.com http://cafehayek.com http://econtalk.org CURRENT AND PAST POSITIONS 2003 – present Professor of Economics, George Mason University 2003 – present J. Fish and Lillian F. Smith Distinguished Scholar, Mercatus Center 2003 – present Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University 2001 – present Advisory Board Member, The Library of Economics and Liberty, 1991 – 1999 Director, Management Center, John M. Olin School of Business, Washington University 1989 – 1991 Visiting Associate Professor of Business Economics, John M. Olin School of Business, Washington University 1987 – 1989 Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Economics, UCLA 1985 – 1987 National Fellow and Visiting Scholar, Hoover Institution 1986 – 1987 Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Stanford University 1980 – 1987 Assistant Professor, Departments of Political Science and Economics University of Rochester EDUCATION 1981 Ph.D. Economics, University of Chicago 1975 B.A. Economics, University of North Carolina (with highest honors) RUSSELL ROBERTS JULY 2002 PAGE 2 PUBLICATIONS BOOKS The Price of Everything: A Parable of Possibility and Prosperity, Princeton University Press, 2008 The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance (MIT Press, 2001) The Choice: A Fable of Free Trade and Protectionism, Prentice Hall, 1994 One of the Top Ten Business Books of the Year (Business Week); One of the Best Books of the Year (The Financial Times), Updated and revised edition, 2001 Third edition, 2003 ACADEMIC ARTICLES AND MONOGRAPHS “Gambling with Other People’s Money: How Policy Mistakes Created Perverse Incentives and the Financial Crisis of 2008,” Mercatus Center, George Mason University, (forthcoming 2009).
    [Show full text]
  • Pol S 270 Introduction to Political Economy
    Pol S 270 Introduction to Political Economy Department of Political Science University of Washington Summer 2017 Instructor information Course information Instructor: Yu Sasaki Class meets: Monday & Wednesday, 12:00–14:10 Office hours: Tuesday, 14:00–16:00 Class location: DEN 258 Office location: Smith 43 Course website on Canvas E-mail: [email protected] Course Statement Political economy is the study of the efficient allocation of scarce resources. In this course, we make afew simple assumptions based on the study of economics: First, actors always want to maximize their own welfare while reducing its cost to a minimum. Second, actors always face constraints—financial, time, resources, power, to name but a few—upon making their decisions. Actors, therefore, always make a tradeoff in making their decisions. Based on these assumptions, we will examine a wide variety of questions from politics, the economy, and society. For instance, when it comes to alleviating poverty in Africa, what are some of the most cost-effective (or the “best”) ways to do so? Should government leaders cut checks for individual citizens? Should we instead distribute school uniforms to encourage children to go to school? Or should we introduce universal basic income to guarantee everyone with a minimum pay no matter what? Which policy is likely to yield greater income-generating behavior? Political economy provides powerful and useful perspectives to address these questions. The course has two broad tasks. First, it introduces students to basic analytical concepts of political economy. More specifically, the course stresses the principles of rational choice and explores a variety of applications to not just economic decisions in everyday life but also pressing political questions.
    [Show full text]
  • Economics 10: Personal Financial Literacy April 6 - April 10 Time Allotment: 20 Minutes Per Day
    Economics 10: Personal Financial Literacy April 6 - April 10 Time Allotment: 20 minutes per day Student Name: ________________________________ Teacher Name: ________________________________ Economics 10: Rise of Capitalism April 6 – April 10 Packet Overview Date Objective(s) Page Number Monday, April 6 1. Explain Adam Smith’s arguments regarding the 3 benefits of Division of Labor 2. Explain Adam Smith’s arguments regarding why people trade Tuesday, April 7 Explain difference between comparative advantage and 6 absolute advantage Wednesday, April 8 Use a PPF in exploring the difference between 9 comparative advantage and absolute advantage Thursday, April 9 Use a PPF in exploring the difference between 13 comparative advantage and absolute advantage ***Quiz*** Friday, April 10 ***Scheduled Day Off*** 15 Additional Notes: We pick back up with where we left off before Spring Break. We started studying the rise of Capitalism, with arguably the most influential writer on economics, Adam Smith. This week, we will continue our study of Adam Smith and also study another famous economist, David Ricardo, whose writings and insights on international trade still dominate today. As you will, I am supplementing the daily readings and questions with videos to provide greater background and context to some of the concepts we are studying. They are relatively brief, but will help with the lesson and hopefully serve as a means for further exploration. And starting this week we will now have “Office Hours” via Zoom! The full schedule is below but since Economics was during Period 6, on Tuesday and Thursday from 1-1:50 you can connect with me via Zoom to ask questions, discuss concepts etc..
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Political Economy Econ 119 / Poli 145 Fall 2012
    Introduction to Political Economy Econ 119 / Poli 145 Fall 2012 M-W 10:05-11:20 a.m. Class: White Lecture Hall Prof. Michael Munger [email protected] Office: Perkins 338 cell phone (emergencies only!): 919 369 6453 Office Hours: • Immediately after class, in Trinity Cafe • Tuesday 1:30-3:00 pm in Perkins 338 Teaching Assistant: Anna Schultz email: [email protected] Overview: This course serves three distinct purposes. • The course is an introduction to economics for non-majors. It is a self-contained and non- technical overview of the history of economic thought, the logic of microeconomic analysis, and the definitions of everyday terms and concepts in the macro economy. Consequently, it counts as a stand-alone Social Science credit, but it does not count toward an Economics major. If you are thinking of an Economics major, this class is a waste of your time. Get the math prereq’s out of the way and then take Econ 51 instead. • It is an introduction to the history of the notion of a political economy, with an emphasis on the moral and ethical problems that markets solve, and also those that markets fail to solve. Consequently it carries an Ethical Inquiry (EI) course credit. • It is a bridge to more advanced courses in philosophy, politics, and economics for the student who wants to sample these disciplines without committing to several semesters of coursework. Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites except for high school mathematics. On the other hand, the reading and studying commitments involved in this course are extensive.
    [Show full text]