Descripciones mejoradas de Syndetics:

A leading economist trains a lens on his own discipline to uncover when it fails and when it works.

In the wake of the financial crisis and the Great Recession, economic science
seems anything but. In this sharp, masterfully argued book, Dani Rodrik,
a leading critic from within the science, renders a surprisingly upbeat judgment
on economics. Sifting through the failings of the discipline, he homes in on
its greatest strength: its many--and often contradictory--explanatory frameworks.

Drawing on the history of the field and his deep experience as a practitioner,
Rodrik insists that economic activity defies universal laws. But when economists
embrace their expertise as a set of tools, not as a grand unified theory, they can
improve the world. From successful antipoverty programs in Mexico to growth
strategies in Africa and intelligent remedies for domestic inequality, Rodrik
highlights the profound positive influence of economics properly applied.

At once a forceful critique and a defense of the discipline, Economics Rules
charts a path toward a more humble but more effective science.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Preface and Acknowledgments(p. xi)
• Introduction: The Use and Misuse of Economic Ideas(p. 1)
• Chapter 1 What Models Do(p. 9)
• Chapter 2 The Science of Economic Modeling(p. 45)
• Chapter 3 Navigating among Models(p. 83)
• Chapter 4 Models and Theories(p. 113)
• Chapter 5 When Economists Go Wrong(p. 147)
• Chapter 6 Economics and Its Critics(p. 177)
• Epilogue: The Twenty Commandments(p. 213)
• Notes(p. 217)
• Index(p. 233)

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Rodrik (economics, Inst. for Advanced Study; The Globalization Paradox) discusses the foundations of economics and the pitfalls that lead economists astray. He sums up the discipline as a navigable collection of models, and argues that their use is what makes economics a science, that the employment of correct frameworks can both illustrate how the world works and demonstrate what could be done to improve it. Problems occur, says the author, when incorrect theories are chosen or when a tool attempts to do too much. Rodrik explains the process of selecting, verifying, and utilizing models. As an example of the field's failings, he cites how most economists were surprised by the 2008 housing collapse because they had accepted the theory that self-regulating efficient markets would prevent such an asset bubble. VERDICT Rodrik's clear writing limits jargon, but his subject matter is necessarily demanding. Part rant, part survey, part critical assessment of his profession, the author's stimulating insights will be most helpful to practitioners and especially students embarking on serious study in economics.-Lawrence Maxted, Gannon Univ. Lib., Erie, PA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Lately, economics has acquired a bad rap. After all, if the "dismal science" couldn't even predict the Great Recession, what good is it? That is the question Rodrik (The Globalization Paradox) addresses in this excellent little primer, ideally suited to introductory courses, that explains with clarity and wit what economics can and cannot do. Economists, Rodrik explains, construct models-simplified versions of the real world-to help them predict how a particular economy will respond to a particular stimulus: say, a new tax, a raise to the minimum wage, or an increase in interest rates. Rodrik likens economic models to "fables" and notes that when these go awry, it is likely because they have been mistaken for reality. He takes care, though, to recount success stories, such as John Maynard Keynes masterminding the post-WWII economic order at Bretton Woods, or Ben Bernanke (in his view) stopping the Great Recession from becoming another Great Depression. He also says that we can thank economics for everyday conveniences like cheap airline tickets and efficient auctions of wireless frequencies. This book does indeed show that economics and economists exert an outsized influence, ideally wisely, in the world today. Agent: Andrew Wylie, the Wylie Agency. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

CHOICE Review

M is the key letter in this book: it stands most of all for models (or modeling) but also for methodology, empirical measurement, misinformation about, and misapplication and misinterpretation of those mathematical models. A respected authority on globalization, Rodrik (international political economy, Harvard) spent two years at the Institute for Advanced Study, and the present title is largely a result of that experience. He puts into this brief, coherent, readable volume his thoughts--complete with solid endnotes--about what economics, as science, has to offer noneconomists, policy makers, and others in the social sciences, and about the failures of his own discipline and what changes it has to make from within. The titles of the first four chapters--"What Models Do," "The Science of Economic Modeling," "Navigating among Models," "Models and Theories"--suggest the scope and flavor of the book; the last two chapters--"When Economists Go Wrong" and "Economics and Its Critics" --open a dialogue for all parties around the research table. The epilogue offers ten commandments for economists and ten for noneconomists; though not as profound as the ten God gave Moses, they nevertheless should instill a little humility in both factions. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. --Allen R. Sanderson, University of Chicago

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Dani Rodrik , a prize-winning economist, is the Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is the author of The Globalization Paradox and Economics Rules.