These Economics W.I.R.E.D. activities recommend web links that relate to key concepts of each chapter of the textbook. For each link, there are instructions to guide you to specific information, followed by several discussion questions or exercises.

Key Concepts: Catching Up or Not?, Economic Development, Spreading and Using Technology, Increasing Capital per Worker

Geographic.org

Select the "Country Ranks" link and review the current rankings of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and GDP per capita under the "Economy" heading. 

• What economic and political factors may explain the  GDP per capita rankings?

World Bank—PovertyNet

Read the information in "Understanding Poverty" under "Topics" in the left column box. Navigate through all the topics by clicking on the "Next" button at the bottom of each page.

• Define poverty as specified by the World Bank.
• Explain how poverty is measured at the country level. Assess the current poverty conditions and trends around the world.
• What development strategies are recommended to reduce the level of poverty in the world.
• Assess the current poverty condition in the U.S. by surveying the income and poverty information available at AmeriStat (Select "Income/Poverty" Link).  Identify what potential "obstacles" may exist to significantly reduce the level of poverty in the U.S.