Publications: Representative
Books and Monographs
Modern Microeconomics: Intermediate
price theory text and software intended for distribution via internet. In
production for EconomicsInteractive.com
Publishers. Sample chapters and supplements are available here. Contemporary Economics: Principles
text with extensive interactive supplements via the internet in development
for EconomicsInteractive.com Publishers.
Sample chapters and supplements are here. Law and Economics: A Casebook: Samples of a
draft of this casebook, which will be distributed via the internet by EconomicsInteractive.com Publishers, are
available here. Great Ideas
for Teaching Economics Edited writings on pedagogy. © 2009 Chapel Hill, NC: EconomicsInteractive.com Publishers. 522 pages. Download the full text here.
The Hyperinflation Collection,1 Third Edition, December 1991, New
York: HarperCollins Publishers [Anecdotes and artifacts from major
hyperinflations, first edition 1987. Business Law,
Principal authors: Arthur Miller and Tom Gossman. (All graphics, summaries,
and tables co-authored with Gerald W. Stone.) New York: HarperCollins, Jan
1990, 1188 pages. Time: Economics 1923-1989, edited with R. Ekelund, J. Greenwald, R. Ruffin,
and G. Stone; Chicago: Time, Inc., Oct 1989, 80 p. Economic history excerpted from 56 years of
Time magazine. Exploring Economics;1
January 1984; 412 pages; a one-semester survey text. An Economics Casebook: Applications from the Law; co-editor G. W. Stone, 185 p., with Instructors'
Manual; Santa Monica, CA: Goodyear Publishing Co., March 1980. Publications: Representative Software and Documentation Interactive Economics:
Internet-based software intended to replace principles of economics
textbooks. (Eighty-seven one-hour
multimedia scripts have been drafted, and roughly 420 interactive Macromedia
Director “movies” were developed, out of approximately 2400
planned.) IE will be
accompanied by The Instructors Suite (an on-line Access
database being jointly developed with Interactive Media Solutions), which
bundles: (a) a 14,000-item Test Bank, (b) an Exam-Generator,
(b) on-line Testing, (c) a Test Bank Manager, and (d) an
automated Grade Book. EconomicsInteractive.com.
In development: Samples available here. Economicae: An
Economics Encyclopedia. (hundreds of web pages, updated constantly). Published by
EconomicsInteractive, ©2004-2012. Available here.
Test Banks and Problem Sets (In
development for EconomicsInteractive.com.) Available here.
Electronic Companion for Principles of
Microeconomics: A Multimedia Approach;
with Steven G. Thorpe, San Francisco: Cogito Learning Media, Inc., Spring
2000. Available at amazon.com Student Software for Learning Economics[3] - Packages bundling the next four programs. Denver:
BRG Group, Jan 1989; Byrns & Stone, 1992-95. Download these programs here. MacroStudy
and MicroStudy 3- PC and Macintosh economics tutorials,
Byrns & Stone, 1991-95. Macrosim 6 3 - Interactive and print
versions of a PC / Macintosh simulation of the macroeconomy. Denver: BRG
Group, 1983-90. Byrns & Stone,
June 1991-95. Entrepreneur3 - IBM-PC microeconomic
simulation, Denver: Academic Solutions, Jan. 1995. Laser Disk for Economics3 - A
laser disk containing graphs, tables, video clips, and other visuals to help
tutor students in principles of economics courses, 1992-1995. MacroTutor and MicroTutor3 -
Self-paced practice quizzes for PCs, Byrns & Stone, 1987-89. GraphTutor3 - A very efficient [for
its time] object-oriented language to present and manipulate complex graphs.
Denver: BRG Group, 1989. Denver: Byrns & Stone, June 1991, 1995. MailRoom3 - A macroeconomic tutorial for IBM-PCs. An
adventure format illustrating the dynamics of both market and aggregate
supplies and demands, 1989. Raiders3 - A microeconomic review of supply and demand,
elasticity, etc., providing a sense of decision-making under varied market
structures. BRG Group, 1987-1989. Create3 - A Macrosim utility allowing professors to
alter parameters and narratives to simulate alternative views of
macroeconomic behavior. With Instructors' Manual. Denver: BRG Group,
1987-91. Testbanks I and
II – Principles test banks with computer-based examination generators,
1983-1995. QuikExam for Windows, a Windows exam generator. Denver: 1994. Version 2.0, 1996. Study-Calc3 - A graphics generator
and spreadsheet program to illustrate economic analysis; e.g., Keynesian
cross functions. Denver: Brownstone
Research Group, 1987. Representative Papers and Other Works[4] “The Demand for Inflation: Preferences and
Numeraires,” with Gerald W. Stone, Papers and Proceedings, Fifth
International Conference of the North American Economics and Finance
Association, v. 1, pp. 243-264, July 1989. “The Revenue Adequacy of Site Value Taxation in a
Ricardian System”, with J. Swint and G. Stone, American Journal of
Economics and Sociology, 44/1, Jan 1985, p. 107-20. “The Proposed First Wyoming
Bank-Douglas: Economic Feasibility and Public Need,” Wyoming State Examiner's Office, August 1978, 86
pages. “Six Confidential Studies,” Denver:
Internal Revenue Service, 1977‑79. Privacy legislation bars release of titles. Applications for South Carolina Wetlands of a
General Model of Efficient Solutions to Externalities, (Michael
Maloney and T. Bruce Yandle) Columbia: Water Resources Research Inst., June
1977, 147 pages. “Failure of Optimality in a `Loser Pays' Judicial
Environment”, Chapter VI in An Economic Investigation of State and Local
Judicial Services, ed. by R. Mabry, Law Enforcement Assistance
Administration, Washington, DC: Nov 1976. “An Analysis of the Proposed Financial Institutions
Act of 1976.” Richmond: The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Bank,
Spring, 1976, 40 pages. “Governmental Flim-Flam,” Review of Industrial
Management, Vol. 8/1, Spring 1976. “Inflation: Issues and Answers,” Clemson World,
ed. by R. Cornwell, Jan 1975. “Student Evaluations and Decision Processes,” J.
Eatman and G. Stone, in Perspectives in the Decision Sciences, ed. by
T. Abernathy and A. Carroll, Atlanta: SE AIDS, 1975. “Some Perspectives on the Costs of Inflation,” Forum
on Inflation; edited by Russell Shannon, Clemson, SC: Clemson University,
September 1974. “On the Cost-Inflationary Impact of High Interest Rates”
with Robert F. Hébert, Journal of Economic Issues, Vol. 7/3, September
1973. “The Heroin Problem,” Economics Today, ed. by
Russell Shannon, Clemson University Press, July 1973. “The Energy Crisis;” “Tax Reform”; “The Costs of
Inflation”; “Property Taxes”; and various other editorials, The Greenville
News, (SC), 1972‑77. “Consumption and Distribution in the Soviet Union,”
with Marvin Jackson, Arizona Business Bulletin, 16/8, p. 200‑8,
October 1969. FY 1968 Budget, Division of Operations Analysis, U.S. Office of Education,
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Washington, DC, 1967 Presentations and Miscellany “The Economics of Finding True Love,” Annual presentation for the Carolina Economics Club.
Average attendance is roughly 300 members of the Chapel Hill community;
before Valentine’s Day each February since 2002. “What Defines Fairness? Theories of Justice and
Inequality,” Discussion sponsored by the Carolina Economics Club and the Parr Center for Ethics, Panel Member, December 3,
2009. “Government Intervention in the Free Market: Is it
Moral?” Debate with John David Lewis
(Randian objectivist) sponsored by the Carolina
Review, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, November 11, 2009. Parts
… 1
… 2
… 3
… 4
… 5
… 6
… 7
… from You Tube. “Healthcare Reform: An Ethical Challenge,” Parr Center for Ethics, Panel Member, October 29,
2009. “Ideas for Success in the Economics Classroom,” workshop session and lecture presented at the Ninth
Annual Economics Teaching Workshop, University of North Carolina-Wilmington,
October 17, 2009. “The Roast of Ralph Byrns,” sponsored by the two UNC student organizations
‘Connected for Cause’ and ‘Another Way of Learning,’ University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, October 14, 2009. “What Went Wrong? A Look Inside the Financial Collapse,”
several presentations to, e.g., UNC’s Roosevelt Institution, UNC’s Young
Democrats, the Carolina Economics Club, local radio stations, …, fall 2008
and spring 2009. “The Cost of Leaving and the Cost of Staying:
Perspectives on the War in Iraq,” Panel
Member, Carolina Economics Club, Spring 2008. “Democratic and Republican Campaign Platforms,” Panel Member, Joint Meeting of the College
Republicans and Young Democrats of University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill,
October 2004. “NAFTA After 10 Years,” Panel Member, Roosevelt Institution, University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Spring 2004. “The Economics of War in the Middle East,” Panel Member, Carolina Economics Club, February
2003. “Interactive Economics: Demonstrations”, and
“Workshop on Technology in the Classroom” Presented at SEA meetings,
Washington DC: Nov. 1996, and AEA meetings, San Francisco: January 1996 and
AEA meetings, New Orleans, January 1997, and the Annual Meetings of the
Association of Iowa Economists, Des Moines, IA: January 30, 1997. “Textbook
Prices are Too High! Authors of Economics Texts Tackle an Anomaly for
Theory”, Annual Meetings of the Southern Economics Association, Orlando,
1997. Principal author, with
co-authorship by William Boyes, Robert Ekelund,
Paul Gregory, Charles Maurice, Michael Melvin, Michael Parkin, Roy Ruffin,
Gerald W. Stone, and Gordon Tullock, with comments from William Baumol, Olivier Blanchard,* Stanley Brue,
David Colander, Richard Lipsey, Campbell McConnell, Jeffrey Perloff,* Paul
Samuelson, Bradley Shiller, and Peter O. Steiner “Multimedia in Principles of Economics Courses”,
Panel, AEA, New Orleans., January 1997 “The Market for Adoptable Children”, Panel
Coordinator, Eastern Econ. Assoc., Boston: 1994 “Do Principles Texts Contain a Theory of Involuntary
Unemployment?” Panel (with Alan Blinder and David Colander), Eastern
Economics Association, Washington DC, Spring 1993 “The Future of Multimedia” AEA meetings, Anaheim, CA., January 1993 “Is Multimedia the Future?” WEA meetings, San Francisco, June 1992 “The Future of Banking,” Keynote Address, Texas JC
Economics Meeting, Houston, Feb 1992. “Maximum Price Policies: Legal and
Economic Analysis,” with Steven T. Call and Gerald W. Stone, Annual Meetings
of the Southern Economics Association, Winter 1990. Recent Research Interests
How
the Age of Americans Affects their Perceptions of Beauty by Race
Do
Introductory Economics Courses Affect Perceptions of the Economic
Environment?
The
Effects of Region, Gender, and Race on Perceptions of Beauty
Perceptions
of Beauty and Race: An International Perspective (with Sarah Simon)
Male/Female
Enrollments and the Beauty of Facebook
Pictures (with Susan Fisk)
The
Effects of Economics Courses on the Rationality of Decisions
The Effect
of Introductory Economics Courses on Rationality (with Rebecca Martin)
Do
Economics Courses Affect Rationality and “Risky” Behavior? (with Alexandra
Samet)
Cognitive
Anomalies and the Assumption of Economic Rationality:
Are
Economists More Rational? (with Douglas Sue)
Sales-Price
Framing and Consumer Behavior (with Helen Tauchen and Jennifer Wade)
Endowment
Effects in the Behavior of Firms (with Tom Hodges)
Demands for
Inflation and Deflation: A Behavioral Analysis (Draft)
Ambiguities
in Alternative Treatments of the Macroeconomic Long Run
Alternatives
to Economic Assumptions about Behavior
Efficiency Failures When
Civil Courts Use a ‘Loser Pays’ Rule to Allocate Legal Costs Recent
Teaching Awards
Other
Quality Indicators February 17, 2011 comment by the Editorial Board of
the Daily Tar Heel, UNC’s student
newspaper: "Professor Byrns gave his last “Economics of Finding
True Love” lecture on Valentine’s Day. Byrns is beloved by students from all
walks of life. His lectures and banter have captivated students for years. He
will be missed." Note: The DTH has covered my
annual lecture on “Finding True Love,” each February for the past 8 years.
Copies of their coverage for in the past two years are available at 2010
and 2011. Miscellaneous Recent Film Clips featuring Byrns, as
posted by students on You Tube. #1,
#2, #3 A Daily Tar
Heel article from October 10, 2010 discusses my leaving UNC-Chapel Hill here. The September 2010 edition of Carolina Review,
a conservative monthly published by UNC students, identified me as one of
three professors whose courses were central to "the Carolina
experience." Honored as among “Great
Professors” on a bi-weekly radio program hosted by UNC Student Body
President Seth Dearmin, October 9, 2005. “Best of Carolina,” an annual feature of Carolina Review,
listed me as among the top 20 professors at UNC for all years, 2002-2005. Note:
This feature ended in 2005. The “Pit Stop” section of the November 2003 Blue&White featured Eric Johnson,
a senior student, who was quoted as giving his brother, a freshman, advice
about life at UNC: “Johnson also advised his brother to appreciate the
quality of the professors at UNC-CH. He credits professor Ralph Byrns, who
taught Johnson in Economics 185: Financial Markets, a class Johnson wasn't
particularly excited about, for his witty character and ability as a
teacher.” Blue&White editors requested a column from me entitled, "What Should
Professors Expect from Students?" for its September 2004 edition. A
slightly extended version is available here. The December 2002 Blue&White (a monthly student publication) featured a three
page story (available here)
entitled “In High Demand”, on how my interactions with students contribute to
the intellectual environment and sense of community on the UNC-CH campus. Quantity
Indicators More than 9,000 UNC students have been among the
21,000 or so enrolled in my courses since 1972. Median student evaluations in upper
division classes at UNC are typically 5 on a 5 point scale, and one semester,
I rated 5.0 on every question in the standard UNC evaluation form. On student
evaluations during 2000-01 from roughly 300 Duke students, one question
identified me as the most effective teacher of principles of macroeconomics
(spring 2001) and microeconomics (fall 2001).
Much of my teaching at the University of Colorado was in sections of
500+ principles students. Surveys
identified Principles of Macroeconomics as overwhelmingly the least popular
course at the University of Colorado, but nevertheless, on CU-Boulder's 4.0
scale, mean student ratings from 450+ students each semester (1987-96) ranged
from 3.43 to 3.92 on the question, “Would you recommend this instructor to a
friend?” All
Courses (1971-2011)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Representative Non-Academic Positions
|
|
|
1995-99 |
Principal,
Academic Solutions, Inc. (interactive media) Englewood, CO |
|
1987-90 |
Partner,
BRG Group (textbooks and software) Littleton, CO |
|
1983-84 |
Board
of Directors, Mackintosh Academy (gifted and talented) Denver, CO |
|
1977-79 |
Senior
Partner, Economic Consulting Services, Denver, Colorado |