Bradley Schiller – The Macroeconomy Today (13th Edition)

Автор: Bradley Schiller
Название книги: The Macroeconomy Today (13th Edition)
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Бизнес
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

The Great Recession of 2008–2009 lingered for far too long. But that devastating experience
had at least one positive effect: it revitalized interest in economics. People wanted to
know how a modern economy could stumble so badly. And why it took so long to recover.
Public debates about economic theory became increasingly intense and partisan. Everything
from Keynesian theory to environmental regulation became the subject of renewed
scrutiny. These debates increased the demand for economic analysis and for principles
instruction as well. Indeed, one could argue that the Great Recession proved that economics
instruction is an inferior good: as the economy contracts, the demand for economics
courses increases.
While we might take offense at the thought of producing an inferior good, we should
certainly rise to the occasion. This means bringing the real world into the classroom as
never before: tying theoretical controversies about macro stability to both the ongoing business
cycle and the intensely partisan policy debates about cause and effect; and getting students
to appreciate why and how economic issues were the central focus of the 2012 election
campaigns.
The Macro Economy Today has always been a policy-driven introduction to economic
principles. Indeed, that is one of its most distinctive features. This 13 th edition continues
that tradition, with even more fervor. It challenges students to think more critically about
the dominant policy issues of the day. Take solar energy, for example. Students overwhelmingly
embrace the potential of “clean” solar energy to replace “dirty” fossil fuels,
thereby saving the environment, breaking the power of “Big Oil,” and achieving energy
independence. But what about opportunity costs? Economists preach that there is neither
a “free lunch” nor “free” solar panel. The first chapter of this text tries to get students
thinking more like economists—that is, about resource constraints and implied tradeoffs.
The same critical thinking is applied in Chapter 1 to the “guns versus butter” debate
that soaring budget deficits have brought to the fore once again (that is, which to cut).
Then there is the renewed debate over “taxes on the rich,” which relates both to equality
(what is a “fair” distribution of the deficit–cutting burden) and to efficiency (production
and investment disincentives).
A section titled, “The Economy Tomorrow” at the end of every chapter focuses on these
kinds of front-page policy issues. But the real-world emphasis of this text is not confined
to that feature. Every chapter has an array of In the News and World View boxes that offer
real-world illustrations of basic economic principles. And the body of the text itself is permeated
with actual companies, products, people, and policy issues that students will recognize.
There are no mythical widgets or Jack & Jill water companies in this textbook. Students
will see and appreciate the links between core principles and real-life events. They
will also learn and remember those principles far longer

Bradley R. Schiller has over four decades of experience teaching introductory economics
at the University of Nevada, American University, the University of California (Berkeley
and Santa Cruz), and the University of Maryland. He has given guest lectures at more than
300 colleges ranging from Fresno, California, to Istanbul, Turkey. Dr. Schiller’s unique
contribution to teaching is his ability to relate basic principles to current socioeconomic
problems, institutions, and public policy decisions. This perspective is evident throughout
The Macro Eco n omy Today.
Dr. Schiller derives this policy focus from his extensive experience as a Washington
consultant. He has been a consultant to most major federal agencies, many congressional
committees, and political candidates. In addition, he has evaluated scores of government
programs and helped design others. His studies of poverty, discrimination, training programs,
tax reform, pensions, welfare, Social Security, and lifetime wage patterns have
appeared in both professional journals and popular media. Dr. Schiller is also a frequent
commentator on economic policy for television and radio, and his commentary has
appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Los
Angeles Times, among other major newspapers.
Dr. Schiller received his Ph.D. from Harvard and his B.A. degree, with great distinction,
from the University of California (Berkeley). He is now a professor of economics at the
University of Nevada in Reno, where he hosts McGraw-Hill’s annual West Coast Teaching
Economics Conference. On his days off, Brad is on the tennis courts, the ski slopes, or the
crystal-blue waters of Lake Tahoe.
Cynthia D. Hill is a professor of economics at Idaho State University, where she has dedicated
herself to helping students develop as thinkers and scholars. Her academic research
is primarily focused on economic education and the advancement of classroom pedagogy.
Over the past decade Professor Hill has undertaken many administrative roles, which focus
on student success and educational advancement. These positions include director of the
University Honors Program, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, and currently
the position of executive director of the Student Success Center.
Professor Hill has won numerous teaching and public service awards over her 14-year
tenure at Idaho State University, including the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of
Teaching Idaho Professor of the Year, two-time Master Teacher, five-time Most Influential
Professor, two-time Outstanding Public Servant, and Distinguished Public Servant. She
earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Montana and her Ph.D. from Washington
State University