The Cartoon Introduction to Economics: Volume One: Microeconomics by Yoram Bauman


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Happened to pick this up at the airport in Pittsburgh waiting for my flight back to Arizona. Picked it up, read it on the plane. A very straightforward, easy-to-follow guide to some of the basic principles of microeconomics, presented through cute comic strips and some eye-rolling humor. I'm not an economist, but what I read seemed to jive with what I remember from Econ 101 back in college.

Anyway, the book is most illuminating in terms of the limits of microeconomic theory. In focusing on the idea of the "optimizing individual" and the benefits of trade, microeconomics ignores all sorts of political and psychological issues that govern how people behave in real life. The authors don't try to hide this -- they note at the end that there are many other fields in economics, including behavioral econ which looks at why and how people behave "irrationally" -- but, as with any study of a particular topic, it has a certain perspective that limits its outlook.

I'd recommend the book for someone who wants a simple overview of some basic concepts. It's not going to make you an expert, but it will help you understand the perspective that microeconomists bring to the world, with all its benefits and limitations. I'll definitely be looking for Vol. 2 on Macroeconomics, whenever that comes out. Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 stars.

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