Understanding Microeconomics

Part 1: THE ECONOMIC WAY OF THINKING. 1. The Economic Approach. 2. Some Tools of the Economist. Part 2: MARKETS AND GOVERNMENT. 3. Supply, Demand, and the Market Process. 4. Supply and Demand: Applications and Extensions. 5. Difficult Cases for the Market. 6. The Economics of Collective Decision Making. Part 3: CORE MICROECONOMICS. 7. Consumer Demand and Elasticity. 8. Costs and the Supply of Goods. 9. Price Takers and the Competitive Process. 10. Price-Searcher Markets with Low Entry Barriers. 11. Price-Searcher Markets with High Entry Barriers. 12. The Supply of and Demand for Productive Resources. 13. Earnings, Productivity, and the Job Market. 14. Investment, the Capital Market, and the Wealth of Nations. 15. Income Inequality and Poverty. Part 4: APPLYING THE BASICS. 16. Government Spending and Taxation. 17. The Internet: How Is It Changing the Economy? 18. The Economics of Social Security. 19. The Stock Market: What Does It Do and How Has it Performed? 20. The Economics of Health Care. 21. School Choice: Can It Improve the Quality of Education? 22. Is Discrimination Responsible for the Earnings Differencebetween Men and Women? 23. How Does Government Regulation Affect Your Life? 24. Natural Resources and the Future. 25. Economics and the Environment. Appendices: A. General Business and Economic Indicators. B. Answers to Selected Critical Analysis Questions. Glossary. Credits. Index.