Macroeconomics

Rating:
Summary: Economics with an open mind
Review: David Colander has dedicated this book to T. Veblen and F. Knight and while these authors are not representative of the content of the text they are representative of its mood and outlook.

Colander's book, while not ideal (whose is?), is a better than average text. While the book does contain a few errors, they are minor in comparison to other texts that I have used in the past. In comparison with other texts, the strength of Colander's book is that it provides room for alternative viewpoints. While mainstream economic theories are covered they are done so in way that encourages critical thinking. Rather than presenting mainstream economic principles as a series of universally applicable "laws" Colander treats them as theories that are open to question.

I have used this text in my classes for the last few years and have found students to have a generally favorable impression of the text. It is written in a very accessible style and is easy to read. At the same time it does not make any compromises in terms of the rigor of its content. The difficulty level of the text is average, and the length and breadth of the text is appropriate for a one-semester course in macroeconomics.

Rating:
Summary: poor book
Review: First, Colander still has many errors in his book (ie, the Taylor Rule). Second, he does not present the material very clearly and does not really show how all the principles fit together. For an introduction to economics, this book would have persuaded me to be an art history major. This book needs to cut the ... and explain the principles.

Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: This book was incredibly helpful in my macroeconomics studies, and was definitely the thing that contributed to my success in the course. I used it in my high school AP class, and it was not only easy to read but also very informative. It made it both fun and easy to learn the subject matter. The use of casual language, anecdotal evidence, and full explanations made the reading very understandable. Colander is a brilliant man and a professor at Middlebury College, where he is well-known for being an intelligent, fascinating, and great teacher. This excellent teaching is reflected in his writings, and I highly recommend this textbook.