Free Ivy-League Lectures on the Economy

Online Classes.org has a list of 50 recommended Ivy League economic classes. (I have been partial to the MIT online economic classes, which this site omits). Regardless, here are a few worth exploring:

General Economics

The basics of the field of economics:

1. Beyond Freakonomics: New Musings on the Economics of Everyday Life: University of Chicago professor and economist Steven Levitt further explains his theory on everyday economics in this lecture. [Princeton]
2. Game Theory: Learn more about how game theory can be applied to economics in this lecture from Yale professor Ben Polak. [Yale]
3. Financial Markets: This lecture series from professor Robert Shiller will teach you about the basics of the economic system and how each part fits together. [Yale]
4. Economic Theory for an Innovative World: Learn why this economist thinks existing models should be changed so that businesses can foster innovation and change. [Columbia]
5. Higher Education and the Recession: Check out this lecture to find out how higher education is being affected by the recession and how it might trickle down into local communities. [Cornell]
6. Why Stock-price Volatility Should Never Be a Surprise, Even in the Long Run: Here you can gain a better understanding of how stocks work, and why you shouldn’t expect them to remain stable all the time. [UPenn]
7. Close-up on Vicki Bogan: Listen to this lecture to get a better understanding of financial decision making. [Cornell]

Understanding the Economic Crisis

1. Understanding the Crisis in the Markets: A Panel of Harvard Experts: Get an explanation of the financial crisis from some of the best and the brightest by watching this panel discussion at Harvard. [Harvard]
2. Capitalism and Confusion: Here, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen speaks about the current financial crisis. [Cornell]
3. The Subprime Drama Continues, but for How Long?: Has the subprime crisis run its course? This lecture from Richard Herring attempts to address many of the issues surrounding this complex topic. [UPenn]
4. Origins of the Financial Mess: Alan Blinder, a Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School and co-director of Princeton`s Center for Economic Policy Studies, discusses the financial crisis in this lecture. [Princeton]
5. Financial Crises: Check out this series of lectures to learn about the roots of a financial crisis, responses and results. [Princeton]
6. The Financial Crisis: Implications for Washington, Wall Street and Main Street: Here you can get some insights from Cornell experts on the financial crisis and what it means for business both big and small. [Cornell]
7. Soft Landing Economy: This lecture from 2006 shows just how wrong many predictions about the seriousness of the market downturn really were. [UPenn]

Proposed Solutions to the Economic Crisis

Once you’ve learned a little more about where the financial crisis stands, you can listen to these lectures that propose a variety of solutions, sometimes conflicting, on what to do to help it recover.

1. Temporary Nationalization Necessary to Save Troubled Banks: This lecture from Columbia Business School Professor Stiglitz takes the stance that the government should take control of failing banks to ensure economic stability. [Columbia]
2. Preventing the Next Financial Crisis: Pay close attention to this lecture series that brings together numerous scholars, researchers and experts to discuss how future financial disasters can be averted. [Columbia]
3. Economics Advice for President Obama: Several economists at Cornell share their thoughts on what the government should do in this informative discussion. [Cornell]