

Ask HN: What is the best Economics read? - uast23

Which books/online lectures etc would you recommend to understand detailed Economics like how it works locally/globally, GDP, debt, govt bonds etc
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ahsanhilal
It really depends on what level of Economics understanding you currently
possess. For a complete newbie to economics, I would definitely recommend:

[http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Economics-N-Gregory-
Mankiw/...](http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Economics-N-Gregory-
Mankiw/dp/0538453052/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323964558&sr=1-4)

It is a solid book, and you cannot go wrong with it. However, if you want a
more thorough understanding of economics, with the mathematics laid out etc.
then there are other more advanced economics text for that. Also, I think,
given the topics you highlighted, you want to understand more about
Macroeconomics, as such these MIT lectures might help:

<http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/economics/>

Also, remember is Economics, like in any subject, there is wide diversity of
viewpoints. The best way to choose a side, I feel, is to really look deep into
the a topic, delve a bit into the math and make informed decisions as to what
gels with your point of view. Ping me if you need any more resources

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uast23
Oh yes, the MIT lectures. I should have known that. Thanks for the link.

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SuperChihuahua
I think it is Economics in one lesson you should begin with. Its available for
free here: <http://mises.org/books/economics_in_one_lesson_hazlitt.pdf>

It's a classic and easy to read.

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uast23
Pretty small text :). Going to begin with it.

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malandrew
I highly recommend a commonly ignored part of economics and that is the
economics of goods with zero marginal cost of production. The two key texts in
this area are:

Yochai Benkler's "The Wealth of Networks" \-- This text is a bit dated (2005)
and the first two chapters couldn't be more dry and boring, but after that the
economic discussion in the book about how economics changes when the marginal
cost of product reaches zero or near-zero is fascinating.

Hal Varian's "Information Rules" \-- This book covers the same ground at
Yochai's book, but is less academic in tone. FYI, Varian is Google's chief
economist.

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uast23
You totally sold your FYI. Noted down in the list. Once I am done with some
basics, this book is definitely going to be read.

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a_a_r_o_n
Investopedia has tutorials, including a small handful on economics. A quick
way to get oriented before studying further and deeper.

<http://www.investopedia.com/university/>

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coryl
Not sure if you're into it, but an entry level economics class at your local
college / university. You'll learn how to draw supply and demand curves,
different ways of calculating GDP, how oligopolies and monopolies curves look,
etc.

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uast23
Not at this point. I am a developer and I run a consultancy with one more guy,
so I am generally short of hours. But I will see how much I can grasp on my
own and then may be consider something.

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brudgers
_The Economist_ magazine.

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pestaa
How far does one have to dig down in the archive to understand the basics?

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brudgers
A year's subscription is probably enough.

