Principles of Economics in a Nutshell provides a succinct overview of contemporary economic theory. This key text introduces economics as a social science, presenting the discipline as an evolving field shaped within historical context rather than a fixed set of ideas. Chapters on microeconomics introduce concepts of scarcity and tradeoffs, market analysis (the Marshallian cross of supply and demand) and the theory of the firm and market structure. Chapters on macroeconomics begin with an explanation of national income accounting, followed by discussions of macroeconomic theory in the goods market and in the money market from both a Keynesian and Classical view. The text concludes with examples of how to expand upon core material, introducing the perspectives of feminist and ecological economics. This book will be of great importance to students new to economics and is ideal for use on single-semester Principles courses or as a primer on economics courses in other settings. The text is fully supported by online resources, which include a set of analytical questions and suggestions for further reading for each chapter.

#1 New York Times Bestseller “Significant...The book is both instructive and surprisingly moving.” —The New York Times Ray Dalio, one of the world’s most successful investors and entrepreneurs, shares the unconventional principles that he’s developed, refined, and used over the past forty years to create unique results in both life and business—and which any person or organization can adopt to help achieve their goals. In 1975, Ray Dalio founded an investment firm, Bridgewater Associates, out of his two-bedroom apartment in New York City. Forty years later, Bridgewater has made more money for its clients than any other hedge fund in history and grown into the fifth most important private company in the United States, according to Fortune magazine. Dalio himself has been named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Along the way, Dalio discovered a set of unique principles that have led to Bridgewater’s exceptionally effective culture, which he describes as “an idea meritocracy that strives to achieve meaningful work and meaningful relationships through radical transparency.” It is these principles, and not anything special about Dalio—who grew up an ordinary kid in a middle-class Long Island neighborhood—that he believes are the reason behind his success. In Principles, Dalio shares what he’s learned over the course of his remarkable career. He argues that life, management, economics, and investing can all be systemized into rules and understood like machines. The book’s hundreds of practical lessons, which are built around his cornerstones of “radical truth” and “radical transparency,” include Dalio laying out the most effective ways for individuals and organizations to make decisions, approach challenges, and build strong teams. He also describes the innovative tools the firm uses to bring an idea meritocracy to life, such as creating “baseball cards” for all employees that distill their strengths and weaknesses, and employing computerized decision-making systems to make believability-weighted decisions. While the book brims with novel ideas for organizations and institutions, Principles also offers a clear, straightforward approach to decision-making that Dalio believes anyone can apply, no matter what they’re seeking to achieve. Here, from a man who has been called both “the Steve Jobs of investing” and “the philosopher king of the financial universe” (CIO magazine), is a rare opportunity to gain proven advice unlike anything you’ll find in the conventional business press.

Reconsiders the centrality and legacy of Hume’s economic thought and serves as an important springboard for reflections on the philosophical underpinnings of economics. Although David Hume’s contributions to philosophy are firmly established, his economics has been largely overlooked. A Philosopher’s Economist offers the definitive account of Hume’s “worldly philosophy” and argues that economics was a central preoccupation of his life and work. Margaret Schabas and Carl Wennerlind show that Hume made important contributions to the science of economics, notably on money, trade, and public finance. Hume’s astute understanding of human behavior provided an important foundation for his economics and proved essential to his analysis of the ethical and political dimensions of capitalism. Hume also linked his economic theory with policy recommendations and sought to influence people in power. While in favor of the modern commercial world, believing that it had and would continue to raise standards of living, promote peaceful relations, and foster moral refinement, Hume was not an unqualified enthusiast. He recognized many of the underlying injustices of capitalism, its tendencies to promote avarice and inequality, as well as its potential for political instability and absolutism. Hume’s imprint on modern economics is profound and far-reaching, whether through his close friend Adam Smith or later admirers such as John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich Hayek. Schabas and Wennerlind’s book compels us to reconsider the centrality and legacy of Hume’s economic thought—for both his time and ours—and thus serves as an important springboard for reflections on the philosophical underpinnings of economics.

This second edition provides a rigorous yet accessible graduate-level introduction to financial economics. Since students often find the link between financial economics and equilibrium theory hard to grasp, less attention is given to purely financial topics, such as valuation of derivatives, and more emphasis is placed on making the connection with equilibrium theory explicit and clear. This book also provides a detailed study of two-date models because almost all of the key ideas in financial economics can be developed in the two-date setting. Substantial discussions and examples are included to make the ideas readily understandable. Several chapters in this new edition have been reordered and revised to deal with portfolio restrictions sequentially and more clearly, and an extended discussion on portfolio choice and optimal allocation of risk is available. The most important additions are new chapters on infinite-time security markets, exploring, among other topics, the possibility of price bubbles.

First published in 1883, this book calls for a return to the traditional political economics outlined by John Stuart Mill.

Principles of Economics in Context lays out the principles of micro- and macroeconomics in a manner that is thorough, up to date, and relevant to students, attuned to the economic realities of the world around them. It offers engaging treatment of important current topics such as new thinking in behavioral economics, financial instability and market bubbles, debt and deficits, and policy responses to the problems of unemployment, inequality, and environmental sustainability. This new, affordable edition combines the just-released new editions of Microeconomics in Context and Macroeconomics in Context to provide an integrated full-year text covering all aspects of both micro and macro analysis and application, with many up-to-date examples and extensive supporting web resources for instructors and students. Key features include: An eye-opening statistical portrait of the United States; Clear explanation of basic concepts and analytical tools, with advanced models presented in optional chapter appendices; Presentation of policy issues in historical, institutional, social, political, and ethical context--an approach that fosters critical evaluation of the standard microeconomic models, such as welfare analysis, labor markets, and market competition; Issues of human well-being, both domestic and global, are given central importance, enriching the topics and analytical tools to which students are introduced; The theme of sustainability--financial, social, and ecological--is thoroughly integrated in the book, with chapters on alternatives to standard GDP measurement, the environment, common property, public goods, and growth and sustainability in the twenty-first century; Full complement of instructor and student support materials online, including test banks and grading through Canvas.