Reasonably Simple Economics: Why the World Works the Way It Does

The goal of Reasonably Simple Economics is, not surprisingly, simple: to help us think like economists. When we do, so much of the world that seemed mysterious or baffling becomes more clear and understandable—improving our lives and providing new tools to succeed in business and career.

In a chatty style, economist Evan Osborne explains the economic foundations behind the things we read about or see in the news everyday:

• Why prices for goods and services are what they are
• How government spending, regulation, and taxation can both hinder and help the economy
• Why and how some people get fabulously rich
• How entrepreneurs reorganize society beneficially
• Why markets sometimes fail and when or if governments should intervene when they do
• How economics and statistics can explain such things as discrimination in hiring and providing services (and why discriminators are shooting themselves in the foot), why we’re smarter than we’ve ever been, and how technology makes the idea of Earth’s “carrying capacity” meaningless

Along the way, you will learn the basic concepts of economics that well-educated citizens in democratic countries should know, like scarcity, opportunity cost, supply and demand, all the different ways economies are "managed," and more.

In the manner of The Armchair Economist, The Undercover Economist, or Naked Economics, Osborne uses current examples to illustrate the principles that underlie tragedies like the Greek economy or the global market meltdown of 2008, and triumphs like the continuing dominance of Silicon Valley in the tech world or why New York City markets are stuffed with goods despite the difficulty in getting them there.

As Osborne points out, the future, in economic terms, has always been better than the past, and he shows you how to use that knowledge toimprove your life both intellectually and materially.

Evan Osborne is professor of economics at Wright State University. He has taught principles of economics for twenty years, and has used economics to write about a wide array of topics. His current research interests involve the economics of sports and of ancient and contemporary China, and the history of individual liberty. But he is interested in everything.