Microeconomic Theory: Concepts and Connections (with Economic Applications) [Hardcover]

Michael Wetzstein (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0324260296 | ISBN-13: 978-0324260298 | Publication Date: March 12, 2004 | Edition: 1

This book is a calculus-based microeconomic theory text for undergraduates and graduates that successfully balances theoretical/intuitive (verbal), graphical (visual), and mathematical presentation in order to appeal to various learning styles. The text combines theory and applications more completely than most offerings in this course area, and bridges the gap between low-level texts that relegate math to footnotes and upper-level texts that focus only on math at the expense of theory and applications.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Wetzstein is a professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics at The University of Georgia. He received his B.A. in economics from California State University, Sacramento and his M.S. and Ph.D. in agricultural economics from the University of California, Davis. Professor Wetzstein’s primary research focus centers on applied microeconomic theory with emphasis on natural resource and environmental impacts upon production systems. He has taught microeconomic theory for over 25 years at the principles, intermediate and graduate level. Professor Wetzstein lives with wife, Hazel, and two children, Brian and Sara, in Athens, Georgia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 912 pages
• Publisher: South-Western College Pub; 1 edition (March 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0324260296
• ISBN-13: 978-0324260298
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #862,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is horrible!, March 25, 2006

By 

Laura - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microeconomic Theory: Concepts and Connections (with Economic Applications) (Hardcover)

This text was used in a graduate level microeconomics class I took last semester. We frequently found mistakes in the formulas, mistakes in the odd answers that are provided for problems, mistakes in the text's explanations. Answers to the odd problems often took the long, strange way to arrive at an answer. Or they were incorrect. For example, optimization problems often were solved without partial differentiation, using suspect math.

Some chapters were convoluted and confusingly written--for the second half of the semester the professor frequently started class with an apologetic "I know the chapter on ___ was confusing and hard to follow: these are the key points you should have gotten out of it..."

In addition, some of the theory such as that found in the public goods chapter is really unusual--not consistent with the accepted interpretations of other economists. While the focus on providing a format useful to visual and graphical learners is nice, the verbal half of those explanations was often lacking. And we also found a couple of incorrectly drawn graphs to confuse things further. Walter Nicholson's 9th edition Microeconomic Theory: Basic Principles and Extensions is far superior! I used it constantly when Wetzstein's text left me once again guessing...

As a first edition, I'm sure the book will improve in future editions. But geez, I worked in publishing before I went back to school--and the content of this book was not proofed very well. I was surprised, especially since it is published by Thompson-South Western.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The author's students love it, December 1, 2007

By 

Jason D. Miller "bookworm" (Univ. of Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microecon Theory Cncpts and Conn (Paperback)

I'm purchasing my own copy of this book because of very positive reviews from students in the author's classes (there may be some bias there, of course).

It is used to teach two micro econ classes in the Ag Econ department - one split level and one graduate-only, I think. Students from other applied econ fields also take the courses for grad credit (like Consumer Econ) so it is broadly applicable material.

The students say that it has everything they need for their theses/dissertations and to prepare for comps. I have borrowed the book several times and I find that the explanations are usually good, but a one or two topics leave you feeling like you only skimmed the surface and perhaps got more opinion/conclusion than fact.

Overall I do not hesitate to buy a used copy as a reference book for $20-40. It's a good microecon theory book, especially for those who want more than the intro and non-math theory books. My understanding and brief experience is that the math does become complicated though if you're not good with maxtrix algebra and that sort of thing.

1.0 out of 5 stars poorly written, November 10, 2010

By 

UGA Student - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microeconomic Theory: Concepts and Connections (with Economic Applications) (Hardcover)

When studying with this book I find myself searching for methods to problems in the examples, but I constantly find them not being there. It seems as though Wetzstein thought it necessary to write each formula in every way possible in each problem, not provide examples or explanation to what is being done, and not even proof read the book. I have never had to work so hard to learn the material from a book as I do from this one. This is another story of a professor writing a book for the class he teachers and forcing it upon their students, maybe if I took the class with him last year I would feel different, but from using this book I feel luckily that I didn't.