Unit 1 Economics: Panorama - Poor America

For those of you who missed this week’s panorama “Poor America” it is well worth 30 minutes of your time. Students often assume that a high GDP per capita always leads to the good life for all- this programme highlights inequality well.

Video clip: Poor America: ‘Some kids are making ketchup soup’

The Panorama programme on America’s poor is available to view for the next 12 months - click here

The programme fits in well with both macro and micro - There is also an excellent part looking at the effects of hunger on student, which could be used for business as an example of Maslow.

I plan to get students to first find the following from the CIA web site

There are some fantastic statistics given in the programme which students can spend some time with; such as the cost of a hernia operation in the US- Students may want to look at the cost of a similar operation in the UK (The best source I could find was http://www.privatehealth.co.uk/hospitaltreatment/whatdoesitcost/hernia-surgery/) suggesting a maximum cost of £380)

I am glad that I remembered to record it!

Real Gross National Income per capita in the United States

Data from Timetric.

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World Bank from Timetric

Per capita incomes and unemployment in the USA

Data from Timetric.

To view this graph, please install Adobe Flash Player.

World Bank from Timetric