Some students often ask me what textbooks to read, and simply sort them out, hoping to help our undergraduates and avoid detours (I hope so). It should be noted that you don't need to read too many textbooks, just focus on one. I used to be confused when I read the best textbooks. In fact, every textbook has advantages. Reading a book ten times is better than reading ten books at the same time. 1, Economics Basis: Economics Basis: Man Kun Economics Principles, Peking University Publishing House; Comment: Comment: I have always had an impulse. If only our high school offered Principles of Economics, so I would use this textbook. If we high school students recite like politics! University teachers are all unemployed! Is there a book that can teach us high school students "market operation mechanism" better than this one? In fact, our public's prejudice against the market comes from the "misleading" of traditional political economy. I'm not saying that political economy is good or bad, right or wrong. The problem is that Marx's political economy is too speculative and not suitable for junior high school students and senior high school students. Let's teach it in the university. Zhang Wuchang's Interpretation of Economics Comments: Comments: There is only one book written by China in a pile of books, which is happy or sad. In recent years, both professional and non-professional fields are talking about Zhang Wuchang, and he is a phenomenon. "It's better to judge Zhang Wuchang than to read Zhang Wuchang". It's really good to open a book. The two methodological parts of "proving fallacy" and "choosing the best among the best under constraints" are particularly worth reading by domestic students. 2. Microeconomics: Microeconomics: Nicholson's Microeconomics; Comments: Comments: Microeconomics is indeed much more unified than macro in textbook compilation, and there is not much "difference". The reason for recommending this book is its neat mathematical style, but I don't recommend reading this book for students who have never studied economics or even elementary microeconomics. Because this will drown the intuitive economic concept in strict mathematical derivation, the genius of this book lies in "afterwards". That is, you have studied intermediate micro, and then look at this intermediate micro. Varian Microeconomics, Shanghai People's Publishing House.
Commentary: Commentary: This book seems to be published in the sixth edition of Chinese, and it is a standard intermediate micro. Concise and to the point. After reading this book, you can also go directly to Varian's advanced level. Better watch it a few times. 3. Macroeconomics: Macroeconomics: Man Kun Macroeconomics, Renmin University of China Press; Comments: I recommend the fourth edition of Chinese, because I haven't seen the fifth edition, and I don't know how the translation is. The fourth edition was translated by Liang, with first-class translation quality. A first-class author+a first-class translator = a first-class book. The advantage of writing a book is that it is easy to understand and can be read in two weeks without any pain. This is an example of a standard macroeconomics textbook. -New Keynesian orientation. Sachs macroeconomics from a global perspective, Shanghai People's Publishing House; Comments: Comments: Disadvantages: The book is old. Although the board has been changed, the version has not changed; Advantages: Is there a more comprehensive intermediate macroeconomics than what he said? -Policy orientation. Williamson's Macroeconomics, Renmin University of China Press; Commentary: Completely following the neoclassical school, the content of macroeconomics has been reorganized. The traditional IS-LM framework only occupies one section, which is bold and fast enough. After reading this book, you can completely integrate with advanced macroeconomics by supplementing the necessary mathematical knowledge. -Neoclassical orientation. 4. Advanced macro-micro textbook: Advanced macro-micro textbook: Varian advanced microeconomics; Comments: Comments: Some netizens called Kohler's micro "Dragon Slayer". Indeed, it has more than 1000 pages and is a dictionary of microeconomics. Varian's Gao Wei is Yi Tian Jian, which is appropriate, concise and lively, adhering to the intermediate tradition and is a dictionary of microeconomics. I suggest reading English directly, because Chinese translation is boring. There is no need to recommend too many advanced textbooks. In fact, after mastering some basic methods, you can read the original paper completely. It is a waste of time to read too many textbooks at this stage. But you have to get through one. Romer's Advanced Macroeconomics
Comments: Comments: I never thought there was a good advanced macroeconomics textbook. Romer's book "Sort of". Actually, it's not, because I really can't figure out why a so-called "advanced" does not use dynamic optimization and planning to organize teaching materials, but uses calculus to make complex derivation. This is neither economical nor intuitive. So this book is not advanced in method, but intermediate at best, but it does cover the theme of modern mainstream advanced macroeconomics in content. In addition, either read the first edition of Chinese or the English version. It is recommended not to read the financial edition, because all good books are ruined. 5. Econometrics: Econometrics: Recommend an intermediate textbook and an intermediate textbook. Woodridge's Introduction to Econometrics, Renmin University of China Press; Comment: Comment: This is not my first econometrics textbook, but it is my last econometrics textbook. Good teaching materials can make students take fewer detours. This book falls into this category. Econometrics of Lin Wenfu, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics Press; Comments: Comments: I always think that intermediate textbooks should be thick and advanced textbooks should be thin. According to this standard, Green's econometric analysis is not included. Some people may think that Green's is intermediate, but to be honest, this intermediate is a bit "difficult". Lin Wenfu's measurement is not coarse, but concise and rigorous. Unfortunately, it was published by Shangcai, and the translation is no problem (it is no problem to translate it rarely! ), printing, paper, folio, cover, the uglier the better. 6. Institutional Economics: Institutional Economics: eggert Sen's "Economic Behavior and System, Microeconomics: Behavior, System and Evolution" by Bowles, The Commercial Press (there should be no problem in classifying it as institutional economics), Commentary by Renmin University of China Press: Commentary: It is said that institutional economics has three generations. The first generation of eggert Sen's "Economic Behavior and System" emphasizes transaction costs and property rights, and the second generation is Freeden's new institutional economics. The third generation is Bowles' Microeconomics: Behavior, Institution and Evolution, which emphasizes evolution. Of the three books, I like the first and the third. Because Friedrich Boden's book is not a book, but a document, there are too many abrupt stops when reading this book. "About * * *, please see * * *". Hehe, if you want to study new institutional economics systematically, you can buy it as a literature guide.
7. Development Economics: Development Economics: Fast Water Sukejiro's "Development Economics", Social Science Literature Publishing House Comments: Comments: Social Science Literature Publishing House once published the first edition of this book, and there were some missing figures in typesetting. The second edition has finally come out, and both typesetting and layout are much better than the first edition. Strictly speaking, this is not a textbook, but a monograph. Lin Yifu said in the preface of the first edition that "this book is a new wealth theory", and exploring the source of national wealth is the theme of development economics. The advantage of this book is that it always takes "induced institutional and technological changes" as the main line of the book and constructs the framework of the book with "induced changes". 8. History of Economic Thought: History of Economic Thought: Growth of Economic Thought, Comment by China Social Sciences Press: Comment: I remember this is a series commemorating the centenary of Peking University. This series of books is still Daniel. Lucas' dynamics, Sargent's macroeconomics, Green's metrology and Barrow's economic growth. The history of economic thought has become "unpopular", but it seems that people who eat pork still need to "roughly" understand how pigs are raised. The advantage of this book is that economic thought is a product of social scarcity and a process of "inducing" economic thought. Szladen, Modern Macroeconomics, Jiangsu People's Publishing House. Comment: Comment: Put it into the history of economic thought for the time being. This is another good book. The Commercial Press once published the first edition of this book, which was translated by Su Jian (the translator of Romer's Gao Hong). Compared with the first edition, the second edition adds the revival of economic growth theory and the macroeconomics of the New Deal, and rewrites the macroeconomics of Austrian school and post-Keynesian macroeconomics. I suggest that students who want to study macroeconomics must read this book!