A Guide for the Young Economist [Paperback]

William Thomson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 22, 2001

This book is an invaluable guide for young economists working on their dissertations, preparing their first articles for submission to professional journals, getting ready for their first presentations at conferences and job seminars, or facing their first refereeing assignments. In clear, concise language--a model for what he advocates--William Thomson shows how to make written and oral presentations both inviting and efficient. Thomson covers the basics of clear exposition, including such nuts-and-bolts topics as titling papers, writing abstracts, presenting research results, and holding an audience's attention.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Good economic theory mixes rigorous mathematical reasoning with intuitive motivations and stories, which can make the task of presenting or evaluating cutting-edge research a treacherous balancing act. In this one-of-a-kind essay, Thomson offers an armful of good advice and tricks of the trade to economists young and old, lest any of them forget that a bad container can spoil its contents." Hervé Moulin, Department of Economics, Rice University

"This Guide should be read by every young economist under the age of 90...The book is truly beautifully written...BUY THIS BOOK!" Daniel S. Hamermesh, University of Texas at Austin and NBER Southern Economic Journal

"Thomson provides a solid, in-depth introduction to some of the most important aspects of writing and presenting economic reports and papers, which will be particularly valuable to graduate students, new faculty, and professionals wishing to present their research in a clear, effective manner." D. O. Lee, Mississippi State University CHOICE

"How many times have valuable contributions to scholarship—written and oral—been compromised because of inadequate communication? This is far less likely to happen if economists read and think about the issues discussed in William Thomson's book." John Pencavel, Department of Economics, Stanford University

"The quintessence of the French mind—precision, concision, eleganceas it should be, Pascal rather than Derrida. Everyone who knows William Thomson knows that he is not only a great economist but also a master expositor, be it in his papers and books or in his talks. In this book, he shares his remarkable know-how with us young and not-so-young economists." Maurice Salles, Professor of Economics, Université de Caen, and Coordinating Editor, Social Choice and Welfare

"William Thomson has always cared a lot for his and all our students. A Guide for the Young Economist is full of his caring wisdom which many young--and many not so young--economists will definitely benefit from."--Murat Sertel, Department of Economics, Turkish Academy of Sciences, Editor-in-Chief of the Review of Economic Design

About the Author

William Thomson is Professor of Economics at the University of Rochester, New York.

Stephen Van Evera is an Adjunct Fellow at the Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (January 22, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262700794
• ISBN-13: 978-0262700795
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #501,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Guide for the Young Economist, March 12, 2001

By 

Rachele (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Guide for the Young Economist (Paperback)

This excellent book contains many humorous annecdotes, which ease the reading of a semi-technical book. Any academic student looking to write a paper can read this and gain helpful tips to make their paper a sucess. Again, this section of the book is for anyone, and is understandable to the non-economist, although examples are sometimes economically related. The second part of the book focuses on giving talks, and how to get your messsage across in the best way possible. Again, this is for any one looking to enhance their abilities to give a talk in front of people. William gives advice as how to better your communication skills and how to talk to large audiences. The third part of his book, writing referee reports, is more catered to the economist, or the types of people who need to write referee reports. Aagin, he gives helpful tips in a humorous fasion, making it an enjoyable read. If you are looking to enhance your abilities to write papers,(any high school, college, or graduate student), give talk, or write referee reports, this is an excellent source to turn to.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely essential guide for economic writing., May 2, 2003

By 

emcentar "emcentar" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Guide for the Young Economist (Paperback)

Not only for the young economist, I would consider this is an essential guide for those preparing economic papers to submit to academic presses. Thomson's style is warm, clear and engaging, and his advice sound. Anyone who has ever gotten a headache working through the notation of a working economic theory paper will be tempted to buy the author a copy of this book. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful but could be improved, August 30, 2011

By 

David Mitchell (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Guide for the Young Economist (Paperback)

The section on introductions and lit reviews is excellent. Referees are harsh. Start strong and don't piss them off. Thomson gives you good suggestions for making referees happy.

He has pretty good advice for explaining a mathematical model though much of that is obvious.

He really doesn't talk at all about how to present data either in a paper or in a talk. It is harder to do a good job presenting data that an outsider might guess.