The Cartoon Introduction to Economics: Vol. Two: Macroeconomics

The major concepts of macroeconomics are broken down with wit, verve, and clarity in this excellent follow-up to The Cartoon Introduction to Economics: Vol. 1: Microeconomics. Klein and Bauman lay out the goals of macroeconomists, who address issues that affect an entire country or the entire planet—and who try to solve the problem of how to increase living standards in the long run while understanding short-term economic fluctuations. The two basic theories for explaining economics, the classical view and the Keynesian view, become a lot clearer when explained with illustrations rather than with dry charts and graphs; so do unemployment, inflation, the Gross Domestic Product, fiscal policy, international trade, foreign aid, and global macroeconomics. While the authors do an admirable job keeping politics out of it, they’re clearly fans of the free market and a well-reasoned, balanced role for the government. This clever, lucid, and lighthearted book is a godsend to anyone who needs a simple but complete primer on the ins and outs of economics. (Jan.)