Microeconomics [Hardcover]

Robert S. Pindyck (Author), Daniel L. Rubinfeld (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0023959002 | ISBN-13: 978-0023959004 | Publication Date: August 23, 1994 | Edition: 3rd Ed

This book is well known for its coverage of modern topics (Game theory, Economics of Information, and Behavioral Economics), clarity of its writing style and graphs, and integrated use of real world examples. The emphasis on relevance and application to both managerial and public-policy decision-making are focused goals of the book. This emphasis is accomplished by including MANY extended examples that cover such topics as the analysis of demand, cost, and market efficiency; the design of pricing strategies; investment and production decisions; and public policy analysis. Economists and strategists looking to stay current with economic information.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 699 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan Library Reference; 3rd Ed edition (August 23, 1994)
• ISBN-10: 0023959002
• ISBN-13: 978-0023959004
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,521,394 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Microecon is not exactly the most exciting subject, December 11, 2002

By 

Arman Harutyunyan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microeconomics (5th Edition) (Hardcover)

I've used this book in an intermediate micro course at Berkeley, and I have to say that this is one of the best written economics books I've read. One of its greatest advantages is the clarity of explanation and abundance of visual aid such as graphs and tables throughout the book to support the material. The graphs get a bit complicated towards the last chapters, but that's only because the material that needs to be illustrated through those graphs gets complicated as well.

Second, even though I've had extensive economics background, the book could be suitable for beginners. The first two chapters give a concise overview of a basic Econ 1 course, explaining the basics of supply and demand, market structure, etc. - everything a person with little economics background needs to know to be able to understand this book. However, if you find this book to simple for you, keep in mind that Prentice Hall publishes it as "Intermediate Economics" - for use in 2nd or 3rd year in an undergraduate economics program.

Unlike many other econ textbooks I've encountered, this book is neither math-heavy nor theory-heavy - it has a good balance of theoretical information coupled with enough mathematical examples to get the message across. However, many students (and some reviewers on this website) find that there aren't enough examples and exercises (with answers) in the book - for that I'd HIGHLY recommend getting the Student Study Guide. It quickly summarizes each chapter (good for emergency test/quiz studying) and provides plenty of sample problems as it summarizes the concepts. It also includes a quick chapter quiz and gives the solutions to all problems found in the Study Guide.

Also unlike most outdated econ textbooks today, this one includes excellent chapters on Game Theory and pricing strategies. I've heard from a few business majors here at Berkeley that they're encouraged to read those two chapters as good examples of how these concepts apply to business and economics. The book features many "Sample Boxes" - small paragraphs on how the current topic of discussion has been applied in the real world. This helps understand that economics is a real science (in a sense that it can produce theories that are testable in the real world) and has some useful applications.

Overall, this is a very good economics textbook for intermediate microeconomics. The book alone deserves 4 stars, but coupled with the study guide, it's definitely a 5.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Product Note about the Package Edition, March 17, 2000

By 

David A. Stumme "grenadier" (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microeconomics (Hardcover)

Just for those who might be wondering, the package edition includes the hardcover textbook as well as the corresponding workbook. Since the description does not make this clear, I thought I would mention it, since this is quite a bargain if you're buying both anyway.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good book for intermediate level students, February 1, 2004

By 

SamBK (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microeconomics (5th Edition) (Hardcover)

Organization of the books is good. Topics are discussed with enough clarity and each topic comes with lots of graphs and illustrations (which I think are a great help at that level). The level of algebra and math is at an intermediate undergraduate level (economics major). I think it is a complete book for anybody who wants to have an understanding of microeconomics. I am a Ph.D. student of economics now and if I am going to teach an undergrad micro course, I will certainly choose this textbook.