Lovely Ladies (Les Miserables)
This Les Miserables song is a good one to play to lead into a lesson on prostitution or prohibitions. Prostitution is prohibited in many markets, yet it still occurs. This…
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If I Had This Truck (Hands on a Hardbody)
Rent seeking is the process where people or firms expend valuable resources (time, energy, or other resources) while attempting to win a competition. This is often referred to as a…
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Privilege to Pee (Urinetown the Musical)
Thanks to J. Brian O’Roark for creating this video and the description below. The musical Urinetown presents a greedy businessman who deals with a water shortage by instituting a toilet…
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Stars (Les Miserables)
Javert wants to find Jean Valjean. Badly. Javert provides a great example of inelastic demand, as he swears upon the stars that he will never yield, under any circumstances, in…
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If I Were a Rich Man (Fiddler on the Roof)
Tevye discusses what he would do if he were a rich man. Note that this musical is set in the year 1905. Many people today would find it staggering to…
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Better With a Man (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder)
In this entertaining song, Henry Dysquith and Monty Navarro explain how things are always better with a man. Economists would say that these individuals obtain a higher utility with a man…
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Henry Ford (Ragtime)
Henry Ford was one of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time. His success was due in large part to the use of assembly line production, which significantly decreased the costs…
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Impossible (Cinderella)
Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother sing in this song. Initially, the song focuses on what is impossible. Relating this to economics, Cinderella desires a point that is beyond the boundaries…
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Eternal Youth is Worth a Little Suffering (Sunset Boulevard)
Norma Desmond wants to look younger, and is willing to endure significant pain to get there. This is a great song to illustrate two concepts – tradeoffs and opportunity cost….
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What You Want (Legally Blonde)
In Legally Blonde, Elle Woods was just dumped by Warner, the boyfriend she thought would marry her. In What You Want, she sings about how she’s going to get back…
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