Learning Resources

Economics

Educators: Did you know we have Economics teaching resources?

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Video
What Is Trade?
The modern era of global trade began just after World War II.
Reading
Why Is The Free Flow of Oil Important?
Why does the price of oil change so much? Learn how crude oil affects the global economy and the potential for economic development, and how fluctuating prices can contribute to crises.
Reading
Why Do Taxes Matter?
What are the different types of taxes and how does a government's ability to collect tax revenue shape a country's economic and social development? 
Reading
What Is Economic Inequality?
Explore how severe inequalities and disparities in wealth and income can harm individuals, countries, and the global economy, and how some governments implement policies to reduce inequality.
Reading
Economics: East Asia & The Pacific
You’d never guess from the modern skylines of Shanghai, Seoul, and Singapore, but in 1950, these cities were in some of the world’s least developed countries.
Reading
Economics: Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa sustained rapid economic growth and investment in the early 2000s, a period dubbed by some experts as Africa Rising.
Reading
Economics: Europe
As in other regions, certain European countries belong to an economic or customs union—a “single market”—that makes trade between its members seamless. 
Reading
What Is Trade Policy?
In this free resource on trade policy, explore how countries leverage their economic power to advance their foreign policy interests.
Reading
What Is Economic Statecraft?
Learn why China lends billions of dollars abroad each year through its Belt and Road Initiative and the implications of that free resource for recipient countries.
Reading
What Are Economic Sanctions?
In this free resource on sanctions, learn how countries use punitive economic measures to advance their foreign policy priorities.
Reading
What Is the World Trade Organization?
What is the WTO? Learn how the World Trade Organization manages the rules for international trade and why it's failing to address today’s most pressing issues.
Reading
Economics: The Americas
The economic landscape of the Americas is dominated by the United States, which accounts for nearly a third of the region’s billion-plus population and three-quarters of its economic output. 
Reading
A Brief History of U.S. Foreign Aid
Where and why the United States gives foreign aid has changed over time. Learn the difference between military, economic, and humanitarian aid and the history behind U.S. aid.
Video
The Marshall Plan
Understand how the Marshall Plan, one of the first large foreign aid programs, helped Europe rebuild after World War II, but also served the foreign policy interests of the United States. 
Video
The Suez Canal Crisis
Explore a historical case study on the Suez Canal to understand how monetary policy can also be used as a tool of foreign policy. 
Video
The Global Role of the U.S. Dollar
Why is the U.S. dollar the world's most popular currency and how does it help the U.S. economy? Watch this video on the history of U.S. currency. 
Video
What Is Monetary Policy?
From inflation to interest rates, understand the basics of monetary policy, currencies, and the flow of money in the global economy with this introductory video. 
Reading
Foreign Investment 101
What is foreign investment, and what does it have to do with trade? An economics expert explains.
Reading
How Trade Rules Are Written
The WTO system is the foundation of modern global trade. But as trade becomes more connected, with new challenges constantly emerging, trade agreements are adapting in order to keep up.
Reading
What Gets in the Way of Free Trade?
A world with free trade yields net benefits for all participants. But that world does not actually exist— countries impose free-trade roadblocks for a number of reasons.

Learning Journeys

A learning journey is a curated collection of resources that explore a topic from a specific perspective.

Learning Journey
How Does Trade Work?

Take a trip down the Silk Road and across centuries of global trade to learn how current practices still face the same historical challenges.

Learning Journey
Monetary Policy: Economic Statecraft

Explore this collection of learning resources to understand the various economic tools countries can use to help achieve their foreign policy goals.

Learning Journey
Trade: Trade Wars

Explore this collection of learning resources to understand trade relations between the United States and China.

Learning Journey
Trade: Policy

Explore this collection of learning resources to understand the ways in which trade can be used as part of foreign policy.

Learning Journey
Trade: Introduction

Explore this collection of learning resources to understand international trade.