Basic economics

a common sense guide to the economy

Hardcover, 627 pages

English language

Published Nov. 14, 2007 by Basic Books.

ISBN:
978-0-465-00260-3
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OCLC Number:
76897806

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2 stars (1 review)

10 editions

Review of 'Basic Economics' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

Touched on a lot of basic macroeconomic concepts, but never approaches the comprehensiveness or usefulness of an Economics textbook. Mostly, Sowell communicates attitudes, and attempts to persuade the reader that any opinion counter to his is shallow and unreasoned, or is secretly Soviet communist in disguise.

It's a useful snapshot in time of what some Republicans believed around Y2K: free trade, laissez-faire economics, and a reference for the Austrian school, in stark contrast with the protectionism and anti-intellectualism of the Trump administration.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend reading this book if you want to understand modern conservative views on Economics in historical context. You'll learn just enough to understand their ideas, but with a heavy inoculation against other viewpoints.