A response to Baker from a libertarian economist

Here's an optional follow-up to the Baker reading. It's a response from a libertarian blogger who also writes for Econlog, the website where Arnold Kling's posts appear (see the link in the previous post).

Some blogs to start reading

Liberal/neoliberal blogs:

Mathew Yglesias

Paul Krugman

Brad DeLong

Dean Baker

Ezra Klein

Libertarian/"right-wing liberal" blogs:

Scott Sumner

Tyler Cowen

Arnold Kling et al.

Will Wilkinson

Marxist/Marxist-friendly blogs:

Mike Konczal

Doug Henwood

Crooked Timber

Jacobin Magazine

Course schedule with hyperlinks to readings

Course schedule:

Week 1

M August 22:

W 24: Introduction.

F 26: Liberalism, in the classical sense. Dean Baker, Taking Economics Seriously. Listen to This American Life podcast if time permits. It will help you understand some of Baker’s ideas.

Week 2: Origins

M 29: Provocations and precursors. Read Hobbes (chapter XIII) and Mandeville (for some interesting background, read this, and check out the larger site more generally for good explanations of some of the concepts we cover).

W 31: Read Hutcheson and Swift

F September 2: First writing day. Read Nancy Sommers

Week 3: Division of Labor

M 5: Happy Labor Day! No Class.

W 7: Read Smith and TBA.

F 9: Bring in rough draft of first paper.

Week 4: Labor and the law

M 12: Read Smith

W 14: Reading TBA

F 16: First paper due.

Week 5: Labor and surplus value

M 19: Read Marx, Robinson, and Krugman

W 21: Reading TBA

F 23: Workshop thesis statements.

Week 6: Money

M 26: Read Smith

W 28: Library day. Meet in room 041. Read Krugman and Sumner (see recent post for link)

F 30: Reread articles from last two classes. Write questions about what you don't understand from our recent discussions. 
 

Week 7: Peer editing and other policy discussions

M October 3: Bring in rough draft for peer editing. 

W 5: Reading TBA

F 7: Paper #2 due.

Week 8: Topics fair

M 10: Short presentations

W 12: Short presentations

F 14: No class. Fall break 13-16

Week 9: General gluts, panics, and the origins of macroeconomics

M 17: Read Mills (via Delong) and Marx

W 19: Reading TBA

F 21: Writing workshop.

Week 10: Macroeconomics: the conscience of econ class?

M 24: Read Marx, Delong, and Delong (which explains the issue in a slightly different way)
 

W 26: Reading TBA

F 28: Bring in rough draft for peer editing.

Week 11: Beyond the classics and back to their precursors

M 31: Read section VI of Keynes and Friedman

W November 2: Reading TBA

F 4: Paper #3 due.

Week 12: Becoming classical again?

M 7: Read Sumner

W 9: TBA

F 11: Workshop paper proposal.

Week 13: Resurrecting Marx?

M 14: Read Beggs

W 16: Reading TBA

F 18: Paper proposal and bibliography due.

Week 14: Continued

M 21: Recap and review. Reading TBA

W 23: No class. Thanksgiving.

F 25: No Class

Week 15

M 28: Work on final papers.

W 30: Work on final papers.

F December 2: Work on final papers.

Week 16

M 5: Last class. Final papers due. No final examination.

W 7: Study day. Final exams conducted Dec. 8 (Th)-14 (W)

F 9: Final exams.

Week 17

M 12: Final exams.

W 14: Final exams. Campus housing closes Dec. 15 (Th) at 10 AM.

Link to syllabus

Welcome to your Freshman Writing Seminar! You can download the full syllabus here.