Rather than ask the question so many textbook publishers seem to when they prepare a new text ("How can we sell more textbooks?"), Pearson appears to have asked the more relevant "How can we help students really understand economics?" I do not work for Pearson, nor do I know anyone who does, but based on my experience with this book so far, here's what I can surmise about their process:
1. They begin by hiring high school teachers who teach high school students to write the text in a student-friendly way. Jason Welker maintains a website for his students at Zurich International School. His video lessons are among the clearest, and most concise, on the web. Sean Malley is also a high school Econ teacher in an international school. The text these two have produced is sophisticated but clear. We refer to it when the textbook my school uses doesn't make sense, and without fail, my students come away saying, "Oh. I get it now!" Thanks, Jason and Sean.
2. Next, they weave IB content into the fabric of the book. TOK applications, exam hints, and clearly stated learning outcomes that align with the 2013 IB syllabus are an integral part of this text, as are exam-based practice and review questions. If you are new to the IB, this book will make your life so easy, and will prepare your students quite well for the exam. That said, this book is not teaching to a test - it is teaching Economics, and will be useful to anyone outside the IB as well.
3. Finally, they poach people from That Company in Cupertino (1 Infinite Loop) to design the book. OK, that's just a hypothesis, but this book is slick. Comparing Econ texts to cars, most are about as exciting as a Model T, with a few ascending to the status of that masterpiece of Eastern Block engineering, the Lada. With this text, Pearson has given us a Mercedes AMG Roadster. It is not a Lada painted red to look relevant and contemporary, nor is it a nice, sensible Camry. This thing is solid and sexy and blows the doors off its competition. And it gets you where you're going in half the time, because you won't have to reread it three times to understand it. This book makes me want to get into it and use it. And the more I use it, the more I want to use it. Everything from its use of color to its physical layout, to the conceptual design of the chapters, even the bubbles-and-dots design that unifies the whole opus - this book was clearly not produced by Central Planning. As someone who will spend half a day trying to find just the right font for a publication, this book appeals to me. And if you're not into design, you won't be annoyed. It isn't gimmicky, it just works. The numerous graphs and graphics are useful and explanatory, and color is actually used to help illustrate concepts, not just to increase visual appeal (or justify the moniker "updated edition" and higher sticker price).
As a first-year IB Econ teacher at a well-established IB World School, I have had to do my share of homework to keep ahead of my students, and have had access to nearly all of the IB Econ texts and resources on the market. I am constantly turning to this one for its excellent explanations, examples, and ease of use. Furthermore, Pearson has online links to numerous resources, many of which appear to be reinventions of Mr. Welker's teaching materials (compare Pearson's worksheets to those found at Welker's website). These resources are not only useful, but free - even to those who don't own a copy of the text.
As a final endorsement, I offer the following anecdote. I provided a sample of this text to my students as we were learning about government intervention. They unanimously agreed the explanations and examples in the Pearson text are far superior to the two other texts we have used. They are begging me to purchase this book for them for the remainder of the course. Although the cost is nearly double that of other IB-oriented texts, the investment is well worth it.
