為了適應經濟全球化的發展趨勢，滿足國內廣大讀者了解、學習和借鑒國外先進的管理經驗和掌握經濟理論前沿動態的需要，清華大學出版社與國外著名出版公司合作影印出版一系列英文版經濟管理方面的圖書。我們所選擇的圖書，基本上是已再版多次、在國外深受歡迎并被廣泛采用的優秀教材，是該領域中具有*性的經典之作。
preface
“Economicsisastudyofmankindintheordinarybusinessoflife.”SowroteAlfredMarshall,thegreat19th-centuryeconomist,inhistextbook,
PrinciplesofEconomics.Althoughwehavelearnedmuchabouttheeconomy
sinceMarshall’stime,thisdefinitionofeconomicsisastruetodayasit
wasin1890,whenthefirsteditionofhistextwaspublished.
Whyshouldyou,asastudentatthebeginningofthe21stcentury,embarkon
thestudyofeconomics?Therearethreereasons.
Thefirstreasontostudyeconomicsisthatitwillhelpyouunderstandthe
worldinwhichyoulive.Therearemanyquestionsabouttheeconomythatmight
sparkyourcuriosity.WhyareapartmentssohardtofindinNewYorkCity?Why
doairlineschargelessforaround-tripticketifthetravelerstaysoveraSaturday
night?WhyisJohnnyDepppaidsomuchtostarinmovies?Whyarelivingstan-
dardssomeagerinmanyAfricancountries?Whydosomecountrieshavehigh
ratesofinflationwhileothershavestableprices?Whyarejobseasytofindin
someyearsandhardtofindinothers?Thesearejustafewofthequestionsthata
courseineconomicswillhelpyouanswer.
Thesecondreasontostudyeconomicsisthatitwillmakeyouamoreastute
participantintheeconomy.Asyougoaboutyourlife,youmakemanyeconomic
decisions.Whileyouareastudent,youdecidehowmanyyearstostayinschool.
Onceyoutakeajob,youdecidehowmuchofyourincometospend,howmuch
tosave,andhowtoinvestyoursavings.Somedayyoumayfindyourselfrunning
asmallbusinessoralargecorporation,andyouwilldecidewhatpricestocharge
foryourproducts.Theinsightsdevelopedinthecomingchapterswillgiveyou
anewperspectiveonhowbesttomakethesedecisions.Studyingeconomicswill
notbyitselfmakeyourich,butitwillgiveyousometoolsthatmayhelpinthat
endeavor.
Thethirdreasontostudyeconomicsisthatitwillgiveyouabetterunderstand-
ingofboththepotentialandthelimitsofeconomicpolicy.Economicquestions
arealwaysonthemindsofpolicymakersinmayors’offices,governors’mansions,
andtheWhiteHouse.Whataretheburdensassociatedwithalternativeformsof
taxation?Whataretheeffectsoffreetradewithothercountries?Whatisthebest
waytoprotecttheenvironment?Howdoesagovernmentbudgetdeficitaffect
theeconomy?Asavoter,youhelpchoosethepoliciesthatguidetheallocationof
society’sresources.Anunderstandingofeconomicswillhelpyoucarryoutthat
responsibility.Andwhoknows:Perhapssomedayyouwillendupasoneofthose
policymakersyourself.
Thus,theprinciplesofeconomicscanbeappliedinmanyoflife’ssituations.
Whetherthefuturefindsyoureadingthenewspaper,runningabusiness,orsit-
tingintheOvalOffice,youwillbegladthatyoustudiedeconomics.
N.GregoryMankiwDecember2010
ToCatherine,Nicholas,andPeter,
myothercontributionstothenextgeneration
author
iv
aboutthe
N.GregoryMankiwisprofessorofeconomicsat
HarvardUniversity.Asastudent,hestudiedeconomics
atPrincetonUniversityandMIT.Asateacher,
hehastaughtmacroeconomics,microeconomics,
statistics,andprinciplesofeconomics.Heeven
spentonesummerlongagoasasailinginstructor
onLongBeachIsland.
ProfessorMankiwisaprolificwriterandaregular
participantinacademicandpolicydebates.His
workhasbeenpublishedinscholarlyjournals,such
astheAmericanEconomicReview,JournalofPolitical
Economy,andQuarterlyJournalofEconomics,andin
morepopularforums,suchasTheNewYorkTimes
andTheWallStreetJournal.Heisalsoauthorof
thebest-sellingintermediate-leveltextbookMacroeconomics(WorthPublishers).
Inadditiontohisteaching,research,andwriting,ProfessorMankiwhasbeena
researchassociateoftheNationalBureauofEconomicResearch,anadvisertothe
CongressionalBudgetOfficeandtheFederalReserveBanksofBostonandNew
York,andamemberoftheETStestdevelopmentcommitteefortheAdvanced
Placementexamineconomics.From2003to2005,heservedaschairmanofthe
President’sCouncilofEconomicAdvisers.
ProfessorMankiwlivesinWellesley,Massachusetts,withhiswife,Deborah,
threechildren,Catherine,Nicholas,andPeter,andtheirborderterrier,Tobin.
v
tothestudentpreface
Economicsisastudyofmankindintheordinarybusinessoflife.”So
wroteAlfredMarshall,thegreat19th-centuryeconomist,inhistextbook,
PrinciplesofEconomics.Althoughwehavelearnedmuchabouttheeconomy
sinceMarshall’stime,thisdefinitionofeconomicsisastruetodayasit
wasin1890,whenthefirsteditionofhistextwaspublished.
Whyshouldyou,asastudentatthebeginningofthe21stcentury,embarkon
thestudyofeconomics?Therearethreereasons.
Thefirstreasontostudyeconomicsisthatitwillhelpyouunderstandthe
worldinwhichyoulive.Therearemanyquestionsabouttheeconomythatmight
sparkyourcuriosity.WhyareapartmentssohardtofindinNewYorkCity?Why
doairlineschargelessforaround-tripticketifthetravelerstaysoveraSaturday
night?WhyisJohnnyDepppaidsomuchtostarinmovies?Whyarelivingstandards
someagerinmanyAfricancountries?Whydosomecountrieshavehigh
ratesofinflationwhileothershavestableprices?Whyarejobseasytofindin
someyearsandhardtofindinothers?Thesearejustafewofthequestionsthata
courseineconomicswillhelpyouanswer.
Thesecondreasontostudyeconomicsisthatitwillmakeyouamoreastute
participantintheeconomy.Asyougoaboutyourlife,youmakemanyeconomic
decisions.Whileyouareastudent,youdecidehowmanyyearstostayinschool.
Onceyoutakeajob,youdecidehowmuchofyourincometospend,howmuch
tosave,andhowtoinvestyoursavings.Somedayyoumayfindyourselfrunning
asmallbusinessoralargecorporation,andyouwilldecidewhatpricestocharge
foryourproducts.Theinsightsdevelopedinthecomingchapterswillgiveyou
anewperspectiveonhowbesttomakethesedecisions.Studyingeconomicswill
notbyitselfmakeyourich,butitwillgiveyousometoolsthatmayhelpinthat
endeavor.
Thethirdreasontostudyeconomicsisthatitwillgiveyouabetterunderstanding
ofboththepotentialandthelimitsofeconomicpolicy.Economicquestions
arealwaysonthemindsofpolicymakersinmayors’offices,governors’mansions,
andtheWhiteHouse.Whataretheburdensassociatedwithalternativeformsof
taxation?Whataretheeffectsoffreetradewithothercountries?Whatisthebest
waytoprotecttheenvironment?Howdoesagovernmentbudgetdeficitaffect
theeconomy?Asavoter,youhelpchoosethepoliciesthatguidetheallocationof
society’sresources.Anunderstandingofeconomicswillhelpyoucarryoutthat
responsibility.Andwhoknows:Perhapssomedayyouwillendupasoneofthose
policymakersyourself.
Thus,theprinciplesofeconomicscanbeappliedinmanyoflife’ssituations.
Whetherthefuturefindsyoureadingthenewspaper,runningabusiness,orsitting
intheOvalOffice,youwillbegladthatyoustudiedeconomics.
N.GregoryMankiw
新書資訊