Economic Principles: Seven Ideas for Thinking . about Almost Anything

Most Principles of Microeconomics textbooks are long, boring, and expensive. They start by introducing thirty terms (most of which are never returned to), spend the next four chapters shifting two lines around, and then proceed to discuss a number of details better left for an intermediate course. They seem to go out of their way to avoid teaching actual principles!

Economic Principles: Seven Ideas for Thinking... About Almost Anything is about the fundamental ideas that every economic argument is based on: maximization, substitution, opportunity cost, and the like. It is designed to be engaging, focused, and effective.

Appropriate for a Principles of Microeconomics course, the book’s main emphasis is on explaining economic behavior, rather than crunching numbers. It is full of interesting real-life examples, applications, and humorous stories — there is no mention of a “widget”!

The overriding emphasis of Economic Principles is on explanation and critical thinking. Repetitive curve shifting, pointless arithmetic exercises, and moot theoretical policy discussions are not to be found. Rather, the book is filled with questions taken from popular culture, history, and world events.

Economic Principles engages students without overburdening their wallets or their backpacks.