Microeconomics, 6th Edition

by David Besanko, Ronald R. Braeutigam

Microeconomics is a classroom-tested resource for learning the key concepts, essential tools, and applications of microeconomics. This leading textbook enables students to recognize and analyze significant data, patterns, and trends in real markets through its integrated, student-friendly approach to the subject -- providing practice problems, hands-on exercises, illustrative examples, and engaging applications that ground theory firmly in the real world. Each chapter, opening with a set of clearly defined learning goals based on the Bloom Taxonomy, features numerous Learning-by-Doing (LBD) problems, mathematical and graphical data, and varied problem sets focused on current events.

Now in its sixth edition, the text offers extensive new and revised content throughout. All applications reflect current data and important new developments in the field of economics, including behavioral economics, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in policy evaluation and design, and computational-based microeconomics. Updated chapter openers, designed to increase student interest, cover topics including the economic impacts of climate change, U.S. household income and spending, surge pricing by Uber and Lyft, the effect of immigration on wages, and advances in robotics, automation, artificial intelligence, and more.

Genres: Economics, Textbooks, Nonfiction, Reference

864 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 29, 2000

About the author

David Besanko is the IBM Professor of Regulation and Competitive Practice at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where he teaches public economics and infrastructure strategy. A Northwestern Ph.D. graduate, he joined the Kellogg faculty in 1991 after previous positions at Indiana University and Bell Communications Research. His research explores the intersection of competitive strategy, public policy, and regulation, with work published in top journals including American Economic Review, Econometrica, and Management Science. He is co-author of the textbooks Microeconomics and Economics of Strategy, as well as Corporate Reputation and Social Activism. Besanko has won numerous teaching honors, including three L.G. Lavengood Professor of the Year Awards, making him the only three-time recipient. He has also received the Aspen Institute’s Faculty Pioneer Award and multiple Kellogg teaching awards. Besanko served in leadership roles as Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Kellogg in both curriculum and strategy.

Reviews

[Henri Hopkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

The practice questions could use a lot of work and the examples given are too long winded but it generally gets its points across

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poor textbook. The examples were not very illustrative. ...OK, let me be a little more specific. This book relied way too heavily on prose explanations of the quantitative aspects of the theories it was using. It used visuals like charts, but rather than using those visuals to show what is actually supposed to be happening, it puts up one chart that's supposed to summarize everything, and then assumes that the reader can visualize everything through the prose. That doesn't always happen. I have seen others that were far better at illustrating these concepts.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book to discover key concepts of microeconomics. During my cursus at the KU Leuven (Belgium), I read the Fifth Editition which is full of 'learn-by-doing', 'applications' and 'problems' to see concretely how to apply the theory. I had almost no previous knowledge in economics but could understand everything.
Though, I would go a bit further with the 'mathematics appendix' if I was one of the author.

[Jon Gauthier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice intuitive explanations, but it would be useful to have the concrete mathematical theory up-front and center as well.

In general, the book is far too light on the math. The authors seem to actively avoid introducing any calculus concepts outside of the appendices, and this definitely does a disservice to the content.

[Katya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid book, still pissed at the class though