Greg Mankiw On Textbooks, Too Roughly Reactions

Greg Mankiw is the author of 2 leading undergraduate economic science textbooks: 1 for the introductory principles of economic science course of instruction in addition to the other for intermediate macro. At his blog, he linked an essay he has simply written, "Reflections of a Textbook Author" (March 6, 2019).  Those teaching or taking either principles or intermediate macro volition detect it of interest, every bit good every bit those who receive got contemplated writing a textbook of their own.

I've had experiences to construct upwardly some views most intro economic science pedagogy over the years. I've been involved inward several introductory textbooks: showtime every bit a commenter in addition to editor for the showtime edition of the introductory Economics textbook past times Joseph Stiglitz published inward 1993, in addition to to a greater extent than of late every bit the authors of my ain Principles of Economics textbook (first edition published inward 2008, in addition to of course of instruction I commend the most recent high-quality in addition to affordable edition to your attention), which was used inward a  revised, shortened, in addition to reorganized shape every bit the backbone for the freely downloadable Principles of Economics book available through OpenStax. I've taught intro econ at Stanford in addition to the University of Minnesota. I've also done some non-textbook, non-classroom introductions to economics. For example, dorsum inward the mid-1990s I recorded the showtime edition of an Economics course, explaining terminology in addition to trends without graphs, for the Teaching Company dorsum inward 1995--the most recent edition is here. Those lectures became the reason for my 2012 bulk The Instant Economist. Last year, I did a serial of xc podcasts, fifteen minutes each, for the Chinese fellowship Ximalaya, explaining intro economic science terms inward a nontechnical way amongst examples in addition to context from China's economy.

Here, I'll move past times along a few thoughts from Mankiw's essay that caught my eye, amongst some reactions of my own, but Greg is a lovely in addition to insightful writer, thence there's lots to a greater extent than at the essay itself.

Principles Instructor every bit Ambassador

"Just every bit ambassadors are supposed to faithfully stand upwardly for the perspective of their nations, the teacher inward an introductory course of instruction (and intermediate courses every bit well) should faithfully stand upwardly for the views shared past times the bulk of professional person economists. ... This perspective of teacher every bit ambassador raises the enquiry of what instructors should do if they handgrip views far from the mainstream of the economic science profession. If yous are an Austrian or Marxist economist, for example, what should yous do if asked to learn an introductory course? In my view, at that spot are only 2 responsible courses of action. One is to sublimate your ain views in addition to pass most of the course of instruction teaching what the mainstream believes, fifty-fifty if yous disagree amongst it. Because many introductory students volition receive got only 1 or 2 courses inward economic science throughout their educations, it would endure pedagogical malpractice, inward my judgment, to focus on an idiosyncratic minority viewpoint. The other responsible course of instruction of activity is to avoid teaching introductory (and fifty-fifty intermediate) courses entirely." 

I real much handgrip amongst this sentiment. But I'd also add together that at that spot should endure some room, at to the lowest degree at larger universities, for some nonstandard overviews of economics. For example, many schools have  freshman seminars taught past times regular faculty that focus on writing, but amongst content specific to the professor. Or departments could offering some intro-level courses, without prerequisites, that aren't the touchstone course. One would belike demand to specify that these option courses would non endure a expert grooming for intermediate micro in addition to intermediate macro to follow. But carving out in addition to preserving some room for experimentation at the intro aeroplane seems potentially useful.

From Supply in addition to Demand to Consumer in addition to Producer Surplus

"Haven’t render in addition to demand ever been at the oculus of the introductory course? Surprisingly, no. The showtime edition of Paul Samuelson's smashing text, published inward 1948 in addition to 608 pages long, did non innovate render in addition to demand curves until page 447. That is inward component because Samuelson, writing inward the shadow of the Great Depression, began his bulk past times emphasizing Keynesian macroeconomics. As the bulk was revised over many editions, touchstone microeconomic tools became to a greater extent than prominent. But fifty-fifty today, many introductory courses do non prepare the framework of render in addition to demand every bit fully every bit they should. In particular, welfare economic science is sometimes non given sufficient coverage. The basic tools of welfare economic science are consumer surplus in addition to producer surplus, which are natural extensions of render in addition to demand."

Pretty much all modern intro textbooks are the intellectual children of Samuelson's 1948 text, simply revised in addition to updated inward diverse ways. My agreement is that if yous decease dorsum earlier that textbook, it was mutual for intro economic science courses to receive got almost no graphs at all--whether supply-and-demand or otherwise. Following Samuelson, it was also touchstone to do macro earlier micro, which seemed based on the supposition that macro had to a greater extent than of a connection to electrical flow events in addition to would endure an easier way to claw intro students into the subject.

I confess that I'm to a greater extent than dubious than Mankiw when it comes to bringing consumer in addition to producer surplus into the intro class. In my experience, triangular areas nether curves are hard for a lot of intro students, in addition to I'm non for certain the reward is real high for the intro student--which is most of them--who aren't ever going to receive got some other econ class. In the smashing scrap over what to include in addition to what to exit out, I'd position less emphasis on on this topic than Mankiw--and I wouldn't quarrel amongst an teacher who decided simply to exit it out.

Including Too Much?

"For many years, Otto Eckstein ran the introductory course of instruction at Harvard. Unfortunately, I never met him every bit he passed away simply earlier I joined the faculty. But I receive got heard 1 of his aphorisms. Apparently, Otto oftentimes told subdivision leaders, `The less yous learn them, the to a greater extent than they learn.' What I believe he meant past times this is that instructors should avoid overwhelming introductory students amongst likewise much information all at once. ... As economists, nosotros learn our students most scarcity. As instructors in addition to textbook authors, nosotros should cry back that educatee fourth dimension is a scarce resource. We must avoid making our courses encyclopedic. That agency taking out all of the easily ignored details in addition to stressing the large ideas. The top dog goal of the introductory course of instruction is non to create hereafter economists but to create well-informed citizens. Any topic that a mortal does non demand to sympathise to intelligently follow the intelligence is a plausible candidate for omission. One jeopardy when simplifying matters for students is oversimplification, losing likewise much of the nuance that economists convey to an issue. But given the difficulty some students receive got learning basic economics, it is a bigger jeopardy to overcomplicate the analysis early on inward the course."

In writing a book, at that spot are ongoing pressures to add together more. Every reader has a pet topic, or a pet example, or a pet caveat, that would only receive got some other page. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 touchstone reply is to write a textbook amongst the thought that for certain chapters volition endure "core," spell other instructors tin endure dropped past times professors if they prefer. In my ain textbook, for example, at that spot is a chapter on imperfect information in addition to insurance, in addition to some other chapter on fiscal markets, which tin endure dropped. In 1 of the macro chapters, I include the Keynesian cross diagram for teaching most macro inward the short-run, but I house it every bit the 2nd one-half of a chapter thence that it tin endure smoothly omitted if a professor desires.

While the private choices most what to include are unremarkably defensible, it  seems fair to me to inquire whether the electrical flow intro model--whether Mankiw's bulk or my own--is really aimed at producing well-informed citizens rather than prepping students for the intermediate micro in addition to macro courses that typically follow inward the undergrad econ major. As someone who took intro econ awhile dorsum most their retentiveness of the course, in addition to you're probable to acquire a wry grinning in addition to a retentiveness of how at that spot were a bunch of graphical exercises to solve. It's non obvious to me that someone who has taken the touchstone intro degree would receive got been inward a substantially improved seat "to intelligently follow the news" about, say, the causes of the Great Recession, or what happens when the policy involvement charge per unit of measurement targetted past times the Federal Reserve went to near-zero, or the arguments most the Patient Protection in addition to Affordable Care Act in addition to the Dodd-Frank pecker passed inward 2010, or the electrical flow arguments over China's economical increment or the Tax Cuts in addition to Jobs Act passed inward 2017. It's non clear to me that the touchstone intro degree empowers students to know where in addition to how to await upwardly information in addition to mainstream declaration on these subjects in addition to others, either.

Everyone has worried for a long fourth dimension most the intro course of instruction including likewise much, but at the destination of the day, nosotros proceed ramming stuff into it.  I'm non for certain the electrical flow remainder is right.

Free textbooks?

"One possibility is to receive got the fixed costs of production paid past times a foundation grant (I am looking at you, Bill Gates) in addition to and then brand the digital bulk freely available. This is similar to the mutual proposition that newspapers similar The New York Times should movement from for-profit to non-profit condition in addition to and then endure supported past times charitable donors, much similar National Public Radio. Yet I am skeptical that this reform would improve on the condition quo of the textbook market. After all, the electrical flow for-profit educational publishers are non that profitable, in addition to at that spot is no argue to think that a non-profit entity would detect cost savings that receive got eluded existing publishers. I am afraid that the only way to substantially cutting costs would endure to bring down quality, which would non endure inward the students’ interests."

OpenStax is an organization that makes digital books freely available for a broad attain of college courses, including the Economics bulk inward which I played a role. It is indeed  partly funded past times the Gates Foundation.  Mankiw suggests that "free" books may receive got an undesirable character tradeoff.

Quality is oftentimes inward the oculus (and the wallet) of the beholder. But the thought behind OpenStax is that a lot of intro books across a lot of subjects are pretty similar: say, think most the probable similarities betwixt intro textbooks inward algebra, statistics, accounting, chemistry, in addition to physics.  If instructors for intro econ should endure ambassadors representing the mutual wisdom, books which do this volition receive got a lot of overlap, too. Personally, I prefer my textbook from Textbook Media to the revised, reworked, reorganized, in addition to shortened version that became the OpenStax book. But other instructors may disagree, or may simply experience that "free" is worth it.

The bigger character tradeoff amongst complimentary books is most the ancillary materials that accompany a book: banks of multiple selection questions that tin endure organized into quizzes in addition to tests, amongst machine-scoring; occupation sets; slides in addition to videos for the classroom; animated graphics; text-to-audio for those who larn amend past times listening; structured economical markets in addition to exercises that tin endure "played" past times students, in addition to and then mined for underlying lessons; in addition to more. Some ancillaries receive got been created for the OpenStax complimentary books, but for-profit publishers invest a lot into these ancillaries, in addition to into making for certain they business office together inward a coordinated way. I suspect that that the character tradeoffs betwixt complimentary in addition to priced textbooks are mild, compared to the character tradeoffs betwixt ancillary materials for the books.

How Much Do You Like the Act of Writing in addition to Revising?

"If yous are thinking most writing a textbook, the most of import enquiry to inquire yourself is: Do yous bask the procedure of writing in addition to revising (and revising in addition to revising and…)? Not simply tolerate it, but really bask it? ... I really bask the triennial revisions of my textbooks, non only because they allow me to update my texts for the ever-changing globe but also because they give me the jeopardy to decease through the manuscript in addition to tinker some more. I tin alter `the fold is upward sloping' to “`he fold slopes upward,' saving 1 give-and-take in addition to 2 syllables! If that edit does non strike yous every bit a life-affirming victory, yous are non a author at heart."

This comment reminded me of a twain of others. One was from an economist friend of mine who had serious talks amongst a publisher most writing a textbook in addition to walked correct upwardly to the border of a sizeable advance payment--before deciding non to decease through amongst it. He told me that inward looking the reality of a textbook projection inward the face: "I discovered that there's a large departure betwixt wanting to write a bulk in addition to wanting to receive got written a book."

The other is to emphasize that for most of us, expert expository writing involves a lot of rewriting. When someone says that the explanations inward my textbook are smoothen in addition to fluent in addition to easy-to-follow, I ever think: "Well, after most the sixth or tenth revision, it became a lot to a greater extent than clear." I cry back the advice of "John Kenneth Galbraith on Writing, Inspiration, in addition to Simplicity" (August 25, 2015). Galbraith, who was 1 of the genuinely fine prose stylists inward economics, wrote: 

"The best house to write is past times yourself, because writing becomes an escape from the terrible boredom of your ain personality. It's the argue that for years I've favored Switzerland, where I await at the telephone in addition to yearn to hear it ring. ... There may endure inspired writers for whom the showtime draft is simply right. But anyone who is non certifiably a Milton had amend assume that the showtime draft is a real primitive thing. The argue is simple: Writing is hard work. Ralph Paine, who managed Fortune inward my time, used to say that anyone who said writing was piece of cake was either a bad author or an unregenerate liar. Thinking, every bit Voltaire avowed, is also a real piece of cake thing which men—or women—will do anything to avoid. So all showtime drafts are deeply flawed past times the demand to combine composition amongst thought. Each afterward draft is less demanding inward this regard. Hence the writing tin endure better."