November 24, 2004

4:40 AM

Macroeconomics: The various economics-related threads have me curious, about the complex machinations that sustain the global economy. What good non-textbook-style literature is out there that introduces the various cogs and gears? I'm not math-averse, but for the sake of inclusion, both mathless & math-heavy recommendations are solicited. I've tried reading formal textbooks, but found them too 'textbooky' and seemingly bereft of discussion of real-world dynamics.
posted by Gyan to (5 comments total)

Economics in One Lesson, by Harry Hazlitt

Basic Economics, by Thomas Sowell
posted by trharlan at 5:12 AM on November 24, 2004

I got a lot out of the (now outdated, and out of print) Cartoon guide to economics.

Seriously.
posted by codger at 6:29 AM on November 24, 2004

I remember very much appreciating some of the stuff on the Commanding Heights site when I was taking upper-level macro. Mostly international/globalization/development oriented but there's a big section of essays (in the "ideas" section) that discuss discuss economic theory largely through historical anecdotes.
posted by leecifer at 9:00 AM on November 24, 2004

A few people have told me they thought Naked Economics was good, but I haven't read it myself.

Sort of a derail, but if you have a particular interest in growth theory - coming up with reasons and models why nations are richer/poorer or grow faster/slower than others and what sustains growth (it's about the only topic in macroeconomics that I ever got really interested in) - The Mystery of Economic Growth is what I plan on reading next. From picking it up in the bookstore, it's kind of an overview of the work that's been done on the topic and seems less technical and more readable and digestible than the growth theory book I used in school.
posted by milkrate at 9:16 AM on November 24, 2004

David D. Friedman's 'Hidden Order: The Economics of Everyday Life'
posted by box at 9:44 AM on November 24, 2004