Product Description:
#35170 International Economics - Russia: Rebuilding a Nation (Run time 25 min.) DVD $49.95
Although rich in oil, gas, lumber, and many other natural resources, Russia is experiencing difficulty building a free-market economy. From the heart of Moscow and nearby areas, this program investigates major challenges that Russian companies face following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Interviews with resource managers and business leaders-along with spectacular views of the Kremlin, Red Square, and historic churches-shed light on the growing pains of a seemingly young nation. A viewable/printable instructor's guide-including geographical background information, extension activities, vocabulary handouts, and more-is available online. Correlates to National Geography Standards. (25 minutes)
#35171 International Economics - Kenya: National Identity and Unity (Run time 25 min.) DVD $49.95
From the Great Rift Valley to the shores of the Indian Ocean, Kenya contains extraordinary diversity in culture, landscape, and wildlife. This program surveys the history of the country, its difficult transition out of colonial rule, and its wide variety of ethnic groups and languages. Visits to a Nairobi high school, a Masai village, and two wildlife conservation areas underscore the challenges modern Kenya faces in economic progress and environmental protection. A viewable/printable instructor's guide-including geographical background information, extension activities, vocabulary handouts, and more-is available online. Correlates to National Geography Standards. (25 minutes)
#35172 International Economics - United Arab Emirates: Oil and Water Resources (Run time 25 min.) DVD $49.95
The UAE's oil is plentiful and readily consumed by an energy-thirsty world; meanwhile, the nation struggles with its own thirst for water. This program documents the history of the wealthy Arab nation and how it deals with water scarcity and an abundance of petroleum. Detailed discussions of the oil drilling and seawater desalinization processes, conversations with young UAE citizens, and a stroll through a souk, or public market, vividly illustrate cultural and economic aspects of this Persian Gulf country. A viewable/printable instructor's guide-including geographical background information, extension activities, vocabulary handouts, and more-is available online. Correlates to National Geography Standards. (25 minutes)
#35173 International Economics - India: Population and Resources (Run time 25 min.) DVD $49.95
Dramatic changes over the past 20 years have created a tech-savvy Indian middle class. This program details the economic strength of the "new" India, its ongoing problems of unemployment and poverty, and how these issues are linked to overpopulation. Outlining the country's 5,000-year history, the video focuses on the southern city of Bangalore, also known as the Silicon Valley of India, and the daily influx of rural job-seekers it faces. Conversations with women in prominent high-tech positions emphasize changing attitudes toward gender roles. A viewable/printable instructor's guide-including geographical background information, extension activities, vocabulary handouts, and more-is available online. Correlates to National Geography Standards. (25 minutes)
#8615 Economics - Bootstrap Capitalism (Run time 15 min.) DVD $69.95
In this program, public television's Paul Solman and Dr. Mohammed Yunus, founder of Bangladesh's Grameen Bank, discuss the merits of micro-lending. In the U.S., banks disqualify would-be entrepreneurs with no collateral as bad risks. But Yunus emphatically disagrees. He believes economies are reinvigorated by investing in those whose ambition outweighs their ready capital. For over 20 years, 98 percent of Grameen Bank's clients have developed meaningful, thriving businesses. In the U.S., Good Faith, a venture capital lender to start-ups with no collateral, agrees with Yunus. It sends small-business loan applicants, many of them minorities, to its "business boot camp" to learn the basics of money management. Then it places them in a borrowing group of other grass-roots businesspeople, where they help approve loans. By investing time as well as money in its clients, Good Faith is helping American bootstrap capitalists achieve lasting success. (15 minutes)
#34265 Economics - It Costs How Much? Gas Price Perplexity in America (Run time 22 min.) DVD $69.95
Gas price hikes infuriate many Americans, but a sense of humor could be the consumer's best weapon-at least in the battle for information. This ABC News program takes a lighthearted yet revealing look at a truly maddening form of inflation, addressing two simple but thorny questions: What, specifically, drives up the cost of gas? And into whose pockets do the profits go? The answers might not equal immediate solutions, but they do offer front-row seats at the oil industry's absurd ballet. They also help explain the choices of American consumers who complain about the expense of a gallon of gas while sipping an even more expensive cup of coffee. (22 minutes)
#34266 Economics - Patrolling the Border: National Security and Immigration Reform (Run time 22 min.) DVD $69.95
Will the threat of terrorism from the U.S.-Mexican border radically reshape America's immigration policies? This ABC News program studies the connections between 9/11, the American economy, and the workforce of undocumented labor on which that economy increasingly depends. Interviews with Arizona border patrol agents evoke their frustrations and reveal the perils faced by many Mexicans who attempt desperate wilderness crossings. Contrasts between President Bush's proposed guest worker program and the Department of Homeland Security's efforts to crack down on the influx of illegal aliens highlight the complexity of the situation. (22 minutes)
#8537 International Economics - Sick Economies: The IMF Prescription (Run time 15 min.) DVD $69.95
Welcome to Ruritania. Ruritania suffers from inflation, government debt, and a bloated bureaucracy. It imports more that it exports. To compensate for the lack of revenue, Ruritania's government prints more money, which drives prices up but does not result in more goods. Although Ruritania is a fictional country, its problems are not. This program examines the solutions that the IMF would advocate to correct the economic crisis, including balancing payments, increasing production levels, devaluing the currency, increasing interest rates, imposing financial discipline, and lending money. The program provides a clear introduction to the IMF's policies and procedures. (15 minutes)
#8538 International Economics - Free Markets, Free Choice (Run time 29 min.) DVD $69.95
In a market economy, consumers have a wide choice of goods. This causes business competition that results in higher-quality goods at competitive prices-the basic principle behind supply-and-demand economics. The marketplace is trusted to answer the questions: What? How? And for whom? This is unlike centrally planned economies where the government determines the answers. In Russia, the IMF encourages these principles as the economy transitions into the early stages of a free market. Russia's conversion includes shifting from defense supplies to consumer goods and reforming work habits and credit cooperatives at the bottom level. Other issues, such as the role of the government in protecting those who cannot participate, like the very young and the elderly, are examined. (29 minutes)
#8539 International Economics - Inflation: The Enemy Within (Run time 27 min.) DVD $69.95
Inflation is a result of the oversupply of money and the undersupply of goods. As the Ukraine shifted to a free market in the early 1990s, inflation was rampant, reminiscent of Weimar Germany in the 1920s. Through decreasing the supply of money, decreasing government spending, and raising taxes, the Ukraine, with the help of the IMF, stabilized its economy. At the same time, its neighbor Moldova created its own currency to stabilize the economy and decrease speculation, a collateral effect of the Ukraine's inflation. Along with privatization, Moldova also introduced market competition and self-determination. (27 minutes)
#8540 International Economics - Towards a Market Economy (Run time 26 min.) DVD $69.95
Change is never easy, but in 1992 after having committed itself to reform, the Ukraine found itself suffering from hyperinflation, its ports empty, agricultural output declining, and large external debt. With the aid of the IMF, the Ukraine developed a reform plan that put the principles of free market economics into practice: budget reform, new tax laws, and the legal recognition and protection of private property. (26 minutes)
#8541 International Economics - The Art of a Balanced Budget (Run time 31 min.) DVD $69.95
Market reforms are only as effective as the government that implements and safeguards them. If the government of a free market economy cannot balance its own budget, runs a deficit, and prints more money to meet its financial obligations, no amount of reforms will be successful. The government must also develop laws and institutions to implement and protect its fledgling economy through the collection of taxes. This is the herculean task that faced Russia as it shifted from government-subsidized industry to competitive free enterprise. Russia's failure to develop these institutions and implement new laws proved critical to the market reform failures in the late 1990s. (31 minutes)
#8542 International Economics - The Market at Work (Run time 27 min.) DVD $69.95
What makes a country wealthy? A strong economy makes a country prosperous, but a country's wealth can be measured by natural resources, the solvency of its banks, and the strength of its stock market. The reform of the banking system in Russia and the establishment of a stock market were crucial to initiating market reforms. This program presents the importance of these institutions, and the dangers inherent in their absence. (27 minutes)
#33622 International Economics - Inside Money: Cooperative Solutions from the IMF (Run time 13 min.) DVD $69.95
This fast-paced animated case study examines the International Monetary Fund's role in assisting countries under economic distress. Spotlighted is a fictional country called Ruritania, whose litany of monetary problems includes government's role in the economy surpassing that of the private sector; wasteful government spending to employ relatives of politicians; subsidies to civilians who do not need social benefits; low tax revenues, prompting heavy government borrowing from abroad; and inflation caused by over-circulation of money printed for the government to spend more than it earns. Host Ian McFadden discusses the measures the IMF takes to pull Ruritania out of the bind. A viewable/printable study guide is available online. (13 minutes)
#4280 Economics - Old Ways, New Game (Run time 58 min.) DVD $89.95
In very human ways, this program shows the stakes of the global economic competition for individual Americans and for the nation. It also shows how major American companies are faring in their battles with Japanese and German competition. The program moves from a look at mass production, craft production, and lean production in the auto industry to races for "voice" computers and laptops, as well as the Japanese drive to challenge America's lead in basic research by setting up labs in the U.S. and hiring top American scientists. (58 minutes)
#4281 Economics - The Heart of the Nation (Run time 58 min.) DVD $89.95
This program explores the central values of Japan, Germany, and the U.S. and focuses on what drives each of these societies. America's hallmark is individualism, Japan's the preeminence of the group; in America, freedom and diversity are primary values; in Japan, conformity and a powerful sense of nationalism prevail. Germany stands between the two, asserting individualism but striving, more than the U.S., for social harmony and consensus. The program shows how education is a metaphor for the contrasts in the three societies. (58 minutes)
#4282 Economics - The Culture of Commerce (Run time 58 min.) DVD $89.95
This program explores the systemic differences between the individualistic capitalism of America and Britain, and the communitarian capitalism of Japan and Germany. It shows how both Japan and Germany embrace more collaborative relations between labor and management, government and business, and even among businesses than the more laissez-faire American system. Both Japan and Germany invest heavily in worker training and long-term employment guarantees. The Japanese system is dominated by families of companies which finance and own each other; the German system by banks which are investors as well as lenders; the American system by entrepreneurs and absentee, mutual-fund type owners and managers who wield great power. (58 minutes)
#4283 Economics - Winning Strategies (Run time 58 min.) DVD $89.95
This program shows some of the concrete strategies that American companies, communities, and political leaders are using to recapture America's competitive edge and improve efficiency and productivity: instituting new labor-management practices to improve human relations on the production line and the quality of the workplace and emphasizing zero-defect philosophy, technological innovation, longer time-horizons, and attention to the customer. The program also raises such questions as apprenticeship training, tax incentives, and government industrial policy. (58 minutes)
#4840 Economics - America: What Went Wrong? (Run time 108 min.) DVD $89.95
This program provides a powerful examination of the forces that have contributed to the dismantling of the American economy. The program is based on the research of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele, who spent two years interviewing workers in nearly 50 cities in 16 states and Mexico, as well as government officials and corporate managers. The program features Donald Barlett and James Steele, as well as interviews with workers who have lost jobs as American industry has undergone change over the past few years. Among those interviewed are Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Fear of Falling; Susan Lee, an economist at the American Enterprise Institute; and Ed Rubenstein, an economic analyst at the National Review. (108 minutes)
#5029 Economics - America: What Went Wrong? (Part One) (Run time 60 min.) DVD $89.95
This program provides a powerful examination of the forces that have contributed to the dismantling of the American economy. The program is based on the research of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Donald L. Barrett and James B. Steele, who spent two years interviewing workers in nearly 50 cities in 16 states and Mexico, as well as government officials and corporate managers. The program features Donald Barlett and James Steele, as well as interviews with workers who have lost jobs as American industry has undergone change over the past few years. (60 minutes)
#5030 Economics - America: What Went Wrong? (Part Two) (Run time 60 min.) DVD $89.95
This program with Bill Moyers continues the examination of the powerful forces that have contributed to the dismantling of the American economy. Among those interviewed are Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Fear of Falling; Susan Lee, an economist at the American Enterprise Institute; and Ed Rubenstein, an economic analyst at the National Review. In addition to these experts, the program features workers who have lost their jobs in manufacturing and examines the social and economic issues affecting these workers. (60 minutes)
#5031 Economics - Curing the Economy (Run time 60 min.) DVD $89.95
This program with Bill Moyers focuses on what we can do to repair the U.S. economy. A business executive explains why his company closed its factories in the U.S. and moved manufacturing operations to Mexico. Among those who discuss potential solutions to problems facing the American economy are Robert Kuttner, co-editor of The American Prospect; Henry Nau, author of The Myth of America's Decline; and Patricia Saiki, head of the Small Business Administration. (60 minutes)
#7351 Economics - Spend and Prosper: A Portrait of J. M. Keynes (Run time 51 min.) DVD $89.95
Few 20th-century economists have had the impact of John Maynard Keynes-the brilliant author of the Keynesian revolution-and his break-the-mold assertion that economies can achieve equilibrium without full employment. This program from the BBC archives, through interviews with Keynes and those who knew him, traces his life and ideas. Quentin Bell, J. K. Galbraith, and Ninette de Valois discuss Keynes' Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money within the context of the 1970s Monetarist views which faulted Keynes for not having addressed the dynamics of inflation. How Keynes might have viewed modern clashes between labor and industrial management is discussed, along with his belief in economics with a moral basis. A BBC Production. (51 minutes)
#10294 Economics - Business and Industrial Growth, Part 1: From Boom to Bust (Run time 29 min.) DVD $89.95
From the mechanization of agriculture to the mass production of consumer goods, the first three decades of the 20th century left no one in America untouched, for better or for worse, by the rush to modernize. This ABC News program anchored by Peter Jennings captures the heyday of American big business, when industrialization, easy consumer financing, and a bullish stock market readily translated into a higher standard of living for a growing middle class-until the Great Depression brought the nation to its knees. (29 minutes)
#10295 Economics - Business and Industrial Growth, Part 2: Riding the Cycles (Run time 40 min.) DVD $89.95
Can history help predict how long America's current wave of affluence will last? This ABC News program anchored by Peter Jennings tracks the ups and downs of the U.S. economy, spanning the New Deal and World War II, the G.I. Bill and post-war prosperity, the rise and fall of Motor City, the rampant consumerism and runaway inflation of the '70s, the mixed results of Reaganomics, and Wall Street's merger mania. The size and influence of the federal government from FDR's presidency to the early years of the Clinton administration is assessed as well. (40 minutes)
#10318 Economics - Is America Number One? Understanding the Economics of Success (Run time 41 min.) DVD $89.95
America enjoyed unprecedented growth in the 1990s, which firmly established the country as the world's leading economic power. Why? In this program, ABC News correspondent John Stossel reports on what special factors make the U.S. and Hong Kong, a tiny yet extremely dynamic geopolitical entity, so successful-and why similar success eludes India and other countries. Experts include Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman; Federal Reserve economist Michael Cox; Dinesh D'Souza, of the American Enterprise Institute; Tom Palmer, of the Cato Institute; and Dr. James Galbraith, of the University of Texas at Austin. (41 minutes)
#10691 Economics - The Price of Wealth (Run time 29 min.) DVD $89.95
The dawning of the 21st century was a milestone in the longest and strongest economic expansion in America's history. But as the nation's fortunes rose, the emphasis on wealth-building left many feeling psychologically overdrawn. Did consumerism fill that feeling of emptiness? And did an increasing GNP really make Americans any happier? This program explores the hidden emotional costs associated with living during a boom time-a time of absorption with externals that generally leads to a diminished focus on the interior life. (29 minutes)
#10692 Economics - The Great Divide (Run time 29 min.) DVD $89.95
During the recent period of high employment and low inflation, the economic fortunes of the U.S. could hardly have been better. But as the rich got richer, the gap between rich and poor grew all the larger. Today's concerns over recession notwithstanding, has the gulf between the haves and the have-nots finally widened to the point of moral indefensibility? Have the nation's obligations to citizens of lower socioeconomic levels been forgotten amid the excitement of getting and spending? This program examines the moral and ethical questions that accompany national prosperity. (29 minutes)
#34614 Economics - Shell Shock: The Failure of Corporate Ethics (Run time 39 min.) DVD $89.95
When oil conglomerate Shell stunned investors by announcing a 20 percent reduction in its proven reserves, pensions and portfolios suffered around the world. This program reveals a pattern of exaggeration and cover-up at the company's top level-specifically involving the former chairman and head of production. An unflinching analysis of a failure in business ethics, Shell Shock raises complex and timely questions: At what point did protection of the company's image usurp shareholder interests? How did financial industry safeguards let such a crisis develop? And how can similar fiascoes be prevented in the future? Original BBCW broadcast title: Shell Shock. (39 minutes)
#37417 Economics - Teaching Tools for Macroeconomics, Government, and International Trade (Run time 67 min.) DVD $89.95
Do the rich get a break at tax time-or do they pay more than their share? Who benefits and who suffers when sweatshops are allowed to operate? Are gas prices as outrageous as everyone thinks? This compilation of ABC News stories features 20/20 anchor John Stossel, who uses real-world situations to address provocative macroeconomic questions. In a straightforward style well-known to viewers of 20/20, Stossel covers a wide range of concepts and overturns many common assumptions. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. The episodes are: * Is Life Getting Worse? Income Comparisons across Time Periods: Comparing the America of 100 years ago with the present, this segment explores issues of quality of life and public safety. It's an ideal catalyst for class discussions on consumer outlook and the business environment. * Gas Prices: Adjusting Nominal Values for the Effect of Inflation: Pointing out the error of comparing nominal prices across time periods, this segment illustrates that gas prices, when adjusted for inflation, are lower than those experienced during most of the 20th century. * Laid-Off Steelworkers: Dynamic Change and Labor Productivity: Profiling the labor market in Youngstown, Ohio-where laid-off steel workers have found better, safer, higher-paying jobs-this segment addresses the concept of resource mobility. * Broken Windows: Expenditure Multiplier and Fiscal Policy: This segment uses broken windows and the glass industry as metaphors for what keeps the economy running and what can happen if government is too involved in it. * Stadiums: Government Spending and Jobs: Visiting the new baseball stadium built especially for the Chicago White Sox, this segment examines problems with taxpayer-funded support for private business and the use of tax money as transfer payments. * How Much in Taxes Do the Rich Pay? Impact of Marginal Tax Rates: Questioning the idea that America's wealthy contribute only five percent of public revenues, this segment shows that the very richest-the top one percent-actually pay much more. * Are Boycotts of Sweatshop Products Helpful? International Trade, Labor Markets, and Minimum Wage: This segment looks beyond protests against "sweatshop" factories, proposing that employing workers in developing countries benefits all markets. Likewise, it submits that implementing minimum wages endangers those markets. * Does Outsourcing Cost American Jobs? International Trade and Employment: This segment suggests that, as jobs are sent to foreign countries, labor resources are freed up to move to more productive areas-with long-term economic benefits. * The Role of Freedom in Prosperity: This segment travels to an Indian state in which government planning dominates. Places characterized by less planning, including the U.S., Hong Kong, and New Zealand, are examined for contrast. * Economic Freedom in the U.S., India, and Hong Kong: Economic Growth and Sources of Prosperity: Comparing India and the U.S. with Hong Kong, this segment examines political barriers to innovation and how China's "special administrative region" allows the greatest economic freedom. Interviews with economists Milton Friedman and Dinesh D'Souzah are included. * Eminent Domain in New Rochelle: Role of Government and Protection of Property Rights: Visiting a neighborhood in New Rochelle, New York, this segment addresses the controversial government practice of invoking eminent domain. Property rights and their uneven enforcement are discussed. * Is Government Too Big? Size and Growth of Government: This segment analyzes the reasons behind high and numerous taxes, examining the social and political factors within government that cause it to expand and continually require revenue. * Government Growth: Size and Growth of Government: Government spending has risen drastically since the 1930s. This segment explores the mid-twentieth-century expansion of government and how the trend it set in motion affects economic conditions today. * Pork Barrel Spending: Collective Decision-Making: The Alabama Peanut Festival and a $200-million bridge in Alaska illustrate the ability of special interests to influence government funding-sometimes for projects that benefit few people. * Jersey City Water Department: Markets versus Government Involvement: This segment focuses on competition and the difference between public and private enterprises. The water department in Jersey City, New Jersey-where a private company has taken over operations-provides a helpful example. 67 minutes.
#37418 Economics - Teaching Tools for Microeconomics (Run time 75 min.) DVD $89.95
Are prescription drug prices as outrageous as they are made out to be? Should farmers receive government subsidies, simply because they grow certain crops? What does it mean to be poor in America? This compilation of ABC News stories features 20/20 anchor John Stossel, who explores microeconomic questions through challenging, real-world examples. In his trademark down-to-earth style, Stossel digs into human dilemmas that will be sure to generate discussions of money, business, and society. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. The episodes are: * Costs and Benefits of Government Regulation: Opportunity Costs, Trade-offs, and Secondary Effects: This segment weighs marginal costs against marginal benefits, using the example of seat belt installation in school buses. John Graham of the Harvard Center for Statistical Analysis is interviewed. * Is Sharing Good? Economics of Private Property Rights: This segment explores private and common property rights and how both relate to individual incentive and the utilization of resources. A discussion of hunting rights in Africa reinforces these concepts. * Greed: Gains from Trade and Wealth Creation: Profiling well-known practitioners of worldly gain-the Vanderbilt family, most notably-this segment presents one way to look at greed: as the force behind a healthy economy. * Why Steak Gets to New York: Market Coordination and the Invisible Hand: From raising and slaughtering beef in Iowa to its consumption in New York City, this segment illustrates market coordination and Adam Smith's "invisible hand." * Rent Control: Price Controls: Using New York City's housing policy as an example, this segment asserts that rent control helps mostly high-income families-in other words, those whose privileges enable them to abuse the system. * Pharmaceutical Prices: Profits, Price Controls, and Secondary Effects: With an eye on the pharmaceutical industry, this segment addresses the impact of price controls-demonstrating that drug research is almost prohibitively expensive and must be covered by revenues from existing products. * Flood Insurance: Subsidies and Secondary Effects: Analyzing government-subsidized insurance, John Stossel recounts his disastrous experience with oceanfront property. James Lee Witt, former FEMA director, explains government insurance subsidies. * Farm Subsidies: Subsidies and Political Behavior: Visiting a California cotton farm, this segment investigates the impact of farm subsidies. Interviews with the owners lead to questions about the wisdom of farm subsidy policies. * Wal-Mart: Competition and Costs: Exploring competition, overhead, and cost of living, this segment asks: Does a company like Wal-Mart exploit workers in the U.S. and abroad? Or, by lowering prices, does it give consumers what amounts to a raise? * Poverty and Entrepreneurship: This segment profiles Steve Mariotti, a teacher in a struggling New York high school who introduced entrepreneurial principles into his classroom. Philosopher David Kelley is also featured. * Do Women Make Less Money? Wage Discrimination: This segment offers a discussion of wage discrimination, including conversations with Martha Burk, head of the National Council of Women's Organizations and author of Cult of Power, and Warren Farrell, former N.O.W. board member and author of The Myth of Male Power. * Underage Batboy: Regulation of Labor Markets: Relating the story of a batboy who was prevented from working because of strict child labor laws, this segment inquires into the government's role in regulating labor markets. * Ted Turner Gives to UN: Investment and Property: In this segment, entrepreneur T.J. Rodgers and scholar David Kelley react to Ted Turner's billion-dollar gift to UN charities. They argue that Turner's money would have been better spent on creating jobs through business investment. * Is Making Money Good or Bad? The Role of Profits and Losses: Featuring an interview with T.J. Rodgers, founder of Cypress Semiconductor, this segment highlights the role of the profit motive and its widespread benefits. * Poverty in the U.S.: Heading into the streets of the South Bronx, historically an icon of urban decay, this segment questions the official definition of poverty and the ways it is often measured. * School Choice: Education and the Role of Competition: Exploring the economics behind the controversial issue of school vouchers, this segment describes how more education options, both public and private, could help parents and students. 75 minutes.
#37544 Economics - Bill Moyers Journal: June 15, 2007 (Run time 58 min.) DVD $89.95
On Wall Street, private equity firms are buying up corporations and turning them around for huge profits-while America's economic disparities widen. Bill Moyers talks with maverick labor leader Andrew Stern, president of the rapidly growing Service Employees International Union, about the looming gap between working families and the wealthiest Americans. Also on the program: Writer, activist, and philosopher Grace Lee Boggs, a veteran participant in many of America's seminal civil rights struggles, discusses her belief that real change in government will come only from the grass roots. In addition, Bill Moyers delivers an incisive essay on truth, lies, and the sentencing of former Vice Presidential Chief of Staff Scooter Libby. Broadcast date: June 15, 2007. (58 minutes)
#38975 Economics - Bill Moyers Journal: October 12, 2007 (Run time 58 min.) DVD $89.95
Could we see a repeat of the 1929 stock market crash? Bill Moyers talks with two veteran market watchers-William H. Donaldson, former chairman of both the SEC and the NYSE, and Robert Kuttner, longtime Business Week columnist and cofounder of The American Prospect magazine-about the current economic landscape and the risks of financial industry deregulation. Also on the program: author Anouar Majid, who discusses the need for greater intellectual diversity among Muslims in his most recent book, A Call for Heresy: Why Dissent Is Vital to Islam and America. An excerpt from a previous interview with Doris Lessing, recent winner of the Nobel Prize for literature, is also included. Broadcast date: October 12, 2007. (58 minutes)
#7354 International Economics - Singapore: The Price of Prosperity (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
It has been more than 30 years since the British withdrew from Singapore, leaving high unemployment and an outdated dockyard. Now, largely because of a dynamic leader, Lee Kwan Yew, the country is a major financial center. This program examines the price of that progress, and the draconian restrictions on personal liberty that Yew claims were necessary to bring it all about. In an exclusive interview, Yew explains how he molded a homogeneous and efficient society by controlling behavior and banning ownership of everyday items, such as unsightly satellite dishes, and even chewing gum. A government-sponsored dating service for the professional class ensures that the right genes get passed on to the next generation. To keep the streets clean and safe, many offenses are punishable by jail terms and stiff fines. Original BBC broadcast title: Singapore: Doing It My Way. (30 minutes)
#9248 International Economics - Japan's Economy: Bursting the Bubble (Run time 12 min.) DVD $89.95
In this program, noted correspondent Paul Solman inquires into how Japan's star economy fizzled out-and why America deceived itself regarding Japan Inc. Seth Sulkin, President of Pacifica Corporation; Professor Yoshi Tsurumi; and investment banker Eugene Dattle present crony capitalism, flawed financial institutions, a dearth of skilled public regulation, and Yakuza involvement as factors that led to bursting Japan's economic bubble. But not all pundits repudiate their earlier opinions: Ezra Vogel, author of Japan as Number One, and MIT professor Paul Krugman defend their past assessments of Japan's economy. (12 minutes)
#10843 International Economics - Economic Change (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
Between the privatization of state-owned monopolies on the one hand and advances in information technology and e-commerce on the other, European economies are undergoing drastic changes to keep up with the times. Module one of this program focuses on institutional change, as the British electricity market undergoes privatization, while module two examines technological change through the case study of the German online bookstore ABC Bucherdienst, a part of Amazon.com. (30 minutes)
#10844 International Economics - Economic Indicators (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
How do countries evaluate the performance of their economic systems and national economies? In module one of this program, the Italian Statistical Office applies the U.S. concept of Gross Domestic Product, while in module two economists in Finland consider the GDP plus social indicators to gain a fuller economic picture. Module three illustrates how Hungary, a former communist bloc country, monitors its transition from a planned economy to a market economy through its own blend of statistics. (30 minutes)
#10845 International Economics - The Market Mechanism (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
Supply and demand is the basic relationship that fundamentally shapes any market-based economy. Module one of this program shows how S&D sets the price of a rose at the Aalsmeer flower auction in the Netherlands; module two reveals how Germany's Flensburger shipyard has survived in a shrinking market through capacity planning; and module three demonstrates how quality decisions ultimately led Bianchi to victory in the Giro d'Italia bicycle race. (30 minutes)
#10846 International Economics - Competition and Market Regulation (Run time 29 min.) DVD $89.95
Antitrust laws, trade regulations, and property ownership work together to preserve the balance of rights among consumers, retailers, and employees. Module one of this program explains how citizens of Zurich voted to extend shopping hours, overturning an obsolete market intervention; module two examines fair competition in the case of Volkswagen/Audi v. The European Commission; and module three examines how Venice, in an absence of private property rights, is moving to restore its crumbling buildings. (30 minutes)
#10847 International Economics - State Control and Private Initiative (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
In the world of business, what are the benefits and drawbacks of state intervention in the private sector? Modules one and two of this program investigate the impact of Poland's transition from a state-managed economy to a market economy and New Zealand's fundamental reorientation from a socialist welfare state to liberal capitalism. Module three studies how private enterprise and local communities have cooperated to create a successful zone of commerce in Italy's Sassuolo district. (30 minutes)
#10848 International Economics - Investment and Growth (Run time 29 min.) DVD $89.95
The investment/growth cycle relies on synergy between government and industry. Module one of this program features the UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development, which assists in the progress of low-developed countries around the world. Using Singapore's economic success as a model, modules two and three highlight two prerequisites for economic growth: political credibility derived from sound economic policy and investment in human capital. (30 minutes)
#10849 International Economics - Financial Systems for Growth (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
Economic growth requires a variety of financial institutions that can provide a steady stream of capital while managing risk. Traditional banking, as demonstrated in a rural Austrian village, is the focus of module one; module two concentrates on the trading of derivatives in the City of London; and module three explores venture capitalism through the case study of Novarox AG, a telecommunications software company with headquarters in Zurich and production facilities in St. Petersburg. (30 minutes)
#10850 International Economics - How to Cope with Unemployment (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
Where there is commerce, there is usually a degree of unemployment as well. Module one of this program presents an agency that develops the marketability of unemployed youth in Spain-victims of schooling/market mismatch and employer reluctance to provide training. Module two considers collective bargaining agreements in the Netherlands that have created employer incentives to hire out-of-work teens and young adults. Module three spotlights an innovative labor retooling initiative in Finland. (30 minutes)
#10851 International Economics - International Trade (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
Free trade is a vital source of economic growth, yet it is frequently endangered by the protectionist demands of special interest groups. Module one of this program uses the Hungarian clothing industry to illustrate the comparative advantages of international trade; module two goes inside the WTO, the only international body dealing with the rules of trade between nations; and module three seeks to understand strategic trade policy through the example of Airbus Industries. (30 minutes)
#10852 International Economics - European Integration (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
The E.U. is intent on developing a Europe without economic borders. Module one of this program outlines the potential of Europe's open labor markets while addressing the barriers imposed by language and culture. Module two examines the basic principles of the European Central Bank and the objectives of European monetary policy. Module three assesses both the economic gains to be had from European integration and the challenges of equitable political representation. (30 minutes)
#11189 International Economics - An Introduction to the IMF (Run time 18 min.) DVD $89.95
The consensus of the world's leaders is that economic stability and cooperation offer the best hope for global peace. Using interviews with members of the International Monetary Fund's Board of Governors-each one the head of a national central bank or a minister of finance-this program explains how the IMF is structured and illustrates how it sets policy. The program also uses archival footage to examine the dual birth of the IMF and the World Bank and to explore the vision of its founding members: John Maynard Keynes and Harry Dexter White. IMF historian James Boughton provides additional insights. (18 minutes)
#11190 International Economics - How the IMF Tracks Economies and Makes Loans (Run time 16 min.) DVD $89.95
In IMF parlance, what does "surveillance" mean? And how does the IMF decide who gets a loan? This program describes how the IMF monitors national economic policies for their impact on the Fund's 180-plus member nations and how loans are made to ailing or emerging economies. Topics under consideration include Article IV consultations and poverty- and debt-reduction initiatives. Former IMF Managing Director Michel Camdessus; Edwin Truman, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs; IMF economist David Goldsbrough; and IMF historian Jim Boughton are featured. (16 minutes)
#11191 International Economics - Argentina: An Economic Work in Progress (Run time 19 min.) DVD $89.95
By the end of the 1980s, Argentina was caught in a perilous vortex of hyperinflation. In this program, the former Minister of the Economy, the former Secretary of the Treasury, bank president Eduardo Escasany, economist Martin Redrado, and others discuss the measures taken at that time to stabilize the economy, including establishing a currency board, deregulating and privatizing key industries, reforming the labor market, and asking the IMF for a loan of $3.4 billion. The ripple effects of contemporaneous economic crises in Mexico, Brazil, and Russia are also considered. (19 minutes)
#11192 International Economics - Korea: Conquering a Financial Crisis (Run time 19 min.) DVD $89.95
In 1997, South Korea-the world's 11th-largest economy at that time-was brought to the verge of economic collapse by the "Asian flu." This program scrutinizes that country's amazing comeback, facilitated by the IMF. Using intensive crisis management and a massive bailout of $21 billion, South Korea quickly began to reverse the effects of a buildup of bad banking debt and excessive short-term borrowing. The former Minister of Finance and Economy, IMF economists, and others address the banking reforms used to insure the future of the economy, such as adjusting interest rates, creating new bank lending practices, and encouraging corporate debt reduction. (19 minutes)
#37187 International Economics - Global Corporate Citizenship (Run time 28 min.) DVD $89.95
Can global corporations remain profitable while also fostering social consciousness, environmental stewardship, and respect for local laws? This program explains why that is not only possible but necessary in the age of international business. Corporate accountability guru Dr. Simon Zadek describes what it means for powerful companies to behave conscientiously, while Profits with Principles coauthor Jane Nelson discusses the UN Global Compact concerning industry's role in ecological and community health. Equally notable is commentator Oded Grajew, founder of the Ethos Institute for Business and Social Responsibility-which endeavors to counteract the World Economic Forum's purely monetary globalization model. (28 minutes)
#6128 International Economics - South Korea: Inside the Miracle (Run time 27 min.) DVD $99.95
South Korea is now one of the top fifteen economies in the world. Once a largely poor rural country, it is today a thriving industrialized urban economy. This program examines South Korea today and looks particularly at the human consequences of the repressive labor and political policies that have accompanied the country's dramatic growth. The program examines both the struggle for union rights and examples of the political repression that have gripped the country for years. (27 minutes)
#9250 Economics - Foreign Markets and the U.S. Economy (Run time 22 min.) DVD $129.95
With four out of five wide-bodies leaving the U.S. carrying cargo to the Pacific Rim, America is inextricably tied to Asian economies. Complicating this is the ability of investors to nimbly outmaneuver politicians by moving large sums of money across borders with a simple click of the mouse. In this program, ABC News anchor Ted Koppel and correspondent David Turecamo assess the prognosis of an ailing Korea as it recovers from its bout of the "Asian flu," undergoing transfusions of capital from Salomon Smith Barney and the IMF. As Korea and other Pac Rim nations turn their backs on traditional political red tape and agree to do business the Wall Street way, will corporate self-interest eventually overpower Washington in matters of international relations? (22 minutes)
#11260 Economics - Clever and Greedy: Wealth-Building, 8,000 BC to 650 BC (Run time 51 min.) DVD $129.95
Beginning with a concise overview of brain evolution in early hominids and what appears to be barter behavior in chimps, this program traces the rudiments of the human wealth orientation as it developed at Wadi Faynan, a prehistoric agrarian settlement; at the ancient town of Catal Hoyuk; and at Uruk, a major Sumerian trading city. Host Peter Jay; Cambridge University's Nicholas Postgate; Hans Nissen, of the Free University of Berlin; archaeologist Steven Mithen; and others consider the transformative effect of farming, the commercial impact of obsidian, and the invention of proto-cuneiform as an accounting tool. A BBC Production. (51 minutes)
#11261 Economics - The Love of Money: Wealth-Building, 650 BC to 450 AD (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
As ancient trading broadened and became more complex, barter became inadequate. In this program, host Peter Jay; Andrew Meadows, curator of the British Museum; Exeter University's Richard Seaford; and archaeologist John Camp examine history's first surge of coinage, from the stamped nuggets of electrum used at Sardis to the dominance of the denarius throughout the far-flung Roman Empire. The rise of the Agora in Athens as a locus for commerce and information, the effects of Roman law on trade, and other topics are discussed-along with the massive limestone currency used on the Micronesian island of Yap. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#11262 Economics - Risky Business: Wealth-Building, 450 to 1497 (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
As recession enfolded Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire, the economic axis shifted to the Islamic world, where the concept of risk management was born. This program, hosted by Peter Jay, explores the Muslim commercial empire in Egypt, the reemergence of trade in northwestern Europe with the waning of the Dark Ages, and the rise of banking and sophisticated accounting methods among the Italian states. Stefan Reif, of Cambridge University Library, and historians Christopher Dyer and Rheinhold Mueller discourse on subjects ranging from centuries-old financial records preserved in Cairo's Ben Ezra synagogue to Venetian maritime trade. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)
#11263 Economics - Never the Same Again: Wealth-Building, 1497 to 1851 (Run time 52 min.) DVD $129.95
This program, hosted by Peter Jay, focuses on Europe's hunger for wealth as it relates to the exploitation of the New World and the First Industrial Revolution. Expert commentary on the Aztec civilization, Europe's bullion famine, England's cottage industries, and expanding markets in North America-combined with the prescient writings of Daniel DeFoe and Bernard de Mandeville-lay the groundwork for a deep understanding of modern economics. The lesson? Spanish plunder, unproductively invested, was soon depleted, whereas British commercial enterprise paved the way for sustainable economic growth. A BBC Production. (52 minutes)
#11264 Economics - The Best of Times, the Worst of Times: Wealth-Building, 1851 to 1945 (Run time 48 min.) DVD $129.95
Fueled by one scientific breakthrough after another, the Second Industrial Revolution supercharged both manufacturing and trade, but it also led to economic rivalries that indirectly resulted in two world wars. In this program, host Peter Jay, Henry Kissinger, historians Richard Overy and Chris Ellmers, and Miller Carnegie, great-grandson of Andrew Carnegie, analyze the importance of science and technology, banking and big business, immigration, nationalism, and laissez-faire capitalism as forces for rapid societal change. Economic collapse in post-World War I Germany and America is also addressed. A BBC Production. (48 minutes)
#11265 Economics - The End or the Beginning? Wealth-Building, 1945 to 2300 (Run time 46 min.) DVD $129.95
Just as there was once a time without wealth, might there come a time without poverty? In this program, host Peter Jay scrutinizes the attempts by Great Britain, Russia, the People's Republic of China, and Tanzania to stabilize and recharge their economies during the last half-century, while interviews with citizens who have lived through both good times and bad reveal the mixed results of governmental and institutional efforts to raise their standards of living. In addition, Jay looks ahead to the year 2300 and makes intriguing predictions as to the state of the world's economy. A BBC Production. (46 minutes)
#33174 Economics - Producing (Run time 114 min.) DVD $129.95
This program uses the businesses on a small town's Market Street to explain scarcity, limited economic resources, and the economic activities of producing, exchanging, consuming, saving, and investing. The competition between a small bicycle shop and a cycling superstore serves to explore profit and loss, competition and production, and supply and demand. Operations in a computer store are examined to understand labor market, fixed and variable costs, and technology. The competitiveness of the athletic shoe industry is investigated to explain relative prices and the role of offshore production. Correlates to National Economics Standards. A 232-page teacher's guide is included. (115 minutes)
#33175 Economics - Exchanging (Run time 68 min.) DVD $129.95
A group of teens learns about markets and opportunity and transaction costs when purchasing tickets to rock concerts, the NBA playoffs, and the Indianapolis 500. A Corvette plant in Kentucky offers lessons in barter, exchange rates, and international trade. A visit to the dump raises issues about the economics of product packaging. The impact of rising prices on the purchasing power of a photographer who needs to borrow money for new equipment provides insights into how inflation affects the nation's fiscal and monetary policy. Correlates to National Economics Standards. A 136-page teacher's guide is included. (68 minutes)
#33176 Economics - Consuming (Run time 52 min.) DVD $129.95
The activities and institutions needed to satisfy individual and collective wants are explored in this program. Two students headed for spring break in Florida, experiencing fluctuating gas and motel room prices, learn about perfect competition, scarcity, and arbitrage. A scheme to pick oranges in Florida and sell them in Illinois is thwarted by the transaction costs of licensing, transportation, and storage. A construction boom and the reduction of logging opportunities on public land affect the lumber industry and demonstrate the principles of interdependence, market equilibrium, and shortage. Correlates to National Economics Standards. A 192-page teacher's guide is included. (52 minutes)
#33177 Economics - Saving (Run time 35 min.) DVD $129.95
This program explores the decision to postpone consumption in order to receive the benefits at some later date. Two people in the market for a stereo system and a car learn about saving, buying on credit, simple and compound interest, and opportunity cost as they plan to get the most for their money. The business of family farming is used to investigate nominal and real income, credit, supply and demand interactions in the market for loanable funds, and inflation. Correlates to National Economics Standards. A 128-page teacher's guide is included. (35 minutes)
#33178 Economics - Investing (Run time 68 min.) DVD $129.95
A 10-year high school reunion provides an chance to investigate opportunity cost, supply and demand's effect on wages, investing in human capital, and the costs and benefits of career decisions. In another segment, two workers, thinking hard about their futures, learn about incentives for investing in human capital and the economic risks involved, why people change jobs, and factors that enhance job mobility. Galloping competition in the manufacturing sector sets the stage for discussing productivity, investments in robotic technology, automation and the loss of jobs, and the role of government in training displaced workers. Correlates to National Economics Standards. A 152-page teacher's guide is included. (68 minutes)
#34683 Economics - General Motors: Driving the World from Detroit? (Run time 31 min.) DVD $129.95
With hundreds of thousands of employees worldwide, a net worth in the billions, and a dozen brands, General Motors is at the center of the political debate over globalization, the environment, and the future of the U.S. economy. In this program, GM President and CEO Rick Wagoner talks with BBC Chief Washington Correspondent Matt Frei. Topics under discussion include America's unending love affair with cars, the environmental impact of automobiles, and a dilemma shared by all domestic car manufacturers: faced with increasing international competition and an already slim profit margin that is steadily shrinking, how can their industry possibly remain viable? Original BBCW broadcast title: Who Runs America? Rick Wagoner. (30 minutes)
#35554 Economics - Bucking the System: Alternatives to Cash and Capital (Run time 27 min.) DVD $129.95
Are the days of the traditional cash economy numbered? This program examines ground-breaking monetary systems designed to benefit disadvantaged segments of the population and build strength in the small business sector-not only in the United States, but also in Mexico, India, Poland, and Britain. Traveling to each country, the program showcases remarkable financial innovations-including the "Ithaca hour," a currency rapidly becoming standard in the upstate New York town; a Greenwich "time bank" that encourages community involvement; and Warsaw's Fundusz Micro credit organization, which helps entrepreneurs build businesses without capital. (27 minutes)
#36260 Economics - Game Theory: Lost in New York (Run time 41 min.) DVD $129.95
What if twelve strangers were deposited in separate locations all over New York City and ordered to find each other-without being told where to look? This ABC News program presents an intriguing psychological puzzle involving participants who must join up-somehow, somewhere-in a city of eight million people. Incorporating principles from the mathematical discipline known as game theory, the program shows how envisioning the plans and intentions of others, even when utilizing the scantiest of evidence and the most basic of inferences, can produce a viable strategy. Commentary from Yale management professor and renowned game theory expert Barry Nalebuff is featured. (41 minutes)
#7352 International Economics - Korea: Tiger of Asia (Run time 30 min.) DVD $129.95
South Korea boasts the third-largest economy in Asia. This program examines how cheap government loans encouraged the growth of large conglomerates, and how new policies are helping small and medium companies to develop. A representative of a British automobile company discusses the Korean government's use of onerous anti-business tactics, such as tax audits on those Koreans who buy imported cars. Officials from conglomerates Daewoo, Samsung, and Hyundai discuss the business practices that contributed to their success. A British computer executive discusses ways in which foreign companies can cope with Korean business regulations and customs. A BBC Production. (30 minutes)
#7353 International Economics - Taiwan: A Force to Be Reckoned With (Run time 30 min.) DVD $129.95
"Knowledge is power. Knowledge is money. Money is pride," says Taiwan's Minister of Education. This program examines Taiwan's commitment to education that made it one of the world's most successful industrialized economies, and exposes the high environmental price it has paid. The importance of education is reflected in the Taiwanese constitution, which mandates cooperation between business and education. An executive at China Steel discusses the company's global success. The program also reveals country scenes, with rivers badly polluted by industrial waste, and cities, where inhabitants are forced to wear masks against rising air pollution. A BBC Production. (30 minutes)
#7905 International Economics - China: From Poverty to Prosperity (Run time 30 min.) DVD $129.95
China suddenly finds itself wrestling with a dual identity as a strict communist society nevertheless dedicated to the advancement of capitalism. This program examines the enormous economic changes and challenges for China as it transforms itself from a centralized command economy to a market-based one, and from a rural, agricultural society to an urban, industrial giant. (30 minutes)
#7906 International Economics - Mauritius: Island of Economic Ingenuity (Run time 30 min.) DVD $129.95
For a tiny island off the coast of Africa, Mauritius has certainly made some enormous economic strides. Third World status notwithstanding, this small but mighty country has become a player on the international economic scene. This program discusses how Mauritius did it, and how its new economic status has improved life in general for the people of this formerly poverty-ridden nation. (30 minutes)
#7907 International Economics - Peru: Road to Recovery (Run time 29 min.) DVD $129.95
Despite political problems, rampant terrorism, and hyper-inflation, Peru is somehow managing to turn itself around economically. This program explores that about-face and Peru's newfound economic and social stability. Also discussed are the many challenges that remain, the most urgent of which is how the country can release all of its 25 million people from the grip of cyclical poverty. (29 minutes)
#8544 International Economics - East Africa: Pathway to Growth (Run time 47 min.) DVD $129.95
Zambia, Tanzania, and Uganda are overcoming the legacy of central planning and charting a course from poverty to prosperity. Taking control of their own destiny, these countries have embarked on a voyage of economic recovery which depends on peace, political stability, a commitment to reform, and the support of the international community, in which the IMF's role is crucial. (47 minutes)
#8545 International Economics - West Africa: Fabric of Reform (Run time 33 min.) DVD $129.95
The Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, and Mali are West African countries that are undergoing economic reform. With the help of the IMF, they are overcoming such obstacles as corruption, overregulated markets, and government overspending that have stunted the economic growth of this region for decades. This program presents the IMF and the application of economic theory in Africa, with all of its unique problems. (33 minutes)
#8807 International Economics - The International Monetary Fund: Financial Cure or Catastrophe? (Run time 37 min.) DVD $129.95
In this program, financial experts including economist Jeffrey Sachs, Paul Krugman of MIT, and the IMF's Stanley Fischer reveal the IMF's ignorance of basic economic realities at the time of the Asian financial crisis, during which the IMF's one-size-fits-all policy recommendations and faulty judgment worsened the economies it hoped to assist. Issues such as conflicts of interest, charges of corruption, and political heavy-handedness have prompted the CATO Institute and others to call for an end to the IMF, especially in light of the Russian financial fiasco, which left the IMF holding valueless promissory notes worth millions. (37 minutes)
#34962 International Economics - Outsourcing: White Collar Exodus (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
Blue-collar jobs have been leaving America for decades. Now, thousands of higher paying positions are also moving abroad. This program examines the pros and cons of white-collar outsourcing, highlighting emotional and ideological divisions on the topic. It also studies real-life examples of outsourcing in action. An in-depth look at India's booming call center industry-which provides systematic training for Mumbai workers in American standards of speech and culture-illustrates the extent to which American business relies on overseas labor, while commentary from economists and policy makers explores the effect of outsourcing on America's middle class. (51 minutes)
#36130 International Economics - To Have and Have Not: Wealth and Poverty in the New China (Run time 56 min.) DVD $129.95
Every year this nation's economy struggles to absorb millions of the unemployed, while the rich move to gated communities with private schools and tennis courts. That might sound like America, but it isn't. This Wide Angle documentary studies the new China, once the home of Mao's rigidly imposed social equality-and today, a member of the World Trade Organization containing both staggeringly wealthy and tragically destitute citizens. The country's commitment to private enterprise and free markets may reshape China more in a single year than most countries change in a decade. This eye-opening program illustrates the effect of that dynamic on the people of China. (56 minutes)
#36163 International Economics - The Empty ATM: Inside Argentina's Broken Economy (Run time 57 min.) DVD $129.95
In December 2001, the Argentine government defaulted on $155 billion in public debt. This Wide Angle documentary describes the economic disintegration of the once-affluent country, examining its political quagmire and the collapse of its currency. Showing various methods that citizens use to survive in a broken economy-ranging from the ingenious, such as barter clubs for exchanging goods and services, to the brutal, including outbreaks of rioting-the program demonstrates what happens when basic government services vanish. It also asks: How can the people of Argentina put their society back together? In addition, former World Bank Chief Economist Joseph Stiglitz talks with anchor Jamie Rubin. (57 minutes)
#37526 International Economics - If... The Oil Runs Out (Run time 44 min.) DVD $129.95
Transporting viewers to the year 2016, this program paints a disturbing picture of an oil-starved America and the socioeconomic upheaval that may accompany the death of the Oil Age. The film follows a middle-aged, Midwestern couple through violence at gas stations, conflicts with neighbors, and the loss of their livelihood; it also focuses on their daughter, an oil prospector determined to find new crude oil fields in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge. Interspersed with the docudrama are notable statistics on oil production and consumption as well as real-world interviews with former Pentagon energy security adviser Paul Domjan, Centre for Global Energy Studies chairman Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, and other experts. A BBCW Production. (44 minutes)
#2761 Economics - Getting Out of Business: Privatization and the Modern State (Run time 59 min.) DVD $149.95
This program chronicles the rise and fall of the concept that government does a better job of providing transportation, power, or even employment, than does private enterprise. Case by case and country by country, it explains the philosophy of governmental involvement in business and examines the consistent results. The viewpoint is skewed in favor of private ownership and the privatization of government-owned or run industry; but the facts adduced are fair and equable, and the omitted arguments in favor of government intervention will spark research and lively discussion of the entire role of government. (59 minutes)
#4643 Economics - Meeting the Challenge: A Conversation with President Clinton (Run time 30 min.) DVD $149.95
Can America rise to the challenge posed by its economic competitors in Europe and the Pacific Rim? Fresh from NAFTA and GATT victories, President Clinton shares his vision for re-engineering America's industrial and trade policies, education strategy, and tax and fiscal incentives in this incisive interview with Hedrick Smith. (30 minutes)
#6485 Economics - Privatization of State-Owned Businesses (Run time 30 min.) DVD $149.95
Is privatization of state-owned businesses an answer to an ailing economy and falling profits? This program looks at this question through the eyes of several British companies that have been taken out of government hands and become publicly owned businesses. Both British Steel and the National Freight Corporation are examples of businesses that have succeeded as a result of privatization, but there are many others that have not. The program examines the pros and cons of privatization with managers and workers, and explores what conditions are necessary for privatization to be successful. (30 minutes)
#9100 Economics - Free Market Economies: The Commanding Heights (Run time 26 min.) DVD $149.95
As the movement begun in the 1970s to decentralize and deregulate continues, economies around the world are being reshaped. In this program, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Daniel Yergin, Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman, and John Kenneth Galbraith explore the dynamic tension between free markets and managed economies with Ben Wattenberg, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. The demise of European communist and socialist economic models and successful market-oriented initiatives in Europe and America support the thesis that minimal government intervention is healthy. But will big business seek a return to managed economies if world markets crash? (26 minutes)
#9101 Economics - Whatever Happened to Japan Inc.? (Run time 27 min.) DVD $149.95
Should Japan abandon its interlocking alliance between business and government and reengineer its economy on the American model? In this program, syndicated columnist and author Ben Wattenberg moderates a debate with Eamonn Fingleton, author of the controversial Blindside; Yoichi Funabashi, of the Asahi Shimbun; and experts from The Brookings Institution, U.S. News & World Report, The New York Times, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Tokyo). They discuss the current health of Japan's economy, speculate on Japan's impending deregulatory "big bang," and address the economic impact on the U.S. if Japan should succumb to the "Asian flu" that imperils its less prosperous neighbors. (27 minutes)
#37391 Economics - Freakonomics with Levitt and Dubner (Run time 40 min.) DVD $149.95
How do people get what they want? The most primal aim of economics is to find answers to that blunt but telling question-something at which Steven D. Levitt has proved particularly adept. In this ABC News program, Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, coauthors of the best-selling book Freakonomics, reason out points of convergence between beauty pageant contestants and crack dealers, abortion and prison, children's car seats and DVD players, consumers and tamarin monkeys, and black straight-A students and Hollywood celebrities. Whether a person is likely to give more to a charity if the person collecting for it is attractive is also considered. (40 minutes)
#38711 Economics - The Timebank: An Economy for Everyone (Run time 48 min.) DVD $149.95
Transactions that use "time dollars," or currency offered and consumed in the form of services, have become more than just a novelty. This program looks at organized systems known as time banks, through which thousands of people-many of whom would likely subsist on charity or government aid in the traditional cash economy-now maintain rewarding and productive lives. Taking a global approach, the program examines two institutions that were created independently of each other but which have developed along similar lines: Timebank, in the U.S. and Great Britain, and the LETS system in Germany. Interviews with Timebank USA chairman Edgar S. Cahn, Timebank London chairman Martin Farrell, and several participants and administrators from both systems illustrate their innovative, community-based approach. (47 minutes)
#39467 Economics - Waiting on the World to Change: Poverty in Camden, New Jersey (Run time min.) DVD $149.95
Welcome to Camden, New Jersey-one of the most economically depressed and crime-ridden cities in America. Even so, children here have hopes and dreams that compete daily with terrible hardships. This ABC News program documents the lives of three young Camden residents over the course of 18 months: six-year-old Moochie, who has vowed to get straight A's in school; Billy Joe, a teenager determined to be the first in his family to graduate from high school; and a four-year-old named Ivan with one big dream: to escape homelessness and have his own room. Through these stories, the program raises awareness of children and young people across the country who struggle daily to succeed despite near-impossible odds. Original ABC broadcast title: Waiting on the World to Change. (42 minutes)
#39553 Economics - Who Owns America? Economic Crisis in the United States (Run time min.) DVD $149.95
The United States, the world's strongest economic power, is also the world's largest debtor nation. Will America's ever-increasing trade imbalance and economic deficit trigger a global economic calamity? This program travels from East Coast to West via the Rust Belt to check the financial pulse of the nation-and to capture in images the reality of an economic system spinning out of control. Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, economists Paul Krugman and Mark Brenner, and Harvard's Kenneth Rogoff as well as students buried in debt and skilled laborers who have lost their pensions give their points of view on topics such as the pernicious use of government debt to pay for tax cuts; the $4-billion-per-week war in Iraq; the off-shoring of mortgage debt to China; Wall Street's love of lean production and its negative impact on the manufacturing sector; the unwelcome necessity of student loans in the face of a faltering job market; consumerism based on overextended lines of credit; and the steadily falling median income. (Portions in French with English subtitles, 52 minutes)
#8529 International Economics - Asian Values Devalued (Run time 39 min.) DVD $149.95
As the tiger economies of East Asia turned from boom to bust in the 1990s, the general public was amazed, yet many economists nodded their heads knowingly. This program focuses on the plights of Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, where nepotism, cronyism, corruption, suppression, and the exploitation of cheap foreign labor brought about a financial crisis of enormous proportions. These regions grew too quickly without proper controls and economic safeguards, which has left the middle and lower classes, who are crushed by inflation and unemployment, to pay the bill. Experts agree that East Asia will survive, eventually recover, and probably surpass itself, but at a staggering cost in money and human misery. This program is an excellent expose that reveals why the bubble burst. (39 minutes)
#11975 International Economics - The Global Trade Debate (Run time 41 min.) DVD $149.95
As tensions mount between big business and an increasingly powerful activist lobby, the gulf between their positions has never been clearer. This program offers a balanced look at the reality of globalization in an effort to address the issues that underpin the angry rhetoric. Since the founding of the International Monetary Fund, the world has seen a 12-fold increase in global trade. But local economies and the environment have paid a heavy price. Consumers and governments alike must require responsible business practices and cleaner energy, or the global marketplace-potentially beneficial in so many ways-may turn out to be unsustainable. (42 minutes)
#32923 International Economics - Name Brand Counterfeiting: A Global Economic Crisis (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
Cheap lookalikes of popular goods are flooding the world's markets, depriving legitimate manufacturers of hundreds of billions of dollars each year. This eye-opening expose follows the anti-counterfeit investigators of Cartier and BIC from their headquarters to New York and Nigeria and then on to China as they hurry to trace and stop the flow of illegal goods at the source. But bringing injunctions and carrying out raids against the many vendors, Internet merchants, and wholesalers require time, which is not on their side. Every day, inferior fakes are siphoning off sales while tarnishing their products' reputations for high quality. (53 minutes)
#35580 International Economics - Small Change, Big Business: The Women's Bank of Bangladesh 10 Years Later (Run time 55 min.) DVD $149.95
Micro credit-small loans administered with no collateral requirement-might represent the most powerful weapon in the fight against global poverty. But is micro credit a sustainable solution? This program follows up on the 1995 documentary The Women's Bank of Bangladesh (item #7129) which examined Bangladesh's Grameen Bank, a pioneering micro credit provider focused mainly on struggling women. Small Change, Big Business revisits loan recipients a decade later, studying the long-term effects of micro credit in their households and in their Islamic community. The video also interviews Grameen bank founder Muhammad Yunus, who sheds further light on the bank's methods and goals. Portions are in Bangla with English subtitles. (55 minutes)
#37018 International Economics - Through a Child's Eyes: Views of Global Poverty (Run time 55 min.) DVD $149.95
Most elementary-age children exude innocence and optimism. What about kids who face extreme poverty? This documentary focuses on the plight of underprivileged nine-year-olds across the world-revealing their hardships and challenges as well as the light-hearted spirit they often exhibit in spite of their surroundings. Traveling to Egypt, Rwanda, India, Cambodia, Romania, Brazil, and New York City, the film presents a case study of a child in each location through compelling interviews, tours of struggling schools, and visits to barely livable homes. In every segment, the most illuminating moment follows the question, "What would you do if you had a lot of money?" (55 minutes)
#39028 International Economics - Addicted to Cheap Shopping? Why the Real Cost of Goods Keeps Going Down (Run time 61 min.) DVD $149.95
In this program, host Libby Potter travels around the world as she takes a meaningful look at the economics behind the inexpensive goods for sale in big-box stores and malls. Cost-cutting through supply chain management and waste reduction, economies of scale achieved by shipping offshore-manufactured goods to market via super-container ships, the Wal-Mart effect, and the no-frills philosophy of IKEA are addressed. The triumphs and woes of China, in its role as manufacturer for the world, is given special attention, and the clothing industry is presented as a case study of the cheap goods cycle. But the program also considers the hidden societal costs of cheap goods, such as sweatshop labor and the environmental impact of cavalier overconsumption, and questions how much longer prices will continue to drop as China's standard of living rises. Original BBCW broadcast title: Addicted to Cheap Shopping? (60 minutes)
#10452 Economics - Surviving the Good Times: A Moyers Report (Run time 117 min.) DVD $159.95
During the longest economic expansion in American history, many people had never had it so good. But for others, the boom only resulted in working longer hours at lower wages simply to keep up. This eye-opening program tells the story of the Neumanns and Stanleys, two working families in Milwaukee whose efforts to make ends meet in the new global economy reveal what life was like for millions of Americans during that period. Filmed over ten years, this intimate documentary captures their struggle to cope with economic upheaval and to keep their families intact with both parents working, children facing challenges in school and in the street, and family values being threatened by problems with no easy solutions. (2 parts, 67 minutes and 50 minutes)
#10690 Economics - After the Gold Rush: Lucrative Lessons (Run time min.) DVD $179.9
As America's robust economy surged ahead during the Clinton administration, the nation as a whole experienced unprecedented growth. But behind that facade of economic success are disturbing psychological questions that are in urgent need of resolution-questions that have lost none of their importance in the current economic downturn. In this topical two-part series, concerned experts from a variety of fields scrutinize America's emotional and spiritual bottom line. 2-part series, 29 minutes each.
#37416 Economics - Teaching Tools for Economics with John Stossel (Run time min.) DVD $179.9
For grounding students in business and financial principles, the best tools come from the real world. This two-part series of ABC News programs features 20/20 anchor John Stossel, who uses thought-provoking questions, everyday situations, and events in the news to spark discussion of hot-button economic issues. Viewable/printable instructor's guides are available online. 2-part series, 67 and 75 minutes each.
#39482 Economics - Camden Chronicles: Children in Urban Poverty (Run time min.) DVD $239.95
In one of the poorest and most dangerous communities in America, three children reveal their hopes, dreams, fears, and frustrations. This two-part series of ABC News programs presents their stories, examining the economic and personal conditions facing inner-city kids in Camden, New Jersey-or, for that matter, in any struggling urban center across the U.S. The first program introduces the children and their situations; a follow-up episode shows how their lives have changed in various ways. 2-part series, 28 and 42 minutes.
#8543 International Economics - Economic Recovery in Africa: The Role of the IMF (Run time min.) DVD $259.9
The International Monetary Fund is an international resource, yet each region that it works with has specific needs. Many African countries suffer from the effects of political instability, war, central planning, and corruption. The IMF and the international community have made a commitment to creating stability in the region, and the key is economic prosperity. This two-part series highlights East and West Africa and the unique challenges that these two regions face as they rebuild.
#38971 Economics - Poverty in America (Run time min.) DVD $299.9
Combining scholarly analysis with a human-centered approach, this three-part series looks at the causes and effects of economic hardship in the United States while suggesting ways for society to combat the cycle of poverty. Situational, multigenerational, elder, and child poverty are all addressed through conversations with those who know hunger or homelessness firsthand. Leading socioeconomic experts and frontline activists are also interviewed, including David Broder of the Washington Post, Alan Berube of the Brookings Institute, and Jessica Bartholow, a community food bank administrator. 3-part series, 56-60 minutes each.
#4279 Economics - Challenge to America: Competing in the New Global Economy (Run time min.) DVD $359.8
Once the world's unchallenged industrial superpower, America now faces fierce competition from economies whose social systems, cultures, and business strategies are very different from ours. What lessons can America learn from the dramatic successes of our Japanese and German competitors? In Challenge to America, Hedrick Smith takes us inside innovative companies and classrooms in Japan, Germany, and the United States to reveal the unique strengths and weaknesses each economy brings to the table-and to show how American companies are pioneering new and effective strategies for meeting the challenges of a new era of global competition. 4-part series, 58 minutes each.
#11188 International Economics - Millennium: The IMF in the New Century (Run time min.) DVD $359.8
Established after World War II as a tool to promote stable currencies, international trade, and economic growth, the International Monetary Fund is bent on achieving peace through global prosperity. This four-part series appraises the IMF's methods in a world where extenuating circumstances are the norm, and looks ahead as the Fund retools itself to meet the challenges of the new century. 4-part series, 16-19 minutes each.
#7904 International Economics - Three Dynamic Economies (Run time min.) DVD $389.85
This series focuses on three countries-China, Mauritius, and Peru-and the different ways each has succeeded in reforming and growing their economy to compete in the international marketplace. 3-part series, 29-30 minutes each.
#8536 International Economics - Understanding Free Market Economics: Lessons Learned in the Former Soviet Union (Run time min.) DVD $419.7
This six-part series examines the principles behind the International Monetary Fund and its role in applying free market theory to transform centrally planned economies into competitive, free-trade markets. Beginning with the principles that guide the IMF and its policies, the series then presents case studies on the application of free market theories in Russia, the Ukraine, and Moldova. Also examined are the obstacles that derailed the transformation of other Commonwealth of Independent States economies: the over-printing of money that led to inflation, the removal of social safety nets that caused public resistance, and the lack of institutions to enforce new laws and collect taxes. The series is an indispensable resource that takes free market theories out of the textbook and watches them at work in the real-life lab of the global economy. 6-part series.
#33173 Economics - Economics at Work (Run time min.) DVD $719.7
This one-semester, secondary-level economics course, developed in consultation with the National Council on Economics Education, combines video, text, and software to illustrate the principles and real-world applications of five major economic activities: producing, exchanging, consuming, saving, and investing. The six-part series, which uses documentary footage and dramatized vignettes, an interactive CD-ROM, and teacher's guides with reproducible handouts, contains 27 lessons that serve as an interactive, contextual foundation for teaching economics. Correlates to National Economics Standards. 6-part series.
#11259 Economics - The Road to Riches: The History of Wealth-Building (Run time min.) DVD $779.7
For thousands of years, humankind has been obsessed with accumulating wealth. How did that fixation develop, and why? Filmed in sixteen countries over three years, this remarkable six-part series-hosted by BBC economics editor Peter Jay, author of Road to Riches, or, The Wealth of Man-reappraises human history in order to answer those essential questions. A BBC Production. 6-part series, 46-52 minutes each.
#10842 International Economics - The New Global Economics: A Real-World Guide (Run time min.) DVD $899.5
Using nations of the European Union, Singapore, and New Zealand as models, this comprehensive 10-part series provides numerous case studies to analyze how economies must adapt in order to prosper in a rapidly changing world. What lessons in economic theory and monetary policy can America learn from the restructuring going on in Europe and around the globe? 10-part series, 30 minutes each.
