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Mathematics for Economists
Mathematics for Economists , a new text for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in economics, is a thoroughly modern treatment of the mathematics that underlies economic theory. An abundance of applications to current economic analysis, illustrative diagrams, thought-provoking exercises, careful proofs, and a flexible organization-these are the advantages that Mathematics for Economists brings to today’s classroom.
960 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 17, 2011
I will echo the sentiment that this book is much better suited for review than for learning, but it does its job very well. I find myself coming back to it again and again. I take that as a sign of a good reference book. If you're interested in the kind of math economists use, this is a good reference. If you're an econ undergrad, though, I'd recommend taking some courses in real analysis, linear algebra and optimization before cracking this tome.
April 16, 2022
Much more of a book of applied mathematics than an economics textbook, Mathematics for Economists reviews the key concepts of differential calculus, integral calculus, and linear algebra en route to a careful study of multivariable calculus and optimization. Clearly written with an eye for proof, the text is rigorous enough to satisfy mathematicians skeptical of the validity of economic analysis while remaining accessible to students with limited exposure to higher mathematics.
While I agree with the reviewers that this text is at times difficult to follow without supplementary materials, the state of technology (Khan Academy, MOOCs, applications like Matlab, Wolfram Alpha, 3-D graphers, etc.) makes the key insights of this book accessible to the dedicated autodidact. What is lost in the concise presentation style is more than made up for by well-aligned chapters that advance to the mathematical core of graduate-level economics as quickly as possible.
One final note: Mathematics for Economists is largely geared towards the students of advanced microeconomics; students more interested in macroeconomists or econometrics might consider looking elsewhere. But if you are looking for a clear, well-written treatment of the intersection of mathematics and economic theory, you would be hard pressed to do better than Simon and Blume's classic text.
While I agree with the reviewers that this text is at times difficult to follow without supplementary materials, the state of technology (Khan Academy, MOOCs, applications like Matlab, Wolfram Alpha, 3-D graphers, etc.) makes the key insights of this book accessible to the dedicated autodidact. What is lost in the concise presentation style is more than made up for by well-aligned chapters that advance to the mathematical core of graduate-level economics as quickly as possible.
One final note: Mathematics for Economists is largely geared towards the students of advanced microeconomics; students more interested in macroeconomists or econometrics might consider looking elsewhere. But if you are looking for a clear, well-written treatment of the intersection of mathematics and economic theory, you would be hard pressed to do better than Simon and Blume's classic text.
November 22, 2024
Counting this because I can,
July 25, 2015
Quite comprehensive almost everything you need in Math and also talks a lot about Econ.
However, I do not think the author is very good at explanation. So you do not feel the concept or process is as clear as what you got from the Chiang's book.
Since I have already read the Chiang's book and did every exercises in it. I feel it a kind of waste of time to read this one. So I quickly look through it without doing any exercises. By the way, the notation is not as what we commonly use.
However, I do not think the author is very good at explanation. So you do not feel the concept or process is as clear as what you got from the Chiang's book.
Since I have already read the Chiang's book and did every exercises in it. I feel it a kind of waste of time to read this one. So I quickly look through it without doing any exercises. By the way, the notation is not as what we commonly use.
August 21, 2010
Perfectly serviceable for reference but not really good for learning from scratch. For that, look instead to Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics: Instructor's Manual.
January 17, 2024
It's a 3,7/5 rating for me
Let's start by saying that this book has been of tremendous help in prepping my graduate exams in economics, and in general it is a resource that you should keep with you in any advanced economics courses. The best feature is for sure the extensive coverage of all the mathematics you need for a graduate econ program. It packs a ton of math, from calc I to (elementary) analysis, with a satisfactory coverage of both linear algebra and differential equations. Of course static and dynamic optimization are included and probabily they are the best part of the book. The rest of course is valuable but probabily you will be better thought somewhere else. The explanations in general are kind of soulless. Intuition is provided at the bare minimum and examples are not many. Also concept are immediatly presented in their general form, which can be disorienting sometimes. All of this added with the fact that exercises are very few tells me that this is perfectly suited as a reference book rather than for self study. Also the organization is sometimes odd. For example linear algebra is not entirerly packed in one part, but it is divided in 3 sections separated by 200 pages from one and onother by other topics, which is kind of odd, and also the optimization is structured in a way such that all the types of optimization problems are presented twice, once analyzing only the FOC and then only the SOC, which at least for me, is kind of weird. And finally some parts (especially the ones contained in the appendix) are just useless in the way are presented. For example the section "introduction to probability" is just a list of facts and result of basic probability theory packed in like 3 pages, so completely useless. So, to conclude, i think that Simon and Blume's is a very helpful resource for any grad student but it is not vital. The best option is probably to buy a calc, linear algebra and a basic real analysis book and focus on the topics which are more important for economists, the choice is very broad and the explanations are for sure better laid out, this accompanied with Sundaram's book will get the job done.
Let's start by saying that this book has been of tremendous help in prepping my graduate exams in economics, and in general it is a resource that you should keep with you in any advanced economics courses. The best feature is for sure the extensive coverage of all the mathematics you need for a graduate econ program. It packs a ton of math, from calc I to (elementary) analysis, with a satisfactory coverage of both linear algebra and differential equations. Of course static and dynamic optimization are included and probabily they are the best part of the book. The rest of course is valuable but probabily you will be better thought somewhere else. The explanations in general are kind of soulless. Intuition is provided at the bare minimum and examples are not many. Also concept are immediatly presented in their general form, which can be disorienting sometimes. All of this added with the fact that exercises are very few tells me that this is perfectly suited as a reference book rather than for self study. Also the organization is sometimes odd. For example linear algebra is not entirerly packed in one part, but it is divided in 3 sections separated by 200 pages from one and onother by other topics, which is kind of odd, and also the optimization is structured in a way such that all the types of optimization problems are presented twice, once analyzing only the FOC and then only the SOC, which at least for me, is kind of weird. And finally some parts (especially the ones contained in the appendix) are just useless in the way are presented. For example the section "introduction to probability" is just a list of facts and result of basic probability theory packed in like 3 pages, so completely useless. So, to conclude, i think that Simon and Blume's is a very helpful resource for any grad student but it is not vital. The best option is probably to buy a calc, linear algebra and a basic real analysis book and focus on the topics which are more important for economists, the choice is very broad and the explanations are for sure better laid out, this accompanied with Sundaram's book will get the job done.
March 13, 2019
عالی برای تسلط روی ریاضی عالی است
November 3, 2019
thank you for your book
September 1, 2023
literal aprobe mate para economistas 1 por este libro !!!
March 9, 2025
Good Book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2023
Provides the most comprehensive preparation for graduate level economics. Hurray!
December 10, 2015
I absolutely hated this book the first time I really started to read it. My math background at the time? One algebra course in HS, 6 weeks of trig, 6 weeks of business "calc", and 2 stats courses (one of which was actually a decent prep for my first-semester grad stats course. This definitely handicapped me, as the book is written in a very "mathy" language. It is a math book, after all. But still, I felt that this book is marketed as something that is supposed to be accessible to non-math majors, and I didn't feel that it was.
However, despite the steep learning curve while I waded through notation and terminology, I ended up learning more than I've ever learned from a single text before. My math skills increased exponentially, and I am now much more comfortable in my other quantitative classes and research. The text is VERY comprehensive and applicable to the day-to-day work of an econ grad student, and it is definitely one to keep around for reference.
However, despite the steep learning curve while I waded through notation and terminology, I ended up learning more than I've ever learned from a single text before. My math skills increased exponentially, and I am now much more comfortable in my other quantitative classes and research. The text is VERY comprehensive and applicable to the day-to-day work of an econ grad student, and it is definitely one to keep around for reference.
May 20, 2016
This is a great book. Not as intuitive as Chiang's, but a great option nevertheless. It has helped me review the prerequisites for grad school. I recommend it to those who already have a good intimacy with mathematical tools and need a refresher.
October 17, 2012
its an okk book
April 13, 2016
This is a solid reference that any grad student would do well to have on the bookshelf.
April 18, 2008
No dynamic programming or optimal control, but otherwise stellar into to mathematical economics.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews