Economics
Economics—or Political Economy—looks at how diverse societies establish and maintain patterns of resource use and how those patterns affect the quality of peoples’ lives and the character of the world that surrounds them. The substantive concerns of the field are often summarized as What? How? and For Whom? 1) Do we produce symphonies, or organ transplants, or Cheerios, or national defense? 2) Do we rely on small-scale craft production or on large-scale mechanization? Are enterprises organized as for-profit, not-for-profit, cooperative, informal, or government? 3) Are goods and services distributed according to ability to pay in the marketplace, or by custom, or by governmental mandates? How large are incomes and wealth, and how evenly are they distributed?
We can also ask about the subject in terms of ways of knowing or learning about the economy. Studying economics can mean 1) studying the history of ideas about how economic systems work, 2) examining the history, present status, and future prospects of particular economies, 3) collecting and analyzing data about economic performance, 4) designing policy to manage the economy or achieve goals related to social welfare or environmental quality, for example; and/or 5) building abstract models to illuminate key relationships in a complex world.
The economics curriculum at Marlboro is designed to introduce and develop these approaches to the field. In addition, many of the most interesting ideas in the discipline today lie at the intersections with other disciplines: psychology, anthropology, ecology, political science, sociology, history, and philosophy, among others.
Jim Tober
My orientation to the discipline is summarized broadly by the description above. In my teaching and research, I focus on historical, comparative, and policy perspectives. I have a longstanding interest in environmental issues and sponsor many Plans in Environmental Studies as well as in Economics. My research has examined the evolution of property rights in wildlife in 19th-century America, the politics of endangered species protection, the role of nonprofit organizations in the provision of social services, and issues of sustainability.
Students considering plans in economics must expect to acquire facility with the dominant paradigms of the discipline. The most important courses in this regard are intermediate-level Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, not only because they provide the tools necessary for most applied work in the field but also because their perspectives are so well entrenched that most critical analysis in economics assumes familiarity with them. Microeconomics, in particular, is also highly recommended for students preparing for graduate study in business, law, international affairs, natural resources management, or public policy. Some facility with algebra is required for almost all work in economics. Statistics is strongly recommended. Students considering graduate study in economics should inquire about preparation in economic theory, mathematics, and statistics.
Starting Points (Basic and Introductory Courses)
Economic Systems (SSC31)
This basic, introductory course in economics seeks to convey a sense of the discipline as a whole – its history, methods, and substantive concerns. The course examines processes common to all systems (e.g., division of labor, production, exchange, growth) and it examines whole systems as modeled and as observed. (Introductory)
U.S. Capitalism (SSC19)
This course, the second part of a "principles" sequence in economics, offers an historical, institutional and theoretical introduction to the U.S. economy. Topics include the organization of production, the distribution of income and wealth, the measurement of economic performance, and the U.S. in the world economy. Emphasis on current events and policies. (Introductory)
Commodities: Explorations in Political Economy (SSC457)
This course introduces enduring themes in economics through a series of "commodity biographies" on such topics as blood, cod, coal, Bakelite, bicycles, and sugar. These biographies offer compelling narratives and also provide insights into the nature of production, consumption, exchange, growth, innovation, property rights, wealth, and labor systems. (Introductory)
Pursuing Interests (Intermediate and Thematic Courses)
Philanthropy, Advocacy, and Public Policy (SSC316)
This course surveys the political economy of nonprofit organizations in the U.S. and around the world: their diversity and scope, reasons for being, sources of support, roles in policymaking. The non-profit sector includes museums, schools, environmental lobbies, international aid agencies, cooperatives, homeless shelters, and foundations, among many other types of organizations. What are the defining characteristics of these organizations? Do these definitions hold across countries and cultures? To whom are non-profit organizations accountable? What motivates philanthropic and charitable behavior? Should public policy encourage a larger role for non-profits? The course draws on perspectives from economics, sociology, politics, history, and law. Readings will be supplemented by student research projects. (Intermediate)
Topics in U.S. Environmental History (SSC240)
An exploration of major environmental themes and issues in U.S. history, from colonial times to the present. The inquiry is organized around a series of case studies that address such issues as land and land-use control, water resources, wildlife, and the environmental movement. (Intermediate)
Conservation Biology and Policy (CDS398) (team-taught with Ramstetter)
This course focuses on the Endangered Species Act and other laws and treaties concerned with biological diversity in the U.S. and in the global arena. Through reading of the documents themselves, and through examination of background materials and critical analyses, we will investigate the relationships between biological ends and means and their institutional counterparts.
Money: Explorations in Economy and Society (SSC262)
An inquiry into the nature and meaning of money. Topics include traditional money systems, barter and community moneys, rural credit societies, speculation, counterfeiting, usury, inflation, and global money markets. Readings drawn from diverse sources in the social sciences and humanities.
Resolving the Tragedy of the Commons (SSC403)
This seminar, designed for students with an established interest in the relationship between structures of property rights and patterns of resource use, focuses on community-based natural resource management. The seminar draws on a diverse literature much of which has emerged in response to Garrett Hardin’s classic "Tragedy of the Commons" (1968), and it emphasizes individual student research projects.
Wildlife Policy, Law, and Values (SSC446)
Our engagement with wildlife ranges from visiting Sea World, to hunting deer, to supporting conservation organizations, to caring deeply about rare species we will never see. How can we make sense of the diverse ways in which people value and act toward wildlife? How, through custom, law and policy, can we manage the terms on which wild animals are pursued and protected? This course will address such topics as the U.S. Endangered Species Act, community-based wildlife management, market and non-market valuation, the trade in elephant ivory, and the ecology of environmental organizations.
Who Owns the Land? (SSC400)
This course examines changing ideas about land, competing claims over rights to land, and resulting patterns of land use and land-use control, primarily in the U.S. The course offers a brief historical overview but focuses on topics of contemporary interest: zoning, eminent domain, and land-use planning (examining the case of Marlboro, VT); the "public-private" divide and the "wise use" movement; the tragedy of the commons; and economic geography (i.e., what goes where on the land, and why?). (Intermediate)
Environmental Economics and Policy (SSC38)
This course surveys the current state of the natural environment, develops a conceptual framework for understanding the environmental choices that face us, and examines the policy setting within which those choices are presently made. Although primary focus is on the U.S., considerable attention is paid to global problems and policies. A fifth credit may be earned by preparation of a substantial term paper applying the perspectives of the course to a policy issue. (Intermediate)
Decision-Making (SSC70)
An exploration of approaches to decision-making applicable to individual, interpersonal, and collective situations. Topics include game theory, risk analysis, negotiation, and public policy. Illustrations drawn from a wide range of fields, including business, law, politics, economics, and environmental studies. (Intermediate)
Good Foundation For Plan
Intermediate Microeconomics (SSC47)
This course concerns the market economy, in theory and practice. Topics include determination of prices, individual and collective decision-making, the organization and regulation of production, and the distribution of income. The course offers solid grounding in the theory and methods of economics as required for further work in the field. (Intermediate)
Intermediate Macroeconomics (SSC37)
This course draws on insights from economic theory, institutional analysis, and current events in considering such aspects of the U.S. economy as inflation, unemployment, taxation, debt, money supply, exchange rates, and trade policy. (Intermediate)