Kim Holder

The 10 Greatest Films for Teaching Economics

We asked economic educators from around the country to identify five films that they found most useful in teaching economics. Our sample of 105 educators reflects wide-ranging opinions about the greatest films for teaching economics. We provide summaries of each of the Top 10 films in our list and short descriptions of the next 10. The films surveyed are an eclectic mix that spans different eras and genres. It is our hope that this list will spur conversations about economics among interested readers and economic educators.

The economics of The Hunger Games

Using media in the classroom is an increasingly common way to teach economics. As far back as the 1830s, Martineau created stories with an economic message. Since then, many others have explored the economics found in other works of literature. Our objective here is to analyse the economic messages of one of the most popular young adult book series of the past ten years, The Hunger Games. In this paper, we examine issues of economic organisation, comparative advantage, the role of institutions, and income inequality among others, all of which help to promote the storyline of the novel. Students have responded favourably to the use of familiar characters in explaining these ideas, and we believe that utilising literature has been and will continue to be a helpful tool for economics instructors.