Book Review: The Undercover Economist Strikes Back

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Aug 27, 2014

Add this to the long list of books with corny titles that belie the quality of the rest of the product. I enjoyed Tim Harford's original The Undercover Economist, so I thought I'd give his new, Nate-Silver-recommended book, The Undercover Economist Strikes Back, a read and I was not disappointed.

I don't like to spend a whole lot of time on macro. It's just too hard to predict for my liking. Nevertheless, I find it interesting in small enough doses. That's lucky for me, because Harford does an about-face from previous books and switches from micro to macro for the entirety of this book.

I think Harford has a skill for explaining things in an easy to understand way. He tackles a few rather advanced topics, but does it in a step-by-step, non-mumbo-jumbo way that doesn't lose the reader.

No specific instances are discussed, for those wondering if they should scoop up Argentinian debt on the discount. What is discussed are some basic principles to apply in order to make a macroeconomy work.

It's a great book for beginners or those looking for a refresher.