Dr. David F. Rankin, president emeritus and professor of finance at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, Arkansas, has published What Every American Needs to Know About Economics, through Xlibris.
The book covers a wide range of economic theories and “reminds the reader of the magic of the market and the role it has played in producing the world’s most powerful economy.”
Dr. Rankin has been a professor at Southern Arkansas University for many years and has taught thousands of students in his field of economics and finance. He holds a B.S.B.A. in management from the University of Arkansas, an M.B.A. in finance from Louisiana Tech University, and a Ph.D. in finance from the University of Mississippi.
Dr. Rankin also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. He has served as Economic Advisor to the Governor of Arkansas and chairman of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers for the past 22 years, having been appointed by then-Governor Mike Huckabee in 1996. He has been recognized by the Freedoms Foundation and the Americanism Educational League for excellence in free market education and is current chairman of the Golden Triangle Economic Development Council.
His book was published in the fall of 2018 and is sold by Amazon Digital Services. It is available in paperback, hardback, and as an eBook. For Rankin, it is a labor of love that grew out of his teaching at SAU. He hopes that readers will come away with a better and more practical understanding of basic economic concepts they can apply in their own lives.
The book explains that certain economic principles produce “bad effects” when violated and that the laws of supply and demand work much better than any other system ever devised. It warns that government is not the best substitute for the marketplace and that a thorough understanding of economic processes is necessary to the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.
It examines the workings of our health care system, supply-side economics, the minimum wage issue, the job market, the role of government in a free-market economy, and retirement planning.
It has drawn raves from readers online, calling it “a clear, concise message about how capitalism works and why our progress and advancement … is rooted in our free enterprise system.” The book is highly recommended for students or anyone wanting “a good understanding of the U.S. economic system.”
Dr. Rankin is married to Toni and they have three children: Curtice, Beth Anne, and John.
