1. Economic English ENS Cachan

2. About this class Contact me: mbernescabanne@gmail.com
Website: mariebernes.wordpress.com
News
A variety of current issues related to economics and management
CAE preparation
Oral presentations, debates

3. News of the week Free trade? Nein, danke! Resilient New York City
Russia’s elections: a new low
Colin Kaepernik: A silent protest
Airstrike attack in Syria: “sickening”

4. On the campaign trail: syllabus
The U.S. economy and the candidates’ economic policies
The media’s political role (fact checking)
Political advertising, presidential debates
The U.S. electoral system and campaign financing
Electoral predictions
Goodbye Obama!

5. Why has economics become political again?
“Economic models show that, on net and over time, immigration, competition and free trade are good.”
“Economics is all about rational calculation of net social welfare, careful assessment of modeling results, and rigorous examination of trends in key indicators.”
(extract from the Brookings article)
Based on your knowledge of the American presidential campaign, discuss those assertions.

6. In a nutshell…
“The economy” doesn’t mean anything to your average Joe.
 fragility of the Western centrist consensus around liberal democracy, free markets, and free trade
 surge of populism and anti-establishment rhetoric; rise of “post-truth politics”
 appeals to economic theory won’t work; need for a concerted effort to win hearts, not minds.
 renewed importance of economic matters over social ones (e.g. gender and race)

7. Quiz: The U.S. economy What is the U.S. unemployment rate? - 4.9%
- 5.9%
- 6.9%
What is the percentage of the U.S. population below the poverty line?
- 10%
- 13%
- 16%

8. How many immigrants live in the United States?
- 34 million
- 42 million
- 48 million
Among them, how many are there illegally?
- 9 million
- 11 million
- 13 million

9. How much is the student debt in the United States?
- 0.5 trillion
- 1.3 trillion
- 2.1 trillion
How many Americans carry it?
- 30 million
- 40 million
- 50 million

10. The federal minimum wage in the United States is
- $7.25/hour
- $7.75/hour
- $8.25/hour
The U.S. debt totals
- $ 11 trillion
- $15 trillion
- $ 19 trillion

11. The Medicare and Social Security programs account for about …% of the federal outlays (expenditures)
- 25
- 30
- 40
What is the current United States inflation rate?
- 0.9%
- 1.1%
- 1.5%