Written in non-technical, everyday language that is accessible to the undergraduate audience, and requiring no background in economic analysis, this acclaimed text provides a unique approach to understanding what the practice of economics is all about. The authors address fourteen current economic issues, covering both micro- and macro-economics, and offer analyses and proposed solutions for each from Conservative, Liberal, and Radical perspectives. This new edition incorporates critical changes in economic policy since the last edition that affect every issue covered in the text. Tables have been updated throughout to include current economic data, and an all-new section on social policy frames the current debate about the Social Security system. The book's unique approach stimulates critical thinking on everyday issues that traditional texts either ignore or present as "settled" debates. It helps students to understand the dual role that ideology and logical/empirical argumentation play in economics. Issues are presented as stand-alone subjects that can be read in any sequence and used to supplement a wide range of principles of economics texts. An instructor's manual with a test bank and discussion questions is available to professors who adopt the text, and Power Point downloads are available as teaching aids. The text is also available in two separate volumes: Microeconomics Today and Macroeconomics Today.