Intermediate Microeconomics

Reviewed by Ulmaskhon Kalandarova, Instructor, Colorado State University on 5/25/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The book covers all classical sections in Intermediate Micro course: preferences, utility max, cost min, consumer and producer theories, and also it covers Micro-II Game Theory topics as risk, uncertainty, game theory, models of oligopoly (Cournot, Bertrand, Stackelberg) - which gives good foundation for upper level micro courses.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The book content is accurate. The chapters are very concise, clear and give the main ideas on concepts. The author explained the concepts with examples very well. The policy questions at the end of each chapter give a good motivation for a more deeper thinking on the concepts.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The content of the book reflects the traditional micro theory chapters. It is relevant at any time, since it covers the classical/basic concepts. It is very easy to update the examples with more contemporary ones, depending on the context. The only thing that might be recommended is to update graphical illustrations with more new graphical/illustrative techniques, which would make the book more appealing to the modern time.

Clarity rating: 5

The book is written in a clear, easy to understanding mode. It fits the intermediate level of micro, where students would not be too overwhelmed with narrow specifications of high level micro. The examples are also clearly explained.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is consistent with specific terminology, concepts, and overall overall theory. And after each chapter the key terms of the topics are listed, which is very helpful for review and effective learning.

Modularity rating: 5

I like how book is organized in concise, brief chapters, that give the main concepts of the topics. The reader is not overwhelmed with huge topic without any sub-topics. The topics are organized in a logical way, starting from basics and going to more complicated parts.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book is organized in a traditional micro theory way: first basic concepts, preferences, utility, then consumer theory, then production theory, then markets, and the game theory part with additions. So, I would say this book really gives the main concepts of micro theory and prepares students very well for upper-level micro courses.

Interface rating: 5

I read both online and pdf versions and books seems to be well organized in its navigation. The contents clearly reflects all chapters, parts after chapters, charts and graphs look ok.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text seems to be grammatically thorough and well-written.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The book seems fairly inclusive and is fairly appealing to all races, ethnicity, and backgrounds. It is not biased towards some particular group.

Reviewed by Christie Byun, Associate Professor, Wabash College on 2/15/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This textbook covers the main ideas of Intermediate Micro. It has good coverage of both consumer and producer theory, different market structures (perfect competition, monopoly, oligopoly) and has good coverage of game theory topics relevant to Microecon.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

It seems fairly accurate. The chapters on consumer optimization, producer theory, and game theory are thorough, clear cut, and well laid out. The author is neutral and unbiased in their assessment of various market mechanisms and consumer choice. The writing is clear and easy to understand.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Yes, this book covers classical micro theory. It will not go out of date since this topic is well established. If it needs updating, it would be relatively easy to do so by using new examples in consumer or producer theory or in game theory. There are always new examples to use of firms in various types of market structures or game theoretical areas. So it could be updated easily with those examples.

Clarity rating: 5

The writing is clear and easy to understand. It is not overly full of jargon (other than what is necessary anyway for Micro theory). It gives a good treatment of abstract theory in an straightforward fashion.

Consistency rating: 5

Yes it is. It is consistent with terminology, notation, and graphs throughout.

Modularity rating: 5

Yes, the topic of Micro lends itself easily to discrete chapters in manageable amounts. The author has broken up the topics appropriately so that the readings are not overly long or burdensome. The text is organized in a way that would make learning relatively straightforward.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The chapters are organized in a way that makes sense--consumer theory, then producer theory, then different market structures, then additional topics like game theory, externalities, etc.

Interface rating: 5

It appears so. I used the downloadable pdf file and looked at the chapters via the navigation menu. The charts and graphs appeared just fine and there were no issues with reading through this text.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

As far as I can tell. It can be easy to miss these types of errors, but from what I read, it was error free.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I suppose. It's hard to know how Micro can be culturally insensitive.