Welcome to the 18th edition of the first textbook to introduce the social issues approach to the teaching of economic principles. Over the years, our revisions to each edition of Economics of Social Issues have attempted to reflect the important societal trends and public debates current at the time. Currency and relevance are the motivations behind the major changes that previous users will quickly find in this volume. Although the specific topics and organization of the material continue to evolve, at least one thing remains a constant: our basic teaching objectives designed to produce economically literate citizens. These objectives are to (1) create student interest in the study of economics and (2) provide a framework of basic analytical tools useful in the understanding of social issues. To reach these objectives, we first introduce and discuss the important aspects of a contemporary social issue. Next, we develop the economic concepts and principles germane to the issue. Finally, we apply these principles to the issue to resolve it. The issues throughout the text are arranged so that basic economic concepts are logically developed and an understanding of these concepts is reinforced through repeated use and application. Enough flexibility is built in, however, to give instructors the ability to experiment with different sequences of topics and chapters. As always, we carefully choose relevant social issues that not only stimulate classroom discussion but also lend themselves to helping students learn the important basic principles of economics.