The Accidental Theorist: And Other Dispatches from the Dismal Science - Hardcover

Krugman, Paul R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393046389 ISBN 13: 9780393046380

Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc, 1998

Synopsis

Tackling pundits from across the political spectrum, this witty and sharp collection of essays on economics encompasses such topics as international trade, globalization, monetary policy, corporate downsizing, and more to educate readers about our national economy.

About this title

Review:

When economics and ideology mix, the results often sound plausible, but in fact can be terribly wrong and lead to ill-conceived and sometimes dangerous economic policy. For several years, Paul Krugman, author of The Accidental Theorist and one of the most celebrated economists of the '90s, has been punching holes in fashionable ideas such as the logic of supply-side economics and the evils of globalization. The Accidental Theorist is a collection of Krugman's best published and unpublished essays that cover everything from the Asian financial crisis to inflation in America.

Krugman's cause is neither left or right; rather it's the pursuit of clear thinking about economics that's unfettered by ideology. He writes, "But we should never be surprised when prominent people say foolish things about economics. The history of economic doctrines teaches us that the influence of an idea may have nothing to do with its quality--that an ideology can attract a devoted following, even come to control the corridors of power, without a shred of logic or evidence in its favor."

If you've read and enjoyed Krugman's regular column for Slate, "The Dismal Science," or have admired his work in the New York Times, The Washington Monthly, and Foreign Affairs, you'll find that the The Accidental Theorist is a must read. The essays in this book reflect a clairvoyant and playful mind that's patient enough to unravel and simplify--not dumb down--the arcane and lofty ideas of economics to something that the rest of us can understand. Highly recommended. --Harry C. Edwards

About the Author:

Paul Krugman teaches at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is the author of The Age of Diminished Expectations and Peddling Prosperity (Norton). In 1991 he won the John Bates Clark Medal, awarded every two years by the American Economic Association to the best American economist under forty.

About this edition

• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0393046389
• ISBN 13: 9780393046380
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 204