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Little Book of Big Ideas: Economics (Little Book of Big Ideas series)

Little Book of Big Ideas: Economics (Little Book of Big Ideas series)
By Mathew Forstater

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Product Description

Economic ideas and trends play a crucial yet little-understood role in the development of the world in which we live and are therefore vital to understanding our society today. From mercantilists through Keynesians to modern economic thought, this handbook covers 50 of the greatest minds and 10 core theories. Including Hume, Smith, Marx, and von Mises, succinct biographies reach behind the personalities and reveal the outstanding contribution each has made to this internationally important and pervasive discipline. The essential concepts and themes have been expertly selected and the complex issues clearly explained within a social, political, and cultural context, allowing the rich history of economic thought to be told and the motivations behind its phenomenal global development to be understood.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #1130079 in Books
  • Published on: 2007-05-28
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • 128 pages

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School—Each of these surveys presents a series of enthusiastic and illuminating essays on people who contributed significantly to the advancement of their fields. The roughly 500-word entries explain concisely what they did and why it was important. The essays also include an inset stating when and where the individuals were born and died, and a one-sentence summary of what they accomplished, and often include a second inset defining relevant vocabulary. Moore also sets the scientists within the context of their times. In both books, accessibility varies from piece to piece. Some present the central idea simply enough for laypersons to readily grasp; others are difficult for readers without minimal education in the discipline to comprehend. The emphasis on conciseness can also result in misleading information. Moore's discussion of Landsteiner's discovery of ABO blood typing, for example, gives the correct original names of the four blood types, A, B, C, and O, but leaves readers to guess how they correspond to the current nomenclature of A, B, AB, and O (hint: C was not renamed AB). All in all, though, these books are valuable sources of succinct information on key concepts and will provide inspiration for budding scientists and economists.—Sandy Schmitz, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"These books . . . provide inspiration for budding scientists and economists."  —School Library Journal


"The quality of this information makes this book unique."  —Choice


"These books are fun, educational, concise and pretty entertaining."  —Post and Courier

About the Author

Mathew Forstater is an associate professor of economics and black studies and director of the Center for Full Employment and Price Stability at the University of Missouri–Kansas City.

Customer Reviews

Good Little Read4
Overall, I enjoyed this book. Don't expect to learn all about economics. It really just helps familiarize you with many of the great Economists and their most famous ideas.

defining personalities and ideas in economics4
This beautiful 128-page book deals with the history of economic ideas. It is divided into six sections. The first section, entitled "pre-classical economics" is very interesting. Most of the names in this section are familiar, but I was glad to read about someone I had never heard of before - Ibn Kaldhun. I also got a better understanding of the economic ideas of St. Thomas Aquinas. Interesting stuff.

The next chapter on classical economics is a gem. Here too I pleasantly learned that William Petty was the originator of the "surplus" concept. I had been under the impression that the concept came from Ricardo and matured with Marx.

The defining moments (personalities, events, and ideas) that constitute neoclassical economics (Section 3) and Keynesian Economics (Section 4) are household names to economists. However, the criteria for these categorizations are unclear to me, if not objectionable. JR Hicks, PA Samuelson, and even M Friedman are Keynesians. Nick Kaldor's work spans neoclassical, Keynesian, neo-Keynesian, and post-Keynesian economics. It would be more appropriate to categorize a specific work than an entire body of the individual's work. All theorists evolve, and those who are more scientific and less dogmatic are not afraid of admitting change of philosophical methodology.

The categorical confusion does not go away in moving on to historical and institutional economics (Section 5) and development economics (Section 6). The reader will be surprised not by the list itself, but by whom the list excludes. Perhaps, future editions would benefit from clearing away extent confusion stemming from categorical divisions. Admittedly, there were significant paradigm shifts, but as the saying goes, each shift stood on the broad and strong shoulders of its ancestral giants. From reading this book, I came away with a better understanding of growth economics than the growth of its parts, however labeled. Although I am troubled by its categorical divisions of economics, I still recommend the book highly.

Amavilah, Author
Modeling Determinants of Income in Embedded Economies
http://www.bookfinder.com/author/voxi-heinrich-amavilah/http://www.amazon.com/Modeling-Income-Determinants-Embedded-Economies/dp/1600210465/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216450119&sr=1-1