Reflections of an economics textbook author: Greg Mankiw

Nice essay by Prof Greg Mankiw. He recently stepped down as the instructor of Harvard’s EC10 course (introductory economics). This is a huge moment in economic teaching as people believe this would give an opportunity for other textbooks such as Core economics to get their dues.

In the essay, Mankiw takes one through what led him to write a book on economics. Also how should one write write a book and the changes brought to the books world by digital technologies:

In this essay I reflect on textbook writing after three decades participating in the activity. I address the following questions: What perspective should textbooks take? What is the best approach to teaching microeconomics? What is the best approach to teaching macroeconomics? How does the content of the introductory course evolve? How much material should textbooks include? Are textbooks too expensive? How is digital technology changing the market for
textbooks? Who should become a textbook author?

Some more from Prof Tim Taylor on Mankiw’s essay and his own experiences..