The Foundations of Wealth Economics Documentary torrent

THE FOUNDATIONS OF WEALTH

Most of us associate wealth with money but real wealth can only be achieved through the production and distribution of goods and services. This series of ten playful English segments will explain how society evolved in such a way to enable a huge increase in production to be achieved. Of course there were no television cameras or film crews available 10,000 years ago to record what happened, so this series uses cartoons to illustrate how things might have been all those years ago! Each cartoon section is followed by real-world images showing how this is relevant today.

The Foundations of Wealth is designed to help students understand what the subject of Economics is all about. Economic decisions are made every day even though students may not be aware of them. For example, all of us think about: How will I choose to spend my time today? How will I choose to spend my money? Who made the things I use? How were they made? This series of videos will help explain a great deal about the way in which these decisions are made.

The Foundations of Wealth was devised by Sir Antony Jay, author of comedy series "Yes Minister" and "Yes Prime Minister". He is also founder, with John Cleese, of award winning training film producers Video Arts.


EPISODES

Episode 1. How It All Began (11 mins)
Key concepts: subsistence level, subsistence economy, scarcity, surplus

Episode 2. Division of Labour - i. Product (9 mins)
Key concepts: organisation, specialisation, efficiency, investment, capital

Episode 3. Division of Labour - ii. Process (10 mins)
Key concepts: trade, productivity, exports and imports, production line

Episode 4. Mechanisation (10 mins)
Key concepts: mechanical device, energy source, harnessing

Episode 5. A Life Worth Living (11 mins)
Key concepts: cultivation, goods and services, natural resources, leisure

Episode 6. The Market (11 mins)
Key concepts: voluntary exchange, command economy, incentive

Episode 7. Money (11 mins)
Key concepts: token of value, store of value, measure of wealth

Episode 8. Supply, Demand and Price - i. Price and the consumer (13 mins)
Key concepts: prices as information, law of demand, relative value

Episode 9. Supply, Demand and Price - ii. Price and the producer (13 mins)
Key concepts: gluts and shortages, innovation, law of supply, equilibrium price

Episode 10. The Mixed Economy (11 mins)
Key concepts: planned economy, market economy, public goods