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 | | The Microeconomics of Public Policy Analysis by Lee S. Friedman ISBN-10: 9780691089348 ISBN-10: 0-691-08934-5 ISBN-13: 9780691089348 ISBN-13: 978-0-691-08934-8 Hardcover 2002-04-19 Princeton University Press Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description This book shows, from start to finish, how microeconomics can and should be used in the analysis of public policy problems. It is an exciting new way to learn microeconomics, motivated by its application to important, real-world issues. Lee Friedman's modern replacement for his influential 1984 work not only brings the issues addressed into the present but develops all intermediate microeconomic theory to make this book accessible to a much wider audience. Friedman offers the microeconomic tools necessary to understand policy analysis of a wide range of matters of public concern--including the recent California electricity crisis, welfare reform, public school finance, global warming, health insurance, day care, tax policies, college loans, and mass transit pricing. These issues are scrutinized through microeconomic models that identify policy strengths, weaknesses, and ideas for improvements. Each chapter begins with explanations of several fundamental microeconomic principles and then develops models that use and probe them in analyzing specific public policies. The book has two primary and complementary goals. One is to develop skills of economic policy analysis: to design, predict the effects of, and evaluate public policies. The other is to develop a deep understanding of microeconomics as an analytic tool for application--its strengths and extensions into such advanced techniques as general equilibrium models and pricing methods for natural monopolies and its weaknesses, such as behavioral inconsistencies with utility-maximization models and its limits in comparing institutional alternatives. The result is an invaluable professional and academic reference, one whose clear explanation of principles and analytic techniques, and wealth of constructive applications, will ensure it a prominent place not only on the bookshelves but also on the desks of students and professionals alike. Professors: A supplementary Solutions Manual is available for this book. It is restricted to teachers using the text in courses. For information on how to obtain a copy, refer to: http://press.princeton.edu/class_use/solutions.html | ||
Reviews | ||
For students: Avoid Reading it if you can It is very unfortunate that this item is assigned in public policy classes as the teaching tool. The only thing that it successfully does is to confuse public policy students and drive them away from the study of economics, which is one of the most useful tools in policy analysis. Even economics professors admit that the book is confusing but are forced to assign it for classes only because there is no other comprehensive microeconomics book with a policy analysis focus. Academics please help. We do need an alternative solution! | ||
Brilliant Analysis? But Fails in Pedagogy!! I agree with everything of the previous comment except the rating, in my opinion, is far too generous. This book is so dull and written at such a high level that, although it might actually contain brilliant analysis, it spectacularly fails in the teaching department. Good luck if this text is assigned for your class! | ||
Economics -- sound. Writing -- not the best. I bought this book for an economics course (surprise!), the first part of which was taught by the author. The book is comprehensive and insightful and essential for policy students/policy analysts, but the writing makes it difficult to slog through. You can read the same paage four times and still not be sure you understand. I am not sure why academics think it's better to have their textbooks written in their own little code, but this one falls into the "if it isn't impossible to decipher, it's not 'academic' enough" trap. However, if you can translate the academic-speak into English, you'll learn a ton and start thinking about policy problems differently. | ||