Essentials of Economics, 9th Edition

Schiller’s Essentials of Economics is the market leader for the one-semester survey course, praised for its strong policy focus and core theme of seeking the best possible answers to the basic questions of WHAT, HOW, and FOR WHOM to produce. The 9th edition is benefitted by SmartBook, the first adaptive reading experience designed to engage students with the content in an active and dynamic way, as opposed to the passive and linear reading experience they are used to. As a result, students are more likely to master and retain important concepts in the survey course.

As in previous editions, students are confronted early on with the reality that the economy doesn’t always operate optimally, either at the macro or micro level, and are encouraged to examine the policy challenge of finding the appropriate mix of market reliance and government regulation that generates the best possible outcomes. In addition to the suite of resources available within Connect Economics, over 100 key topics are reinforced with interesting and innovative videos on YouTube, provided to help non-majors see the relevance of economics.

Connect is the only integrated learning system that empowers students by continuously adapting to deliver precisely what they need, when they need it, and how they need it, so that your class time is more engaging and effective.

Bradley R. Schiller has over four decades of experience teaching introductory economics at American University, the University of California (Berkeley and Santa Cruz), the University of Maryland, and the University of Nevada (Reno). He has given guest lectures at more than 300 colleges ranging from Fresno, California, to Istanbul, Turkey. Dr. Schillers unique contribution to teaching is his ability to relate basic principles to current socioeconomic problems, institutions, and public policy decisions. This perspective is evident throughout Essentials of Economics. Dr. Schiller derives this policy focus from his extensive experience as a Washington consultant. He has been a consultant to most major federal agencies, many congressional committees, and political candidates. In addition, he has evaluated scores of government programs and helped design others. His studies of income inequality, poverty, discrimination, training programs, tax reform, pensions, welfare, Social Security, and lifetime wage patterns have appeared in both professional journals and popular media. Dr. Schiller is also a frequent commentator on economic policy for television, radio, and newspapers. Dr. Schiller received his PhD from Harvard and his BA degree, with great distinction, from the University of California (Berkeley). When not teaching, writing, or consulting, Professor Schiller is typically on a tennis court, schussing down a ski slope, or enjoying the crystal blue waters of Lake Tahoe.

Karen Gebhardt is a faculty member in the Department of Economics at Colorado State University (CSU). Dr. Gebhardt has a passion for teaching economics. She regularly instructs large introductory courses in macro and microeconomics, small honors sections of these core principles courses, and upper division courses in Public Finance, Microeconomics, and International Trade, as well as a graduate course in teaching methods. She is an early adopter of technology in the classroom and advocates strongly for it because she sees the difference it makes in student engagement and learning. Dr. Gebhardt has taught online consistently since 2005 and coordinates the online program within the Department of Economics at CSU. She also supervises and mentors the departments graduate teaching assistants and adjunct instructors. Dr. Gebhardt was the recipient of the Water Pik Excellence in Education Award in 2006 and was awarded the CSU Best Teacher Award in 2015. Dr. Gebhardts research interests, publications, and presentations involve the economics of humanwildlife interaction, economics education, and the economics of gender in the United States economy. Before joining CSU, she worked as an Economist at the United States Department of Agriculture/Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service/Wildlife Services/National Wildlife Research Center conducting research on the interactions of humans and wildlife, such as the economic effects of vampire bat-transmitted rabies in Mexico; the potential economic damage from the introduction of invasive species to the Islands of Hawaii; bioeconomic modeling of the impacts of wildlife-transmitted disease; and others. In her free time, Dr. Gebhardt enjoys learning about new teaching methods that integrate technology, as well as rock climbing and camping in the Colorado Rockies and beyond.