Suggestion: PDF on the economy?

I assume this falls under the jurisdiction of the administrator, so I’ll go ahead and request their official stance on the matter. Please, feel free to call me a complete fool if you must, but I would truly appreciate a definitive answer.🙂

Scott Patel said:Could we start a dedicated PDF for the economy? I think having a separate section would be useful. Right now, some topics under "Business" are strictly economic issues, and I'm sure there’s enough interest for a standalone economy thread. 🙂

I agree, but there just isn't enough content to justify it yet. 😢

Harold Sanders10 said:I agree, it’s just that there aren't enough people like that. 😢

I assume you'll be on board with this idea too.😉
I wouldn't go so far as to claim interest will be lacking; after all, the Business PDF section pulls decent traffic, and if we consider that an average of about 5,000 users log onto Reddit daily, the law of large numbers suggests there should be plenty of interested parties.😁

I truly believe this would be a smart move that could actually elevate the overall quality of the forum, and if it turns out to be unnecessary, removing it would be a simple enough task.🤷

😬

Scott Patel said:I suspect this falls under the jurisdiction of the site administrator, so I would kindly request their official stance on the matter; please, feel free to tell me if I am being completely ridiculous, but I simply require an answer.🙂

Scott Patel said:I’m assuming this kind of thing is up to the admin, so I’ll just go ahead and ask them to weigh in. Look, you can tell me I’m being totally ridiculous if you want, but seriously, just give me an answer here.🙂

Look, I don't hold the keys to the kingdom, but I’ve got a pretty strong hunch about what kind of response you're going to get—or rather, the lack thereof 😬—with a request this thin. 😛

Usually, if you want to pitch opening up a whole new PDF section, you've got to prove there's actually a massive appetite for it. You need to come to the table with a mountain of specific topic ideas, show that the community is genuinely dying for it, and basically demonstrate that it isn't just a one-off whim. 🙂

And why isn't the Economy subforum the right spot for these discussions? What's your actual criteria for separating "Economics" from the broader "Economy"? How exactly would you draw that line? 😁

Scott Patel said:Is there any way we could start a dedicated Economy PDF? I honestly think it would be a massive improvement to have a separate section just for economic discussions. Right now, we have topics under the General Business heading that are strictly pure economics, and I’m convinced an Economy PDF would attract its own specific audience. 🙂

P.s. I'm not entirely sure if this is the right sub-forum for a suggestion like this, so fingers crossed I'm in the right spot...

You hit the nail on the head regarding the location 😁

But look, just like Antonio Banderas and feraltrucker5, I'd really love to hear the actual pros and cons here. Like, specifically, which topics should fall under General Business and which ones belong under Economy? If we can get some solid arguments laid out—and I mean heavily sourced with links—then we can truly go to "war" to get this new PDF approved!

Kimberly Nguyen said:Just like Antonio Banderas and feraltrucker5, I’d love to hear the pros and cons. We need to decide which topics fall under the economy versus general finance... if we can get everything properly argued and heavily linked, then we can start fighting for that PDF.

Maybe we don't even need a separate forum. It might be better to just tighten up the moderation. We could lock down all those "predatory banking" threads and shut down any newcomer trying to explain some conspiracy about how money isn't backed by gold. Just ban the crypto-alternative crowd or whatever they call themselves.

Harold Sanders10 said:Maybe we shouldn't even bother splitting off into a separate forum. Honestly? We should just crank up the moderation and lock down every single thread about "robber banks." Every time some new guy wanders in trying to explain the grand conspiracy because money isn't backed by gold, we should just shut it down—or better yet, ban that chromalternativemoney person or whoever they are.

I couldn't agree more.

Well, Kimberly Nguyen is here, 🙂

feraltrucker5 said:I don't hold an admin position, but I have a strong intuition regarding what kind of response you'll receive—or rather, won't receive 😬—given how thin this request currently is. 😛

Typically, if one wants to justify opening a new sub-forum, they need to demonstrate substantial demand; this means providing numerous specific topic examples and proving there is genuine enthusiasm among the community. 🙂

Finally, some actual discussion.🙂

It is difficult for me to gauge the exact level of interest, though it occurs to me that setting up a poll such as Are you interested in participating in discussions within an Economy sub-forum? would be an effective way to test the waters.🤷

Regarding subject matter, we could implement a standard division between microeconomics and macroeconomics.
As for potential topics, I could list them endlessly—things like the nature of inflation, drivers of economic growth, supply and demand theory, game theory, wage disparities, free trade versus protectionism, the debate over subsidies, monetary theory, the economic viability of alternative energy sources, or the economic implications of globalization.

I believe deep dives into foundational theories—be it Classical, Neoclassical, Keynesian, the Austrian School of Economics, or Monetarist—would prove incredibly engaging and educational. For instance, on the current Economy board, there is a thread titled The Free Market: Why don't we have one? which I personally find to be quite insightful and high-quality.

I have noticed several individuals on the Economy board who would likely jump at the chance to contribute, many of whom seem quite competent; for example, I suspect B. Pike would take great pleasure in defending the Austrian School of Economics😁, while Harold Sanders10 might offer clarity on the principle of comparative advantage😉, and Phil Lynott along with others could provide their usual biting, sarcastic commentary.😍

Those are just a few names that, based on my observations, would support and participate in such a forum. Of course, this isn't a representative sample, but it is what I have observed during my brief tenure on this site.

@ Antonio Banderas, Kimberly Nguyen

While I wouldn't presume to be an expert qualified to draw such rigid lines, I have always felt that theories regarding money and capital function more as the abstract, theoretical foundations of the economy, whereas I tend to view the actual economy as its practical, lived application.🤷
To me, the economy is a scientific discipline, while the economy itself is a human endeavor.🤔

You need to address the question from Antonio Banderas 🙂
Why don't you just start all these threads in the Economy forum instead of using a separate PDF?
Because one should consider the actual definition of "Economy" http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/economy

economy

1. a. property, estate [e.g., a farm; forestry management] b. the management of property
2. a. industry b. economy
3. rarely. the total wealth and resources on or beneath the earth's surface

Economy

1. a. property, estate [such as a farm or timberland]; b. the management of an estate
2. a. industry; b. the economy
3. rarely used to mean the total sum of wealth and resources on and beneath the earth's surface

Economics

1. a. the entirety of human activity directed toward sustaining and improving material existence; resource management in its broadest sense; stewardship; b. the prudent use of money or any other resource to achieve maximum utility with minimal expenditure of materials, labor, etc.; thrift; c. frugality, efficiency, or the sensible management of a household
2. the science concerned with economic activities in general, or specific sectors, businesses, and so forth
3. a farming estate (often involving diverse business operations)

Well, here is a suggestion for the first topic on our new PDF: Are "economy" and "economics" actually synonyms? 😬

Take it easy 😉
You failed to clarify that those are two distinct issues, so I doubt you'll be getting a PDF anytime soon 🙂
Perhaps you should start a thread on the economy and include a poll. This remains quite unclear

To be honest, the entire American economy feels completely burnt out to me.
And yet, everyone keeps fighting tooth and nail over the state of the economy, even though the answer is clearly laid out on every single policy brief out there—especially when you look at the political landscape...
In a way, this forum serves as a perfect little microcosm of the American state itself...

shadowpilot8 said:Take it easy. 😉
You haven't quite clarified that we are dealing with two distinct concepts here, so I find it highly doubtful that you'll be able to secure that PDF right away. 🙂

I’m certainly not some egoist obsessed with snagging a new PDF at any cost, though I suppose it might seem that way. It simply occurred to me that having access to this Economics textbook could significantly elevate the caliber of discussion on this forum while providing me the opportunity to master a few specific concepts I've been eyeing—admittedly, there is a touch of selfishness in that admission. 😁 ).

shadowpilot8 said:Perhaps you should consider starting a new thread over in the economics section and including a poll, as the current situation remains rather opaque.

To be perfectly honest, I haven't given much thought to the distinction between economics and the broader management of resources until this very moment.😕
It seems perfectly logical to me that economics is a far broader concept than mere commerce or the economy at large. In the English-speaking world, the distinction is handled quite clearly:

Economics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services within an economy. The equivalent in our language is the economy.

An Economics is the social science that studies the production, distribution At its core, economics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, essentially examining the various ways in which people leverage their environment to satisfy their material needs.

Economics is the social science that studies the production, distribution The equivalent term in our language is economy.

Economics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

🤷

Scott Patel said:Economics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

Even in America, there's a distinction between the economy and economics.

@Lafica
Bring some fresh blood to the table. :-E

Harold Sanders10 said:Even in America, there is a fundamental distinction between the economy and economics.

I am well aware of the difference, truly, but the issue lies entirely in the translation; you can clumsily lump together the economy, economics, econometrics, and general commerce all under the single umbrella of "economy"...

Is it fair to suggest that economics is the science, while the economy itself is merely the practical application? Can we settle on that? 🤷

I’ll go ahead and start a new thread over on the Business forum, where we can hopefully clear this up once and for all.😁