A Concise Guide to Macroeconomics: What Managers, Executives, and Students Need to Know

Professor Moss' Concise Guide to Macroeconomics is titled aptly. It is very concise; fluidly written and easily read in a couple of sittings. It is also very fundamental. The author focuses in one the three core pillars of macro-economics, output, money and expectations, and takes the reader through them in a tried and trued presentation format: tell the reader what you're going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you just told them. As such the first part has a chapter dedicated to introducing each of these three core concepts. The second part has a chapter for each of these three concepts again, but with slightly more sophistication afforded from the reader now having seen all three concepts in isolation, and the conclusion quickly ties everything together holistically. I found this format very effective for the content it was meant to convey. To be clear though concise is the key word to describe this book. It covers first things first and only first things. As such many concepts, such as foreign reserves, aren't even mentioned. This book is very much a starting point, and it is written for the lay reader with only a simple or passing knowledge of economics concepts in general. It certainly won't make you a genius who can understand the world. It could likely help students understand concepts qualitatively but has no real math or graphical analysis and probably wouldn't help students with their homework or tests. Despite its brevity and the fact it skips some topics many would like to see in a macroeconomics book I feel five stars is richly deserved on account of an admirable and rare honesty on behalf of the author. Although a Harvard Business School professor (and thus, if reputation is to be believed, about as educated as one can come) Mr. Moss is extremely clear that macroeconomics is not a precise science, most macroeconomic theories do not slide seamlessly into successful practice in real life, the reasons behind macroeconomic situations (i.e. currency collapses, recessions, sharp inflation, etc.) can be ambiguous and arguable, and macroeconomic monetary and fiscal policies (such as interest rate cuts or deficit spending) can have contradictory and unpredictable impacts in the real world. His explanation of macroeconomics can show how we can ask smarter questions to increase our chances of being successful when it comes to private enterprise and government venture, but also shows why there is such disagreement and room for argument on both sides of any macroeconomic issue. A great starting place and, rare for an academic book, armed with a highly appropriate warning on the limits of a imprecisely understood albeit very important topic.

The best thing about this (compared to most books on economics) is the conciseness. I really liked the way the author developed the ideas from a very simple start. That makes it easy for a layman to digest the ideas. It was great to explore the various indicators are interrelated (inflation, interest rates, money supply, GDP, exchange rates, etc.). I am now able to understand how the markets respond to events globally. It is a basic introduction, and I look forward to follow-up reading.

I do not have a degree in economics and was interested in some of the basic macroeconomic theory explained in simple language. This book was excellent and gave me a good conceptual foundation. I can now understand business articles when they talk of interest rates, fiscal and monetary poilcy, inflation, and the like. Higly recommended for students and readers with no background in economics.

To follow up a concise guide to something, I'll make a concise review. Pros: Short book = Quick read Very easy to read Topics explained well and consequently easy to understand Great for beginners to the economic world Probably will help for going into an Econ 101 class Has numerous good ideas that are explained well. Cons: Tends to be US-centric as far as examples of application Can be sterile and text-bookish at times Seems too simplistic; might not help enough for an economics class Despite the number of cons, I feel that they are not that extreme. All in all, this book is short enough and good enough to qualify it for 4 stars. But it's simply not a perfect 5 in my opinion.

Good concise book with an easy to understand view on Macro Economics. Used for a class for my MBA, recommended by the professor

For beginners, this book helps them understand important topics in macro economics.

Excelent, easy to read, comprehensive text book. I definitly recommend it. Is a book for people like me that want to get a whole idea of macro economics.

This resource provides a basic understanding of the basics of macroeconomics for introductory students and persons who want to understand the fundamentals of the drivers world economics.

The book was perfect. I thought I had bought the paper cover and I received the hard cover. I don't like hard cover, because I use them to study, but it is ok.

nice book. Recommended highly as an exposure to the global economic system. Too basic for those with college level economics but great for those without.

Deliver what it promises. A great book.

外見は立派な洋書ですが、内容はマクロ経済のイントロに過ぎません。経済用語の英単語を学ぶツール程度かな？

The author covers the main topics in macroeconomics: gross domestic product, money, inflation, central banks, balance of payments, exchange rates. He discusses why the theory of macroeconomics breaks down in practice all the time and comments on its uses and misuses. The book is easy to read, no prior knowledge is required. A Concise Guide to Macroeconomics is a decent but not outstanding book.