Discussion Questions for Dasgupta, "Economics: A Very Short Introduction": Prologue

From: Brad DeLong


To: UCB Econ 1 Spring 2012 students


Subject: Discussion Questions for Dasgupta, "Economics: A Very Short Introduction": Prologue

Why does Becky's household live outside of Chicago and earn money by having the father work all day outside of the house doing transactions processing rather than, say, living 100 miles further west and growing corn in DeKalb County?

How different would Becky's life be if her father (and mother) were corn-growing farmers in DeKalb County?

Why did they choose to become suburban Chicago yuppies?

Why doe Desta's household live in rural Ethiopia and grow their own corn rather than, say, living in Addis Ababa and earn money by having the father work all day outside of the house doing transactions processing?

How different would Desta's life be if her father were an Addis Ababa lawyer?

Why did they choose to become rural Ethiopian subsistence farmers?