為了適應(yīng)經(jīng)濟(jì)全球化的發(fā)展趨勢,滿足國內(nèi)廣大讀者了解、學(xué)習(xí)和借鑒國外先進(jìn)的管理經(jīng)驗(yàn)和掌握經(jīng)濟(jì)理論前沿動(dòng)態(tài)的需要,清華大學(xué)出版社與國外著名出版公司合作影印出版一系列英文版經(jīng)濟(jì)管理方面的圖書。我們所選擇的圖書,基本上是已再版多次、在國外深受歡迎并被廣泛采用的優(yōu)秀教材,是該領(lǐng)域中具有*性的經(jīng)典之作。
preface
“Economicsisastudyofmankindintheordinarybusinessoflife.”SowroteAlfredMarshall,thegreat19th-centuryeconomist,inhistextbook,
PrinciplesofEconomics.Althoughwehavelearnedmuchabouttheeconomy
sinceMarshall’stime,thisdefinitionofeconomicsisastruetodayasit
wasin1890,whenthefirsteditionofhistextwaspublished.
Whyshouldyou,asastudentatthebeginningofthe21stcentury,embarkon
thestudyofeconomics?Therearethreereasons.
Thefirstreasontostudyeconomicsisthatitwillhelpyouunderstandthe
worldinwhichyoulive.Therearemanyquestionsabouttheeconomythatmight
sparkyourcuriosity.WhyareapartmentssohardtofindinNewYorkCity?Why
doairlineschargelessforaround-tripticketifthetravelerstaysoveraSaturday
night?WhyisJohnnyDepppaidsomuchtostarinmovies?Whyarelivingstan-
dardssomeagerinmanyAfricancountries?Whydosomecountrieshavehigh
ratesofinflationwhileothershavestableprices?Whyarejobseasytofindin
someyearsandhardtofindinothers?Thesearejustafewofthequestionsthata
courseineconomicswillhelpyouanswer.
Thesecondreasontostudyeconomicsisthatitwillmakeyouamoreastute
participantintheeconomy.Asyougoaboutyourlife,youmakemanyeconomic
decisions.Whileyouareastudent,youdecidehowmanyyearstostayinschool.
Onceyoutakeajob,youdecidehowmuchofyourincometospend,howmuch
tosave,andhowtoinvestyoursavings.Somedayyoumayfindyourselfrunning
asmallbusinessoralargecorporation,andyouwilldecidewhatpricestocharge
foryourproducts.Theinsightsdevelopedinthecomingchapterswillgiveyou
anewperspectiveonhowbesttomakethesedecisions.Studyingeconomicswill
notbyitselfmakeyourich,butitwillgiveyousometoolsthatmayhelpinthat
endeavor.
Thethirdreasontostudyeconomicsisthatitwillgiveyouabetterunderstand-
ingofboththepotentialandthelimitsofeconomicpolicy.Economicquestions
arealwaysonthemindsofpolicymakersinmayors’offices,governors’mansions,
andtheWhiteHouse.Whataretheburdensassociatedwithalternativeformsof
taxation?Whataretheeffectsoffreetradewithothercountries?Whatisthebest
waytoprotecttheenvironment?Howdoesagovernmentbudgetdeficitaffect
theeconomy?Asavoter,youhelpchoosethepoliciesthatguidetheallocationof
society’sresources.Anunderstandingofeconomicswillhelpyoucarryoutthat
responsibility.Andwhoknows:Perhapssomedayyouwillendupasoneofthose
policymakersyourself.
Thus,theprinciplesofeconomicscanbeappliedinmanyoflife’ssituations.
Whetherthefuturefindsyoureadingthenewspaper,runningabusiness,orsit-
tingintheOvalOffice,youwillbegladthatyoustudiedeconomics.
N.GregoryMankiwDecember2010
ToCatherine,Nicholas,andPeter,
myothercontributionstothenextgeneration
author
iv
aboutthe
N.GregoryMankiwisprofessorofeconomicsat
HarvardUniversity.Asastudent,hestudiedeconomics
atPrincetonUniversityandMIT.Asateacher,
hehastaughtmacroeconomics,microeconomics,
statistics,andprinciplesofeconomics.Heeven
spentonesummerlongagoasasailinginstructor
onLongBeachIsland.
ProfessorMankiwisaprolificwriterandaregular
participantinacademicandpolicydebates.His
workhasbeenpublishedinscholarlyjournals,such
astheAmericanEconomicReview,JournalofPolitical
Economy,andQuarterlyJournalofEconomics,andin
morepopularforums,suchasTheNewYorkTimes
andTheWallStreetJournal.Heisalsoauthorof
thebest-sellingintermediate-leveltextbookMacroeconomics(WorthPublishers).
Inadditiontohisteaching,research,andwriting,ProfessorMankiwhasbeena
researchassociateoftheNationalBureauofEconomicResearch,anadvisertothe
CongressionalBudgetOfficeandtheFederalReserveBanksofBostonandNew
York,andamemberoftheETStestdevelopmentcommitteefortheAdvanced
Placementexamineconomics.From2003to2005,heservedaschairmanofthe
President’sCouncilofEconomicAdvisers.
ProfessorMankiwlivesinWellesley,Massachusetts,withhiswife,Deborah,
threechildren,Catherine,Nicholas,andPeter,andtheirborderterrier,Tobin.
v
tothestudentpreface
Economicsisastudyofmankindintheordinarybusinessoflife.”So
wroteAlfredMarshall,thegreat19th-centuryeconomist,inhistextbook,
PrinciplesofEconomics.Althoughwehavelearnedmuchabouttheeconomy
sinceMarshall’stime,thisdefinitionofeconomicsisastruetodayasit
wasin1890,whenthefirsteditionofhistextwaspublished.
Whyshouldyou,asastudentatthebeginningofthe21stcentury,embarkon
thestudyofeconomics?Therearethreereasons.
Thefirstreasontostudyeconomicsisthatitwillhelpyouunderstandthe
worldinwhichyoulive.Therearemanyquestionsabouttheeconomythatmight
sparkyourcuriosity.WhyareapartmentssohardtofindinNewYorkCity?Why
doairlineschargelessforaround-tripticketifthetravelerstaysoveraSaturday
night?WhyisJohnnyDepppaidsomuchtostarinmovies?Whyarelivingstandards
someagerinmanyAfricancountries?Whydosomecountrieshavehigh
ratesofinflationwhileothershavestableprices?Whyarejobseasytofindin
someyearsandhardtofindinothers?Thesearejustafewofthequestionsthata
courseineconomicswillhelpyouanswer.
Thesecondreasontostudyeconomicsisthatitwillmakeyouamoreastute
participantintheeconomy.Asyougoaboutyourlife,youmakemanyeconomic
decisions.Whileyouareastudent,youdecidehowmanyyearstostayinschool.
Onceyoutakeajob,youdecidehowmuchofyourincometospend,howmuch
tosave,andhowtoinvestyoursavings.Somedayyoumayfindyourselfrunning
asmallbusinessoralargecorporation,andyouwilldecidewhatpricestocharge
foryourproducts.Theinsightsdevelopedinthecomingchapterswillgiveyou
anewperspectiveonhowbesttomakethesedecisions.Studyingeconomicswill
notbyitselfmakeyourich,butitwillgiveyousometoolsthatmayhelpinthat
endeavor.
Thethirdreasontostudyeconomicsisthatitwillgiveyouabetterunderstanding
ofboththepotentialandthelimitsofeconomicpolicy.Economicquestions
arealwaysonthemindsofpolicymakersinmayors’offices,governors’mansions,
andtheWhiteHouse.Whataretheburdensassociatedwithalternativeformsof
taxation?Whataretheeffectsoffreetradewithothercountries?Whatisthebest
waytoprotecttheenvironment?Howdoesagovernmentbudgetdeficitaffect
theeconomy?Asavoter,youhelpchoosethepoliciesthatguidetheallocationof
society’sresources.Anunderstandingofeconomicswillhelpyoucarryoutthat
responsibility.Andwhoknows:Perhapssomedayyouwillendupasoneofthose
policymakersyourself.
Thus,theprinciplesofeconomicscanbeappliedinmanyoflife’ssituations.
Whetherthefuturefindsyoureadingthenewspaper,runningabusiness,orsitting
intheOvalOffice,youwillbegladthatyoustudiedeconomics.
N.GregoryMankiw