本书主要从供给与需求、企业行为与产业组织、长期经济增长与短期经济波动以及宏观经济政策等角度深入浅出地讲述了经济学的基本原理。以最浅显易懂的方式阐释了经济学最基本的思想, 强调经济学原理的应用和政策分析。书中还提供了大量案例, 以说明经济学原理在现实经济生活中的应用。
"Economics is a study of mankind in the ordinary business of life." So wrote Alfred Marshall， the great 19th-century economist， in his textbook， Principles of Economics. Although we have learned much about the economy since Marshall's time， this definition of economics is as true today as it was in 1890， when the first edition of his text was published.
Why should you， as a student at the beginning of the 21st century， embark on the study of economics? There are three reasons.
The first reason to study economics is that it will help you understand the world in which you live. There are many questions about the economy that might spark your curiosity. Why are apartments so hard to find in New York City? Why do airlines charge less for a round-trip ticket if the traveler stays over a Saturday night? Why is Johnny Depp paid so much to star in movies? Why are living standards so meager in many African countries? Why do some countries have high rates of inflation while others have stable prices? Why are jobs easy to find in some years and hard to find in others? These are just a few of the questions that a course in economics will help you answer.
The second reason to study economics is that it will make you a more astute participant in the economy. As you go about your life， you make many economic decisions. While you are a student， you decide how many years to stay in school. Once you take a job， you decide how much of your income to spend， how much to save， and how to invest your savings. Someday you may find yourself running a small business or a large corporation， and you will decide what prices to charge for your products. The insights developed in the coming chapters will give you a new perspective on how best to make these decisions. Studying economics will not by itself make you rich， but it will give you some tools that may help in that endeavor.
The third reason to study economics is that it will give you a better understanding of both the potential and the limits of economic policy. Economic questions are always on the minds of policymakers in mayors' offices， governors' mansions， and the White House. What are the burdens associated with alternative forms of taxation? What are the effects of free trade with other countries? What is the best way to protect the environment? How does a government budget deficit affect the economy? As a voter， you help choose the policies that guide the allocation of society's resources. An understanding of economics will help you carry out that responsibility. And who knows： Perhaps someday you will end up as one of those policymakers yourself. Thus， the principles of economics can be applied in many of life's situations. Whether the future finds you reading the newspaper， running a business， or sitting in the Oval Office， you will be glad that you studied economics.
N.格雷戈里·曼昆（N.Gregory Mankiw），哈佛大学经济学教授。作为学生，他曾在普林斯顿大学和麻省理工学院学习经济学；作为教师，他讲授过宏观经济学、微观经济学、统计学和经济学原理。多年前他还在长滩岛当过一个夏季的帆船教练。
曼昆教授是一位高产的学者和学术与政治争论的积极参与者。他的著作发表于《美国经济评论》（American Economic Review）、《政治经济学杂志》（Journal of Political Economy）和《经济学季刊》（Quarterly Journal of Economics）等学术杂志及《纽约时报》（The New York Times）、《华尔街日报》（The Wall Street Journal）等热门报纸。曼昆教授还是美国国家经济研究局（NBER）的研究人员，国会预算办公室和波士顿、纽约联邦储备银行的顾问，美国教育考试服务中心（ETS）经济学先修课程考试研发委员会成员。2003-2005年，他曾担任美国总统经济顾问委员会主席。
新书资讯
