206F Economic Current Events and Their Effect on You
Eight sessions
Instructor: Elliot Dubin
Thursdays, 2:15—3:40, Sept. 24—Nov. 12
This class will focus on but not be limited to: 1) Immigration: what are the benefits and what are the costs?; 2) International Trade and Industrial Policy: who benefits from trade and who loses?; 3) Growing inequality in income and wealth: is it necessarily a bad thing?; 4) The economic impact of increasing federal debt; 5) Financing the costs of higher education: would canceling student debt help increase access to higher education?: 6) Social Security and MEDICARE: how will the looming huge deficits in these trust funds affect you; e.g., cuts in benefits, raises in taxes, or a combination of both?; 7) Inflation and disinflation: its causes and effects and the policies needed to moderate it. Students will have the opportunity to suggest other topics, for example, artificial intelligence and labor markets, energy policies, etc.
Elliott Dubin was the director of Policy Research at the Multistate Tax Commission. He was a member of the VA Commonwealth Savers (529) Plan; and, is currently the treasurer of the not-for-profit Hartwood Foundation.